Brisbane captain Justin Hodges expects his team to come face to face with a Manly side boosted by the return of star halfback Daly Cherry-Evans in Friday’s NRL clash.

Cherry-Evans missed the opening State of Origin match with a shoulder injury and it was thought he may struggle to return to fitness in time for game two in a fortnight.

But Hodges is predicting the half to be fighting fit for this week’s game at Suncorp Stadium.

“We knew Cherry would come back this week from when he was in Origin camp,” he told Newscorp.

“He will have a massive impact. I watched their game on the weekend and they looked like the Manly of old and then they have Cherry coming back.”