Josh Papali'i relishing Maroons' State of Origin recall against Blues in series decider

He has just become a father for the fourth time, but Josh Papali'i was never going to turn down an opportunity to make a State of Origin return for Queensland.

Why Queensland's unlikely Origin debutant was always meant to make it Photo shows A man celebrates after scoring a try in an NRL match After putting the journey into journeyman, Gehamat Shibasaki will become one of Queensland's most unlikely Origin debutants and his long road to the decider has taken him right back to where he started.

The 33-year-old was in hospital with wife Mesepa and baby son Jeremiah when Maroons coach Billy Slater called to ask if he wanted to make a 24th and final Origin appearance.

"I missed the first couple of calls because my little fella and my wife were still in hospital at the time and there were a few complications with my little one," Papali'i said.

"I spoke to Bill when I had that little break and he asked me one question, if I had one more game in me, and I replied with an 'F-bomb' and said, 'Yes, I had one more left'.

"Hopefully I can go out there next week and put on a good performance."

Papali'i last played for the Maroons in 2022 and had retired from representative football.

He is playing his final season in Canberra this year and has been in career-best form.

The Maroons are looking for extra punch in the middle for the Origin decider in Sydney on July 9 and Papali'i was the obvious choice for one last hurrah.

Josh Papali'i has produced solid form for the Raiders this season. (Getty Images: Mark Nolan)

"It's definitely my last. I'm obviously just looking forward to it and soaking in the week," Papali'i said.

"I'm still buzzing just being back in maroon. I just need to work hard and turn up next week and hopefully perform.

"I was happily retired. I was happy to just slug away down in Canberra. We're going pretty well down in the capital as well.

"When I saw the first couple of missed calls (from Slater), I just didn't know what to expect. And obviously I spoke to Bill and it's very nice to be back."

ABC Sport will have live blog coverage of the State of Origin series.

In camp on the Sunshine Coast with the Maroons squad, Papali'i was as refreshed on Thursday as he had ever been in recent times.

"It's the best sleep I've had in a few weeks," Papali'i grinned.

"Last night was good. I had one of the boys come and wake me up."

AAP

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