Otago completed its pre-season campaign with a 38-12 victory over Southland in Queenstown on Thursday.
It now has more than a week to prepare for its opening game of the Mitre 10 Cup, taking on Southland in Invercargill on August 21.
Otago has brought in Southern halfback Josh Walden into its squad and will have three halfbacks.
Otago coach Cory Brown said Walden had been playing well and deserved his chance.
University A halfback Kaide Whiting had concussion issues, and though he has been cleared to play, he still has to get some more rugby under his belt. Jono Ruru is the third halfback in the squad.
Winger Gavin Stark has not played any games in the pre-season as he battles a rib injury.
He carried the injury into the club semifinals, managed to get through that game, but subsequently damaged his ribs again at work.
He is slowly coming right but will not be available for the match against Southland.
Loose forward Naulia Dawai injured his ankle in the club semifinals and then had to return to Fiji after his father died. His ankle injury is coming right and he should be in the frame for the side to play against Southland.
A few of the Highlanders had come back into the squad for the game in Queenstown but the rest of them — the likes of lock Tom Franklin and prop Aki Seiuli — will join the Otago squad on Monday.
Brown said he had to be wary of not loading the returning players up too much.
With the side having four games early on in the competition — it is the first team to play a game midweek — Brown said he would be looking to spread the load between the players.
There was enough depth in the squad to make sure all players could get an opportunity in the first four games and the team would not lose anything by changing players.