South Sydney superstar Greg Inglis insists he's in no rush to return, but he'll train on Thursday in a bid to prove his fitness for Friday's NRL blockbuster against premiers Melbourne.
Having missed the past three games with a posterior cruciate ligament injury sustained in the State of Origin decider, Inglis is poised for a dramatic return against his former club.
Souths coach Michael Maguire revealed Inglis trained on Monday and would be assessed again on Thursday.
"We're actually going to train him tomorrow to see how he goes for the weekend," Maguire said.
"It's pretty positive for us at the moment with where he's at, but we're not going to risk pushing him out there if he's not ready.
"We'll tick all the boxes and see where he's at tomorrow.
Inglis adopted a cautious approach to his comeback.
"This injury has probably been a bit of blessing in disguise in getting the body right and getting it to heal," Inglis said.
"I don't know how long I'll be out for, but I'm going to be smart about it and really sensible about when I'm going to come back.
"Late last week I had a bit of a trot and yesterday as well," Inglis said.
"A bit of rehab this morning and I'll train tomorrow, but how many more weeks, or how long I'm out is up to me and the medical staff.
"No rush; you've got to be smart about this obviously coming up towards the finals series.
"It's a matter of how I'm feeling and how mentally wise as well."
The Rabbitohs have lost two of their three games in Inglis' absence, to St George Illawarra and North Queensland, and have surrendered top spot on the NRL ladder to arch-rivals the Sydney Roosters.
"We've obviously got a kick in the backside by those two sides and in the end we've just got to knuckle down and focus on what we can improve on," Inglis said.
The Queensland centre's return would be a boon for the Rabbitohs who have lost playmaker John Sutton for up to a month with an ankle injury.
"Young Luke Keary has been working really hard in the background and he will come in for Sutton," Maguire said.
"He's performed very well when he's had the opportunity."
Inglis was under no illusion about the task facing the Rabbitohs against a Melbourne team coming off a massive win over Canberra.
"Going done there is going to be a tough task, we've found that out in the last two years and last year in the finals," Inglis said.
