Adam Reynolds was so sick before South Sydney's clash with Newcastle that Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire thought he was no chance of playing.
But the halfback overcame a vomiting bug to play a starring role in the Rabbitohs' 34-12 win at Hunter Stadium on Sunday, laying on three tries with deftly placed kicks.
Reynolds had failed to finish Souths' past two games, succumbing to a hamstring injury against the Warriors and suffering a head clash in the win against Cronulla.
But despite Reynolds being named to start, Maguire revealed he was no guarantee of playing against the Knights.
"He came down with an illness last night and he was actually quite crook, actually very sick," Maguire said.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
"So it was a great effort for him to wake up this morning. He was still probably a little bit sick throughout the morning but he turned up and played very well."
Reynolds laid on the first try for Inglis in the ninth minute, changing the direction of the play before grubbering into the in-goal.
The ball bamboozled Knights winger Cory Denniss and Inglis pounced on the ball just millimetres from the in-goal.
Reynolds was at it again just before halftime, this time landing a chip in the hands of Cody Walker, who raced over untouched.
He put the icing on the Rabbits' win with another chip, this time finding Alex Johnston for his second try.
Maguire said Reynolds' recent improvement could be traced to State of Origin.
"I think the whole team has been building," he said.
"The forwards have been putting a platform for him to be able to kick off the back of it.
"The little areas of his game have continued to grow.
"After the Origin period he has come back and I can see he's a better player for that experience."
