Api Koroisau has sacrificed his chance to push for a State of Origin recall by offering to play halfback not hooker for struggling Wests Tigers when they take on Gold Coast.
The Tigers' halves stocks are running low ahead of Saturday's game, with Jayden Sullivan and Lachlan Galvin unavailable and Adam Doueihi making his return from injury via reserve grade.
Coach Benji Marshall joked the situation was becoming so dire he considered lacing up his boots, until Koroisau offered to step into the halves in a bid to prevent a 10th consecutive loss.
"For a guy who's probably pushing to play Origin at nine to put his hand up for his team and play seven is a pretty unselfish act," Marshall said.
"That's the respect he has for his teammates and how much he wants to help us get out of (the form slump).
"Otherwise I might have been playing there."
The selection call means Koroisau will not play in his preferred position before NSW's team announcement on Sunday for Origin II.
Coach Michael Maguire surprisingly overlooked four-time Blues hooker Koroisau for this month's series opener, naming North Queensland's Reece Robson as the only out-and-out hooker in his 17.
The Tigers captain had a tough night in his first game after missing out for the Blues, a 56-14 loss to St George Illawarra last Friday.
Ahead of his last chance to impress Maguire before the squad-naming, Koroisau told Marshall an Origin recall was the furthest thing from his mind amid the 17th-placed Tigers' form slump.
"I thought it was unfair for me to put him in seven when he's pushing to play nine at Origin. He saw it differently," Marshall said.
"He said that's not his focus at the moment, it's what's best for the team."
In two years of poor results at the joint venture, Koroisau has been a shining light for the Tigers, maintaining the form that helped Penrith to the 2021 and 2022 premierships.
Marshall said Koroisau's latest act of selflessness demonstrated real leadership.
"One of our biggest things ... is 'team-first'. All the things we talk about is, 'What's best for the team?'," Marshall said.
"Api lives that, that's why he's the captain."
In his 15th appearance starting in the halves at NRL level, Koroisau will partner Aidan Sezer on the five-eighth's return from a four-game suspension.
