Canterbury teammates have credited Stephen Crichton's "super genes" as the Bulldogs centre eyes an incredible return from his shoulder injury.
The Bulldogs had been bracing for the possibility of losing their skipper for more than a month when he went down in the loss to South Sydney on Good Friday.
The 25-year-old was diagnosed with a grade-five AC joint injury - coach Cameron Ciraldo had previously been unaware gradings went up that high.
But on Tuesday afternoon Ciraldo named Crichton in his extended squad to face Parramatta on Sunday and the centre participated in the Bulldogs' first major contact training session of the week on Wednesday.
The NSW State of Origin star is impressing teammates as he fights to make a triumphant return for round seven, just two weeks after hurting himself.
"He trained today, he trained pretty good. I'm hoping he gets out there. Hopefully we see him on the field," said fullback Connor Tracey.
Incredibly, Crichton has never missed consecutive NRL games through injury since making his first-grade debut at Penrith in 2019.
He notably played for the Panthers two weeks after suffering a gruesome ear injury that required plastic surgery in July 2022.
The latest bounce-back has been similarly impressive for his Bulldogs teammates.
"I don't know how he's recovered from it so fast, to be honest," Tracey said.
"I look at it like, 'I don't know how you did that, I've had a few of them (AC joint injuries) and they can hang around'.
"He's got super genes or something. It's pretty crazy."
The final call on Crichton's fitness is set to fall to Ciraldo and the man himself.
"He trained today and he looked pretty well. I think it's up to him and 'Ciro', they would've had those conversations," said winger Marcelo Montoya.
"He's one of those players who's at the elite level, obviously played Origin, he's won comps. He knows how to get his body right. If he's ready, he's ready, if he's not, he's not."
As the Bulldogs hope for good news on Crichton, star recruit Leo Thompson is locked in for his club debut after overcoming a calf injury he suffered in All Stars camp.
The Kiwi international arrived from Newcastle over the off-season with a mandate to bolster a relatively small Canterbury forward pack.
Montoya said players such as Thompson made him grateful to be a winger.
"I'm hanging out on the wings, lad, I don't tackle anyone! And I'm glad, because if I'm tackling him, he's probably knocking me out," he said.
"He brings that ball back viciously ... excited to see him out there."
