There's a part of Damien Cook that wanted Brad Fittler to call him with the news he'd be playing centre again in this season's third State of Origin match.
Just to see how differently things would go the second time around.
When Tom Trbojevic went down with an injured pectoral muscle in the third minute of Origin II, NSW scrapped plans to inject Cook off the bench in his preferred position of hooker.
With no specialist back on the interchange, the South Sydney rake instead spent 77 minutes at centre, a position he had never played in 185 top-level games with the Rabbitohs.
Fittler insisted post-match the plan had always been to move Cook to centre in the event of an injury.
But the switch was always likely to be a tall order for Cook.
The 32-year-old scored the Blues' only try of the night but was a target in defence as the Maroons romped to a 26-point victory.
"I haven't played a lot of centre, not for a long, long time," Cook said on Wednesday.
"But we spoke about it during the week. Did we think it was going to happen in the first three minutes? No.
"(But) I don't think it was unfair."
Far from shaking Cook's confidence ahead of Origin III, to be played on July 12 at Sydney's Stadium Australia, the controversial move left the South Sydney man with half a mind on getting another chance.
"It's funny to say, but I'd almost love another opportunity," he said.
"I'd love a whole week there. I'd enjoy that challenge.
"But I'm definitely more comfortable with the hooker role."
That second chance looks unlikely to come this time around, with Fittler selecting Clint Gutherson on his bench for game three.
The Parramatta co-captain played at centre in all three of his previous Origin matches and is primed to take on the Mr Fix-It role handed to Nicho Hynes in the series opener.
Cook is likelier to spend some time as an additional middle forward when second hooker Reece Robson comes on, given the smaller bench that has been selected this time around.
"With Gutho being there, he can cover everything in the backline pretty much from seven (halfback) to fullback," Cook said, adding he has learned from his centre cameo.
"(It gave me) a good understanding of how important a middle's job is in defence," he said.
"Going back to club land or playing in the middle here, if we're not doing our job and making sure we're controlling the ruck, (centre) is a very hard position to defend in when there's four guys coming at you with shapes.
"(It gave me) an appreciation of how hard that job is.
"Mentally it's quite draining out there."
