Brisbane’s ‘Ferrari’ James Roberts will miss Thursday’s NRL clash with the Sydney Roosters as he battles achilles soreness.

The Broncos centre trained with the reserves at Red Hill on Tuesday in an attempt to manage the ongoing complaint.

The NSW Origin star has shown glimpses of his brilliance already this season despite battling back and ankle soreness.

But he won’t front up against the Roosters, with captain Darius Boyd confirming on Tuesday that Gehamat Shibasaki would replace Roberts.

“He’s a bit of a Ferrari old Jimmy; he runs fast and we need him to be at his best,” Boyd said.

“He’s having a rest this week and hopefully he gets it right next week.”

Boyd said Brisbane’s defence needed all-round attention after they were caught napping by St George Illawarra in a 24-25 loss at Suncorp Stadium.

And he knows it won’t get any easier with James Tedesco, Luke Keary and Cooper Cronk among the Roosters’ spine.

“We weren’t up for the Dragons and they rolled us,” Boyd said.

“There shouldn’t be any excuses any week … we didn’t play to our potential, which is disappointing, but still had a chance to win.”