Ryan Sutton's great finals exile is finally over after beating a finger problem to be called into Canberra's side to face Parramatta in place of the injured Adam Elliott.
Now playing his last season at the Raiders, Sutton spent both the 2019 and 2020 finals on the sidelines due to injuries.
A similar fate appeared likely this year, when he suffered what was expected to be a season-ending finger injury last month ahead of his move to Canterbury.
But the 27-year-old has since recovered in time, and will now be a handy presence on the Raiders' bench after Adam Elliott's pelvic injury.
"He'll want to take the opportunity too - he hasn't played finals with us and he's been here three or four years now," fellow Englishman Elliott Whitehead told reporters.
"To play his first final, he's definitely going to be excited, he's a quality player and he showed that in the season.
"He's going to come in for Adsy (Elliott), they're a little bit similar in how they play, they go forward hard and tackle hard.
"It's not nice to go out the way he was meant to go out with his injury. He's got his opportunity now and I'm sure he'll take it with both hands."
Meanwhile, Parramatta have named Mitchell Moses as expected, after the half confirmed on Monday he was on track to play.
His return from an ugly head knock will be progressed almost daily at training this week, with the Eels No.7 adamant he has no symptoms of a concussion.
At South Sydney, centre Campbell Graham did not train on Tuesday as he managed shoulder soreness.
Graham had only just returned from a head knock in the elimination-final win over the Sydney Roosters, but said he was feeling no ill-effects from that blow.
The strike player also insisted he was in no doubt for Saturday's semi-final against Cronulla.
"I pulled up pretty stiff and sore after the game. The physios thought it would be best to put me in recovery and get me right for (a longer session) tomorrow," Graham told reporters.
"The head is all good. I'm still getting used to contact again after a couple of weeks off.
"It's just shoulders, the whole body in general is pretty sore. But that's how it is. I'll be sweet."
With Tom Burgess suspended, Souths have named Michael Chee-Kam on their bench, while the Sharks are unchanged from the team that lost to North Queensland.
