Boyd Cordner feared he would miss State of Origin after pectoral muscle "ripped off like velcro"

Roosters captain Jake Friend was standing over him as his spotter, but there was little the dummy-half could do when the total weight of the bar collapsed on to the chest of Cordner, who immediately feared the worst as he lay there in agony.

"I went to push up on the last rep and I was fatiguing and I just felt it rip. It's something I'll never forget," Cordner said. "I thought I could hear it because I felt it. It was like a massive piece of velcro peeling off. Jake Friend was [spotting] at the time. I yelled and actually dropped it on me. He was in shock as well because he knew what was happening. He took the bar off and slid out. I knew straight away. That was the time I was like 'this is pretty bad, I'm going to miss a lot of footy'."

Just how much footy he would have to sit out, Cordner wasn't sure. He missed the club's pre-season training trip to Dubai, and also played no part in the successful World Club Challenge campaign.

The Roosters backrower admits he feared his Origin dream was over, but now he finds himself in the NSW starting side for the first time after five appearances off the bench for the Blues.

"It definitely did cross my mind when I first did the injury," Cordner said about the possibility of missing the Origin series. "It was foreign territory for me, I never knew anything about pecs. I knew I was going to miss a lot of footy, I just didn't know how much. After speaking to the surgeons, I found out that I would be back around round eight and I would get five games under my belt before Origin, so I was hopeful.

"I was really sad, to tell you the truth. I had a full pre-season, I was just about to fly over to Dubai and England for the World Club Challenge with the boys and it happened two days beforehand. I was really upset. I knew I was going to be missing a lot of footy and that hard work had been undone."

Most would welcome the relief from club football considering the fortunes of the Roosters this season, but not Cordner.

While he is delighted to be back in the Blues line-up, he says the the Roosters' woes have only made it more difficult to leave the club when there is so much work to be done to turn their season around.

"It's harder stepping away because of the way we're going because it hurts me to see where we are on the ladder and I know how hard at training we're working," Cordner said. "You want to be there to help turn the season around."

One man who will be at the Roosters after being overlooked by Blues coach Laurie Daley is halfback Mitchell Pearce, who missed the first eight rounds of the season after he was suspended for an off-field indiscretion.

Cordner is one of Pearce's closest friends and, while he is upset the halfback has been dumped from the Blues, insists his support of the 27-year-old hasn't wavered.

"I'm very close mates with Mitchell and I suppose just being a friend. He would do the same for me," Cordner said. "It's not over the top or anything, I'm just there, just for support. I let him know that I was there for him and that I'll always have his back. It was pretty upsetting the way that it all went down, but he's moved on now and accepted full responsibility for that.

"I think he's a better man for it, to tell you the truth. The way he's come back, I think it's a credit to himself. This is unreal to be in camp with all the boys. It is something pretty special, so no doubt he'll be missing it for sure."

With Paul Gallen to retire from Origin football at the end of this series, the Blues will be on the lookout for a new captain. While Greg Bird and Robbie Farah would make ideal short-term solutions, Cordner is being discussed as a potential long-term skipper of the Blues.

"That's a long-term goal for sure," Cordner said. "It's pretty humbling to hear those sort of comments, but it's definitely a long way down the track. I'm totally focused on Wednesday night and getting the win Game I."