Wayne Bennett has hailed Keaon Koloamatangi's toughness as he prepares to line up for South Sydney less than a week after fracturing his eye socket.
The rapid-fire return gives Koloamatangi two games to reassert his State of Origin credentials, after missing NSW's trip to Perth for game two with the match-ending injury suffered against Canterbury on Sunday.
Koloamatangi had originally been a member of NSW's extended squad for Origin II and appears the next cab off the rank if Laurie Daley wants to tweak his 17 for the decider on July 9.
Koloamatangi comes in from the extended squad to face Melbourne on Saturday and will be joined in the team by star fullback Latrell Mitchell, who is backing up from NSW's two-point loss.
The Storm have ruled Xavier Coates out of the game at Accor Stadium, but are likely to have his Queensland teammates Harry Grant and Trent Loiero on deck after they flew direct to Sydney from Perth after Origin.
Fellow Origin representatives Stefano Utoikamanu and Cam Munster flew back to Melbourne, but have also been named to make the trip to Sydney and start.
"(Koloamatangi) didn't need any surgery and the doctor's quite confident (the injury) won't be a problem to him. He's confident and he's happy, so we'll go ahead and let him play," said Souths coach Bennett.
"He's a bit like Jye Gray the other night with a broken thumb, played the whole second half. You can't question the toughness and the wanting to play for the club as well.
"The club's in a good place if players want to play and they've got injuries or getting back a little bit earlier. They work really hard."
The news is not so good for recruit Lewis Dodd, who had been named to come in from reserve grade for the injured Jayden Sullivan but will be replaced at five-eighth by Jack Wighton.
The axing raises further questions as to Dodd's future at the Rabbitohs, who have only started him in the halves once since he was lured from England on a salary of more than $600,000.
Dodd's selection chances will only diminish further when Cody Walker returns from his groin injury next weekend, having almost recovered in time to face the Storm.
"I haven't really had a conversation with (Dodd) because I told him on Tuesday he probably wasn't in the team anyway," Bennett said.
"I didn't know what was going on with Origin, I didn't know the other guys' injuries. I only really announced the team this morning to the players."
Saturday's game will be the 44th time Bennett has coached against Storm mentor Craig Bellamy, breaking the record for most match-ups for two coaches since the grand final era began in 1954.
To keep their top-eight tilt on track, the 14th-placed Rabbitohs must snap Bellamy's 14-game winning streak against Bennett-coached sides.
"(Bellamy's teams) all do their jobs, they're really good at that. Whatever role you've got in the team, they do it," Bennett said.
