At 29 and five years after representing his state for a fourth time, Sydney Roosters winger Daniel Tupou thought his State of Origin days were in the past.
But in one of the many feel-good stories in the Blues camp, NSW coach Brad Fittler has thrown Tupou an Origin lifeline that the veteran is desperate to latch on to.
"Yeah, it's been a really long time. I'm actually excited and yeah happy just to be back in the camp, to be given the opportunity," the 2014 series winner told AAP.
"I never really lost hope. I just thought that time's up and thought the young crew would come in and fill those shoes.
"Again, I've been given the opportunity and I thought 'why not take it?' So I'm stoked."
Tupou played all three games when NSW snapped an eight-year title drought in 2014.
But he was dropped after game one in 2015 - and hasn't been sighted since in the Origin cauldron.
His 2020 numbers, though, were too good for Fittler to ignore.
Tupou scored 11 tries in 15 games and was the biggest metre-eater of all wingmen in the competition with 174 per match.
He looms as an obvious option to replace Blake Ferguson, who was charged with several of the Blues' hard carries out of their own end last year.
The 196cm Rooster's height will also make him a likely option for Fittler. With Nathan Cleary's kicking the best in the NRL, Tupou will tower over Queensland's wingers and make him a target in attack.
As yet, Fittler hasn't given the former Tonga and Australia Test star any indication of whether or not he'll make the Blues' starting line-up for the series opener against Queensland in Adelaide on November 4.
Tupou, though, remains confident he's still up for the most demanding stage in rugby league.
"He (Fittler) hasn't given me anything yet," he said.
"So the time will come when that chat comes about but, at the moment, I'm just glad to be back in the mix.
"My body's held up pretty good at the moment and I'm ready to go."
With Melbourne flyer Josh Addo-Carr a lock for one wing spot, Tupou is jostling with Canberra's Nick Cotric and possible Panther Josh Mansour for the other.
NSW captain Boyd Cordner is one player firmly in Tupou's corner.
"I'm very happy for my (Roosters) teammate Daniel Tupou to be back in the Blues jersey," Cordner told AAP.
"I know how pumped he is."
Meanwhile, Tupou's Roosters teammate and NSW's MVP for the past two years running, superstar fullback James Tedesco, will enter Blues camp on Friday.
Tedesco is desperate to overcome a knee injury in time to play in the series opener.
Australian Associated Press
