A proud Brett Morris is determined to reward coach Laurie Daley's faith after believing his State of Origin days were over.
The leg injury to young gun Tom Trbojevic opened the door for 30-year-old Morris' unexpected recall for NSW on the wing in May 31's opening Origin match at Suncorp Stadium.
A veteran of 12 Origin encounters and 18 Tests, Morris is first to admit he was taken aback, having dismissed his chances, following a tough 2016 season, when he was sidelined for four months by a knee problem.
"I got a bit of a shock when I got the phone call from Laurie," Morris told AAP on Monday.
"I feel that Loz (Daley) has shown a lot of faith in me and certainly as a result I want to repay that faith.
"I suppose at the start of the year I didn't have rep football on the cards.
"I thought there was some players ahead of me and obviously there's been a few injuries and I've been able to get back into the side.
"It's a wonderful thing to happen to me and obviously I'm very excited and it just makes you wonder how long you can keep going for."
Morris feels his recall to the State of Origin cauldron is reward for the hard work he put into his rehab and getting back to somewhere near his best.
"Obviously injuries are part and parcel of rugby league, but last year was a very tough time for myself," Morris said.
"I spent a lot of time on the sidelines. I suppose you question whether you're ever going to be able to get back to this level. There was a lot of tough times there.
"To come through the other side and to still be able to play rep footy, I'm pretty proud of this achievement.
"As you get a bit older you realise that injuries and a young guy can come in and take your spot and potentially hold that jersey for a long time."
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