Kalyn Ponga will be given a licence to roam and thrill for Queensland when he comes off the bench in the State of Origin series decider.
That is the word from Maroons skipper Daly Cherry-Evans ahead of Wednesday night's showdown with NSW at Suncorp Stadium.
In 2021 the Blues played Manly fullback Tom Trbojevic as a centre but he roved around the field with devastating impact.
Ponga, 26, will have a different role in one respect in that he will come off the bench and likely spend some time as a running and weaving lock forward, as he did on debut in 2018.
Like Trbojevic however, Cherry-Evans said he would play with instinct and roam.
"For sure. We are going to encourage everyone and particularly Kalyn, when he comes on, to just play footy. It's his strength," Cherry-Evans said.
"Some stuff you just can't script. Sure we will want to put some pieces together for him and some framework but ultimately his best footy is when there's a quick play-the-ball and off he goes."
Ponga missed 11 weeks of action for Newcastle with a foot injury but returned with a blistering display at No.1 in round 18 against Canberra to convince Maroons coach Billy Slater he was ready for Origin action.
"I watched him play (for Newcastle) in his first game back and it is hard not to be excited watching Kalyn Ponga play. He is a great footy player," Cherry-Evans said.
"If we can get him in some opportunities and positions on the field that he is familiar with then he is a really hard person to take down.
"He is a run option. He is a pass option and can pop up in the back of shape and challenge people directly. I am really excited Kalyn is back in this arena and looking forward to playing alongside him on Wednesday."
Playing in the front line is a role Ponga hasn't filled for a long time at Origin level but the Maroons captain said he would not be daunted
"It is just the player he is. He is naturally a threat with the ball in his hands but he is not afraid to put his body on the line," Cherry-Evans said.
"He cares a lot about this team and he takes a lot of pride in his performance so no doubt all those things will put him in good shape for Wednesday night."
