Penrith fullback Matt Moylan has been named to play against Brisbane on Friday night despite dislocating three fingers in the NRL's City-Country fixture last weekend.
Second-rower Bryce Cartwright said his City teammate saw a specialist on Tuesday and has been cleared to join the rest of the squad when they fly to Brisbane on Thursday.
Showing the kind of toughness that will have impressed NSW coach Laurie Daley, Moylan injured his hand in the second half of the Origin trial in Wagga Wagga but finished out the game.
"He's a tough boy. They come tough out here in the west and he showed that on Sunday arvo," Cartwright told AAP.
"I think he broke three fingers, and it'd be very uncomfortable to play with that. He did well. It just shows how tough he is. He got a guard from the specialist so he'll be right to go on Friday."
After a breakout season last year, Moylan is in contention to replace Jarryd Hayne as Blues fullback in game one of the Origin series on May 27.
Cartwright said the Penrith fullback was in even better form than last year, revelling in the absence of veterans Jamie Soward and Peter Wallace.
"At training he's taken a leadership role. He's looking after the younger fellas and even the older boys. That's what I've noticed about him. His leadership's picked up and he's really someone you can learn off," he said.
"Last year he talked a lot, but not as much as this year. Having `Sowie' (Jamie Soward) and `Wall' (Peter Wallace) out, that's made him try and lead the team around a bit more. It's helped us out a lot. Credit to him, he's a good player and an even better bloke."
While Moylan was named, the Panthers will still be without Soward (back), Wallace (knee), James Segeyaro (elbow), Dean Whare (hamstring), Josh Mansour (knee), Jamal Idris (ACL), and Brent Kite (leg).
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