New South Wales Blues skipper Boyd Cordner says he is ready and rearing to go for game three of the State of Origin series on Wednesday night despite battling a calf injury.
The Blues second-rower was racing the clock to play in game two and nearly missed last year's game three with the same calf injury.
But Cordner asserted that he would be right for Wednesday's dead rubber at Suncorp Stadium.
โI know my body inside out,โ he told The Sydney Morning Herald.
โIโve had a few injuries, Iโm at the physio a fair bit, too, so I know all the lingo now. What connects what. The part of the calf that I have injured is the soleus.
"Thatโs the muscle that takes all the impact, not the explosive muscle. If youโre going to do it, thatโs what you want to do. Thatโs why I could keep playing [in game two].
"They're the ones you want to do, not the gastroc [gastrocnemius]ย muscle.ย Thatโs the power muscle. Thatโs when you are in danger โฆโ
The NSW captain revealed that it was in fact a knee injury that held him out of last year's contest and was confident his body will hold up in game three.
โNo, last time wasnโt to do with my calf, it was my knee,โ he said.
โMy body feels good. I wouldโve been right to train earlier in the week but because weโve got a long week, why not use it all up?
"Iโm confident that I will be able to get through it. I wouldnโt play this year if I wasn't. Weโre sitting good at the Chooks at the moment [in fifth position on the NRL ladder] and I would not want to put that in any jeopardy by missing any games.
"Even if we had to play Origin five days ago, I wouldโve been sweet.โ
Former Blues skipper Paul Gallen toldย The Sydney Morning Herald:ย โIโve gone into games with calf injuries, no worries,โ before the team's Sunday training session, while NSW physioย Liz Steet said she trusted Corner's judgement, who has helped manage his calf issue.
โI trust Boydโs judgement,โ she told The Sydney Morning Herald.
โSome players I wouldnโt. If he thinks he is going to be a risk, he would say so. He would never put himself ahead of the team.โ
Despite already having won the Origin fixture, Cordner said the Blues were keen to complete a sweep of the Maroons in their final meeting.
"We don't want to end on a sour note, we want to end on a high," he said.
