Max Jorgensen will play his first game of rugby in more than three months, after he was named in a Wallabies starting side that also features Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii but is without enforcers Rob Valetini and Will Skelton up front.
The Wallabies forwards are believed to have suffered calf injuries in the build-up to Australia's Test against Fiji, in Newcastle on Sunday, putting them in a race against time for the opening game against the British & Irish Lions in two weeks' time.
It is believed that Skelton should be right to play in Brisbane, but Valetini could miss the Suncorp Stadium clash in a huge blow to the Wallabies' hopes of upsetting the tourists in the first Test.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt on Friday afternoon played down the threat of longer-term absences for the forwards duo, however, after naming his first squad of 2025.
"They're doing great. Will and Bobby, they train well, albeit not with the side, but they're hitting some good speeds and their movement's good," Schmidt said.
"Jake [Gordon] trained with the side today so he's very close to being able to [play]; if it was the last game of the season and we were desperate to have Jake. But we've got Tate and Nick so we're not desperate around nine anyway. So Jake will work his way back through there but I'd be very confident all three of those guys will be ready to train at the start of the week for that first lead-in to the British & Irish Lions first Test.
"But for this week, it was probably a week too soon."
Gordon's spot has instead been taken by Tate McDermott, while Langi Gleeson, who was told he was not in the Wallabies plans at the start of the year because of his decision to head offshore beyond this season, starts at No. 6 in place of Valetini.
Skelton may not have been a guaranteed starter even if fit, but he would have certainly added punch from the bench against the Fijians. Instead, Nick Frost and Jeremy Williams reform their successful locking duo of 2024, with Tom Hooper offering both back- and second-row cover off the bench.
Elsewhere, Schmidt has decided to start veteran James Slipper at loosehead prop ahead of Angus Bell, while Dave Porecki has been preferred over in-form Brumbies rake Billy Pollard at hooker.
They are joined in the front-row by Allan Alaalatoa.
Schmidt said the new-look front-row was about mixing up combinations, after hooker Porecki had missed the entirety of 2024 through a troublesome Achilles injury.
With Pollard having enjoyed some time under Schmidt last season, and well versed in playing alongside Alaalatoa at the Brumbies, Schmidt said it was prudent the Wallabies trialled different combinations.
Harry Wilson has meanwhile retained the captaincy, as expected, the Reds No. 8 joining Gleeson in the back-row alongside Fraser McReight.
While Schmidt stopped short of confirming Wilson would captain the Wallabies against the Lions, he gave a glowing endorsement for the man he introduced to the role midway through last year's Rugby Championship.
"You can just see in Harry and sense it, he's almost got this passion to play for his country, that is contagious," Schmidt said. "And so when your leader is demonstrating that passion and I think he's probably vocalised it a couple of times just what it means for him to play for Australia.
British & Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell says he understands the criticism of his decision to call-up son Owen, but insists the veteran is the right choice to replace the injured Elliot Daly.
"And he's a sports fan, he loves Australian cricket, he loves Australia winning, really it doesn't matter what it is. But I'd love to see him as an Australian winning because that's what the team need. And I don't necessarily mean winning games, just winning the moments when he's involved in the line-out or he's in the defensive line or he's carrying he can be as effective as possible in those moments.
"So I just love his passion around representing his country and as I said, I think it's contagious."
In the backs, Brumbies fly-half Noah Lolesio wears the No. 10 jersey, with Len Ikitau shifting one spot closer in to No. 12 from his customary outside centre position to accommodate Suaalii's midfield inclusion.
Tom Wright and Harry Potter round out the back three alongside Jorgensen at fullback and right wing respectively.
Asked about Gleeson's inclusion, Schmidt praised the Waratahs back-rower for his efforts during the Super Rugby season, after he had originally been omitted from the Wallabies' January camp.
"He was never out of the playing squad, he was just out of a camp that we had in January," the Wallabies coach explained. "Having said that, [forwards coach] Geoff [Parling] and I met with him spent a good amount of time with him, looked back over his season, and the clips that we had and the data that we had, and had a really good discussion with Langi.
"And my hope with Langi is that his sojourn en France, it doesn't last too long and he comes back and he hasn't signed for too long, so I'm hopeful that he'll be back and he'll be doing what he was doing during Super Rugby this year."
"If you look at him, I think he was one of the form back-rowers in the Australian game and it's on that current form, as I described, and he kind of doubles up, he did a good job for us last year and he's doubled up by being in form not just at the back (16:28) end, right throughout the Super Rugby."