Blues skipper Boyd Cordner has shrugged off any injury concerns after he was a late omission from the Roosters side that downed the Wests Tigers on Sunday.
The Roosters back-rower missed his side's 40-18 win at Campbelltown Stadium with head coach Trent Robinson opting to rest the 25-year-old after a hectic couple of weeks that saw Cordner lead his state to victory in Game One of the State of Origin series at Suncorp Stadium before he backed up three days later with a two-try haul against the Broncos.
There were fears Cordner might have damaged one of his knees but the NSW skipper hosed down those rumours, revealing he could have played last Sunday if required.
Cordner often ices his knees after training and matches and was told by the club's medicos that the week off would benefit him later in the season.
"If I had to play on Sunday against the Tigers I would have been all right," Cordner said at the team's base at the Star casino in Sydney.
"Speaking with the medical staff at the Roosters and also Trent, we thought it was best in the long run to have the week off.
"It's just a niggling injury that's been ongoing for a few weeks now. It's nothing major."
Cordner brushed off any suggestions he'd been given the day off by Robinson to rest up for Origin.
"It wasn't a case of that at all," he said.
"I was thinking more long term for the season because there's a lot of games coming up for me; obviously you've got Origin which falls into it and then straight after Origin we've got the Storm and the Sharks and they're two very important games for us at the Roosters.
"If I had played on Sunday and then again on Wednesday night, I might have been struggling to back up against Melbourne so it was more of a long-term thought process.
"I'm fine to train fully with the boys. It's just normal for me now."
Cordner's inclusion is a huge bonus for NSW who have named an unchanged side for the first time in 21 years.
"I think it's really handy," he said of the unchanged squad.
"Having everyone who was there for Game One – who went through that full week of training and got to know the system and know our game plans – I don't think we'll have to change too much there."
This article first appeared on NRL.COM
