South Sydney Rabbitohs captain Adam Reynolds has revealed the bonus of living inside the NRL bubble, as he deals with a groin injury ahead of this weekend's grand final.
The 31-year-old suffered the injury ahead of the prelim final against Manly, but battled through and helped his side to a 36-16 victory.
Reynolds opened up on the disrupted lead-up to the game and revealed that Rabbitohs physio Eddie Farah was 'worried' about his prospects of getting up for the clash.
“I was positive, I’m always a positive person and I remained positive even though it wasn’t feeling too good," he said.
"I told him to be honest with me and he was a bit worried, but I felt confident enough to get out there and play. It was a matter of getting through the warm-up and getting some confidence in the legs to go out there and do my job.
“I was just running and basically stepped, went to throw a pass and felt a little twinge in the groin. It didn’t feel too good at the time, but the medical staff have been fantastic.
“A lot of physio, a lot of rehab. I didn’t train with the team at captain’s run so Benji jumped in there and did a few reps and I did a little bit on the side.
"Obviously we were confident heading into the game, I know my role within the team and the team knows my role. It was just about making sure I got out there and played on the day.
“Once I ran out, I had no worries in my mind about doing my job. There were a few little things we tinkered with Cody kicking and what not, but I was fully aware of what I could do and couldn’t do.
"I just tried to do my job the best I could."
Reynolds didn't kick goals for South Sydney in the prelim final, instead handing the role over to rookie fullback Blake Taaffe.
And while he didn't reveal whether that would occur, Reynolds was confident he would be fit to play in the decider against Penrith thanks to the work Farah has been doing with him on a 24/7 basis.
"Eddie Farah has been working around the clock with me and getting his hands in places they shouldn’t be," he said.
"Having those guys around 24/7 is obviously different circumstances this year, living in a bubble up here in Queensland – I’m pretty lucky in that sense.
“That’s exactly what has been happening over the last week. We’ve spent a hell of a lot of time together on the physio bed and doing some rehab exercises.
"He’s been fantastic and has been keen to work with me non-stop, making sure that I’m at the best I can be. I can’t thank him enough."
Sunday night will mark Reynolds' final game in the famous red and green, with the halfback signing on with Brisbane for 2022 and beyond.
He will look to write his name in the history books as a premiership-winning captain for his beloved Rabbitohs, following in the footsteps of some of the greats of the game.
But ask him if he's going to go down in folklore like John Sattler or Sam Burgess, who won grand finals with serious injuries, Reynolds was hopeful that wouldn't be the case.
“Hopefully I’m not breaking anything in my face first and foremost," he laughed.
"I’m fully aware that I might have to play through a bit of pain in this game, and I’m fine with that. Obviously grand finals are very hard to get to, and you do whatever it takes to win the game.
"Touch-wood nothing happens, but if something happens, I’ll try to play through it."