Shaun Johnson could be in for another week of training separately from his Warriors teammates ahead of the preliminary final against Brisbane, despite making it through the semi unscathed.
But the Warriors' talismanic halfback is confident his calf injury will not prevent him from lining up as the Warriors push for their first grand final appearance since 2011.
Johnson tore his calf late last month, missing last week's qualifying final loss to Penrith and entering preparations for the semi-final against Newcastle under an injury cloud.
He had personal training loads prescribed all week, sitting Thursday's session out altogether, before making it through captain's run and earning approval for selection.
"It was just the best way to give myself a chance to play," he said.
"There were times of frustration but my last couple of sessions were really positive ones.
"It was probably last week which hurt me a little bit more, where I wasn't even ticking off the sessions that they prescribed for me.
"When we put a line in last weekend's game, I was able to really shift my attention to this week.
"I was really happy with how I was able to tick boxes throughout the week, then come out here and play freely."
The 33-year-old half was at his dynamic best with the ball in the 40-10 demolition of Newcastle, orchestrating a 16-0 start that put the Warriors on the path to victory at home on Saturday.
"The way he started the game, just pulling the strings, made a huge difference to the end result of the game," said Warriors captain Tohu Harris.
Johnson showed no signs of being hampered by his calf injury but earned a seven-minute early mark in preparation for the Warriors' preliminary final at Suncorp Stadium next Saturday.
Calf injuries are notoriously frustrating and easily aggravated if managed incorrectly but Johnson had no doubts he would line up in Brisbane.
"All I can say is it felt good, I haven't pulled up too sore," he said.
"We'll look after it next week and I'll be good to go.
"I'll prepare and we'll prepare just as usual and we get on a plane and go to Aussie. We've got a really cool opportunity to do something special."
The halfback may not be off the hook just yet, though.
The club will play Johnson's recovery by ear, with coach Andrew Webster saying it was too early to predict whether he would be able to rejoin his teammates for training ahead of the Broncos game.
"I have no idea. I don't," he said.
"Just enjoy this moment. I just think the reason I don't know is he could pull up really good. We could get an extra session out of him before captain's run.
"If we don't, we'll stick to the formula. We'll just see how he pulls up."
