Boyd Cordner has rated himself a "100 per cent" certainty of leading NSW in the State of Origin decider, shrugging off a calf complaint which has dogged the Blues' preparations for game three.
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The NSW skipper - who even consulted a Sydney energy healer in a bid to be fit for one of the biggest games in Origin history - confirmed he would take his place ensuring Laurie Daley's side is the first since 1996 to feature an unchanged line-up in all three games of the series.
Having admitted he thought he was only a "50-50 chance" earlier in the week, Cordner was so buoyed about his ability to get through a closed doors session on Sunday he told reporters on Monday morning he was guaranteed of leading his state onto Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night.
Asked to rate his chances, Cordner said: "After yesterday I'm 100 per cent.
"[Sunday] wasn't a grand final for me, but it was definitely one of the training sessions I have been nervous before. I got a lot of work done through the week ….so I was quietly confident. I have done everything that was asked of me. At this stage I will be playing but I still have to get through the captain's run [on Tuesday].
"Since game two it's been a pretty big rollercoaster ride. That's the way it is. I've put a lot of pressure on myself to get right and have done a lot of work. It's that relief now and we've still got the captain's run to go so I don't want to go off too early, but it's all looking pretty good."
The Blues will finalise their preparations in a session at Gold Coast's Cbus Super Stadium on Tuesday morning en route to Brisbane.
Cordner's calf has been a huge source of concern for Laurie Daley since Origin II as his skipper hobbled through the closing minutes of NSW's second-half meltdown in Sydney.
"I also thought that I definitely wouldn't be that selfish to put my teammates and Laurie in a position where if I do end up going out there and it happens again in the first 20 minutes, we're down an interchange and down a player," Cordner said. "That is pretty selfish.
"Once I got that through my head it was an easy decision to make. I wasn't going to play unless I 100 percent believed I was going to get through the game."
Cordner's fitness boost means Jack de Belin, who has been in camp at Kingscliff as 18th man, won't make his Origin debut.
NSW has drafted in Manly's Tom Trbojevic and Melbourne's Dale Finucane as shadow players leading up to the decider.
Cordner was confident his calf would stand up to the rigours of 80 minutes if required.
"At this stage I'm looking to play 80 [minutes] and I haven't spoken to Loz about what his plans are for me or interchanges for the team, but at this stage I'll be preparing myself to play 80," he said.
"I think my experience with injuries before and how to deal with them [has helped], but just staying positive and the amount of work I've put in. I think the whole combination - especially the physios - I've needed everything to go favourably."
