Moses Mbye will be fit to play in State of Origin I - if selected - despite failing to play in his final audition, Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire says.
Mbye was a late scratching from the Tigers' loss to South Sydney on Saturday after picking up a groin injury in the captain's run on Friday.
"He just had a slight strain to his groin. It's only a subtle one. If we were playing in 4-5 days, he might've been okay," coach Michael Maguire said.
"But to turnaround in 24 hours, he just wasn't ready."
Asked whether Mbye would be ready to play in 10 days time, Maguire said: "Definitely. Yeah, without a doubt.
Mbye has been tossed up as a surprise contender for Queensland's game-one side, which will be named on Monday morning.
The Tigers skipper is seen as the ideal utility player off the bench, having started in five different positions over his seven-year career so far.
Maguire said he has always pushed his players to vie for Origin honours.
"It's a great opportunity for a player to step into a higher arena, and they always come back a better player," he said.
"To be able to play at that level, they come back a different player because of the level that you need to lift, it'd be great if Moses got in."
The No.14 jumper is vacant for the Maroons after a spate of injuries at hooker, with incumbent Andrew McCullough sidelined with a knee issue.
Sydney Roosters co-captain Jake Friend is also out with an arm injury, while former Queensland captain Cameron Smith has retired from representative football.
Last year's utility, Ben Hunt, is widely tipped to start in the No.9 spot.
