NSW hooker Robbie Farah did more than was expected of him at his first training session since undergoing surgery for a broken hand but the odds are against him playing in Wednesday night's Origin decider.
Farah, who had a plate and pins instered in his right hand last Tuesday, was able to catch and pass the ball without any discomfort at training on Saturday in Coffs Harbour but there are concerns about his ability to tackle and he sat out an opposed session against a local team bolstered by the likes of James Roberts, Tariq Sims, Sione Mata'utia, Ryan Hinchcliffe, Will Smith and Joey Lussick.
A final decision on whether Farah will play or is replaced by back-up hooker Michael Ennis will be made in Brisbane on Monday night and the Blues vice-captain will rule himself out if he thinks the injury will hinder him in the match at Suncorp Stadium.
While Farah remains a doubtful starter, Blues officials are reluctant to rule him out after he surprised them by playing in Origin II with a shoulder injury sustained in the series opener that doctors initially estimated would sideline him for eight weeks.
Despite rupturing three ligaments and separating the collarbone from his left shoulder, Farah turned up at the NSW team medical just 12 days later and performed push ups after undergoing around-the-clock physiotherapy and other treatment.
The fractured metacarpal he suffered in the Tigers' loss to Penrith last Sunday is regarded as a three-week injury but Farah is doing everything possible to play and underwent the surgery on Tuesday to strengthen the bone in the ring finger of his right hand.
He has been sleeping with his hand in a large blue foam box he carried on the plane to Coffs Harbour on Wednesday night, after being removed from an earlier flight as airlines do not allow passengers to fly within 24 hours of surgery for health reasons.
Farah's hand had been heavily bandaged but he has gradually reduced that in the camp and trained with just a small bandage on Saturday.
He was able to grip the ball and pass easily but did so at first receiver, with Ennis training at dummy half for the majority of the brief period media were allowed to view.
However, Farah hadn't been expected to be as involved in the session as he was and teammates believe he is a chance of playing.
"I hope he plays, I would love to see it," prop Aaron Woods said. "All the hard work he has done for it, he deserves it. At the end of the day he will make the decision that is right for the team and that is up to Robbie.
"I know Robbie really well, and the way he looks after his body, the amount of physio he does, and all the stuff he has done to get the hand right,he will give himself every chance to play. That's Robbie and if anyone can do it, he can."
Ennis cannot be officially named in the NSW team until the one-match suspension he received at the judiciary last Wednesday night expires at the end of this weekend's round of matches and Fairfax Media was told a decision on Farah would be made after Monday night's Parramatta-Wests Tigers match.
The loss of Farah would be a blow for the Blues but second-rower Beau Scott said Ennis was an ideal replacement.
"Mick has been here before, he knows what it is all about, we will not be taking a backward step with Mick," Scott said. "We have trained with Mick, he knows the plays now and he knows his role within the team.
"We are not losing anything by playing Mick if that is what happens. He has jumped straight into the role, he has picked it all up easily."
