Three days is a long time in rugby league. Just ask Panthers skipper Matt Moylan.
On Monday morning Moylan was told by New South Wales coach Laurie Daley he was dropped from the Blues side, with Wests Tigers fullback James Tedesco's irresistible form was too good to deny.
Moylan threw himself into the Panthers' preparation for their upcoming clash with the NRL Telstra Premiership-leading Sharks to move past his disappointment.
Then on Wednesday afternoon Blues halfback Adam Reynolds ruled out of Origin III through injury, and Daley sent the call out for Moylan to return to the side.
Just like that, Moylan's 72-hour exodus was over.
By Thursday afternoon he was surrounded by large media scrum in Coffs Harbour, where the Blues are preparing to avoid a Queensland clean sweep.
"I had no idea what was happening," Moylan said of the moment he heard the news he'd been recalled by the Blues.
"I was in a meeting with Hook (Panthers coach Anthony Griffin) actually and our footy manager came in. Hook talked to him outside of the meeting and then he came back in and said 'Don't worry about it, we'll do this next week'."
The 25-year-old confirmed he'd start from the bench to allow Jack Bird to partner club teammate James Maloney in the halves, but Moylan will also likely find himself spending some time in the halves as for the first time in three years.
"So I'll be on the bench, waiting to see where I come on at and what sort of role Loz wants me to play," he said.
"I'm pretty excited by the new opportunity.
"Obviously it's not in my preferred position but my new role has me excited about playing some different sort of footy. I'll be coming up against some tired blokes too so I'll have to make the most of that."
Chief playmaker James Maloney said having two five-eighths in the Blues side would not affect the flow of the team on Wednesday night.
"They're both capable of playing that role but obviously they have their own strengths and different attributes which will change things a little bit when they do swap over," Maloney said.
"But I don't think it disrupts what we're doing. They're quality players who can adapt very easily. There's no doubt there will be a grand plan around it all about when it happens and why it happens."
Maloney embracing playmaker role
Moylan gave a massive rap to Daley for telling him man to man he wouldn't initially feature in Origin III.
The Panthers skipper conceded too that Tedesco deserved his opportunity and was happy to play out of position to accommodate his rival's Origin debut.
"Being able to have that face-to-face chat showed what type of character Laurie is and how much effort he puts into this side," Moylan said.
"He told me that I was still a part of his plans and that's a big part of the reason why he come out and saw me too. While obviously I was disappointed, I think having that support from him helped ease my mind over it."
Moylan didn't hesitate to call Reynolds upon discovering the Rabbitohs playmaker's plight.
"We're pretty good mates so I rang him up and said 'I was sorry to hear'. He was pretty happy that it was me coming back in and getting another opportunity though," Moylan said.
"I feel for him missing out. I know personally that I was disappointed when I found out I wasn't able to finish the series so I know what it feels like."
