A sharp-tongued sky-blue shootout looms when gun five-eighths Cody Walker and Jarome Luai square off in Sunday's wild west Rabbitohs-Panthers clash.
A sold-out, 11,000-strong crowd will be on hand for Dubbo's first NRL fixture on Sunday and the return of fan favourite Latrell Mitchell, who South Sydney teammates expect to have "a chip on his shoulder" as he targets a NSW recall for the first time since 2019.
Mitchell's timely return from suspension puts him in line for a left centre gig after he and coach Brad Fittler sorted through the ugly aftermath of the 23-year-old's controversial axing two years ago.
But Sunday's scrumbase duel between Walker and Luai promises plenty of fireworks at Apex Oval, with the pair gunning for the Blues No.6 jersey along with Dally M medallist Jack Wighton.
Walker and Luai have never been shy about coming forward on the paddock and rank as two of the chirpier characters in the Telstra Premiership.
Blues certainties Nathan Cleary and Damien Cook both backed their respective club teammates to excel if given the nod for Origin I on June 9.
Cook is "hopeful" for niggle and nagging between the two pivots on Sunday, while Cleary said any Origin call-up for Luai would be a well deserved reward for cooling his heels at Penrith before a breakout 2020 campaign.
"It would mean a lot to [Luai] and his family as well," Cleary told jetwinvip.com.
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"I've seen how hard he's had to work and he's had to bide his time a lot when Jimmy [Maloney] was at the club. But he always remained loyal to Penrith.
"I think sometimes the impact he has in our team is overlooked. But Romey's an absolute freak and some of the stuff he does on the field it's pretty crazy, I've never really seen it before.
"It's awesome to see him playing so well and it would be awesome take that next step in representative honours but we'll have to wait and see."
The Penrith five-eighth has the obvious advantage of being Cleary's clubmate and has set a cracking pace for try-assists over the past 18 months, finishing with an NRL-best 23 assists last year and another 12 in 10 games this season.
Walker though shares the same week-to-week combination with Cook and is the Blues incumbent five-eighth after replacing Luke Keary for games two and three last November.
He returns to five-eighth this weekend after deputising for Mitchell at fullback, with Cook backing him to continue his own strong 2021 form in the Origin arena.
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"I thought Cody did a great job last year for NSW," Cook said.
"Especially in game one, we saw what he can do, he came on and created some opportunities for us. [Walker and Luai] are both playing some outstanding footy. Cody's been there. He's shown he can handle that level as well.
"It's good competition and they're both very competitive, that's what I've learned.
"I spent a little bit of time in camp with Jarome last year. [He's] a good young player looking to improve, with a lot of confidence as well and so does Cody, so it should be a good little match up there."
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As well as Luai, Walker and Mitchell, Penrith's Isaah Yeo, Brian To'o and Stephen Crichton are well and truly in the NSW Origin mix, while Jai Arrow, Dane Gagai and Jaydn Su'A loom as likely Queensland selections.
Mitchell showed his eagerness to return to the action when he flattened young winger Steven Marsters at a Redfern Oval training session on Tuesday.
The prospect of Mitchell making up lost time and having an Origin jersey to chase is a tantalising one for Arrow, at least while he lines up in the same colours.
"I think he's always got a chip on his shoulder," Arrow said.
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"He wants to always prove people wrong. It's exciting when he's like that… If he's in the Origin side I hope he doesn't play too well.
"I think there's a few boys in this side that will be in contention for selection and taking their game to the next level over the next couple of weeks.
"[They will] want to be noticed and want to be in that side. Everyone wants to play Origin, it's the pinnacle of our game and it's so exciting to play in.
"There will be a few out there with a chip on their shoulder wanting to prove a point come Origin selection."
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