Tom Trbojevic might be the most in-form fullback in the NRL, but it won't be enough to land him the NSW No.1 jersey in the State of Origin opener next month.
The Manly fullback has stunned the competition in recent weeks, with his performance against the Warriors on Sunday one of the best individual games in recent memory.
His two tries, four assists and five line-breaks in a 38-32 win raised the question of whether he had overtaken James Tedesco as the state's best fullback option.
However, the suggestion was quickly put to rest on Wednesday when Blues coach Brad Fittler confirmed the Sydney Roosters champion was in no danger of losing his spot.
"Teddy will be there, he's done an incredible job at fullback," Fittler said.
"Him going down early in the last game (in 2020) hurt our chances, he's a big part of what we do and he's been doing it really well at fullback, so we'd be silly to move him out of there."
With 18 days until squads are announced for the first Origin match in Melbourne on June 9, Fittler is still whittling down his list of selections.
Trbojevic has previously played at wing and centre for the Blues, while fellow eligible fullbacks Ryan Papenhuyzen, Latrell Mitchell and Clint Gutherson will also be considered in the backline.
"The good thing is our fullbacks are some of the best players in the game at the moment and they came through all playing different positions and are comfortable playing different positions," Fittler said.
Meanwhile, Penrith's unbeaten combination of Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai is considered the best chance of running out in the halves for the Blues.
However, Fittler hinted he's not married to the idea of club combinations, leaving the door open for South Sydney star Cody Walker to partner Cleary in the halves again.
"It was more important three years ago because we were starting from scratch," he said.
"Now some of these players have played a fair bit of pressure football with each other, so combinations in Origin games also counts as well as combinations with their club.
"You try to weigh it up.
"To rule anyone out at the moment with what's going on with injuries ... I'm still very open on combinations."
Australian Associated Press
