ROOSTERS hooker James Aubusson couldn't care less about putting one over Craig Wing, let alone the Rabbitohs.
Should he pass a fitness test on his injured groin tomorrow, Aubusson will be rushed into the starting side for the season opener at ANZ Stadium, Homebush Bay, on Friday night - and into the position he has coveted since he was a teenager.
When Roosters coach Brad Fittler named his team last night, Knights recruit Riley Brown was announced at hooker - but the Herald understands he will opt for Aubusson if he is passed fit.
In another selection shock, Test prop Mark O'Meley was chosen on the interchange bench and his former Bulldogs teammate Willie Mason was slotted into the second row.
Centre Iosia Soliola and winger Sam Perrett - who have battled injury during the pre-season - have also been named on a bench that Fittler will prune closer to Friday night's blockbuster.
For Aubusson, a start won't just represent a triumph after a frustrating 2007 season, but the realisation of a dream he's chased since starting out in the junior ranks at Bondi Junction.
"If I'm fit, playing in this game will definitely mean a lot," the 21-year-old said. "But it's got nothing to with Craig Wing or South Sydney. Growing up, all I wanted to do was fill out that jumper, in that position. Even all the spite with Souths … I haven't thought about it at all. I'm more worried about my game."
Aubusson left the Roosters for the Melbourne Storm two years ago because he could not nail down a first-grade position.
Wing, who rose to the heights of Test recognition in the No.9 jersey, was at the start of a long line ahead of him. But when Wing signed with Souths, the Roosters re-signed Aubusson.
However, he has not played since the first week of September last year when he succumbed to a groin injury in the Storm's first play-off match against the Broncos. The injury required two operations during the off-season.
"It will be the longest and shortest recoveries all in the space of one off-season," Aubusson said. "The first operation took 11 weeks to get over and the second one was just a month. My groin is fantastic. Freddy wouldn't be asking me to pass a fitness test if it wasn't. I'm pretty confident that I can pass it.
"It's been incredibly frustrating but the club has managed it very well. I've missed a lot of the gritty stuff but they've been easing me into the ballwork in the last couple of weeks."
ROOSTERS TEAM
1. Anthony Minichiello
2. Amos Roberts
3. Brent Grose
4. Setaimata Sa
5. Shaun Kenny-Dowall
6. Braith Anasta
7. Mitchell Pearce
8. David Shillington
9. Riley Brown/James Aubusson
10. Lopini Paea
11. Willie Mason
12. Anthony Tupou
13. Craig Fitzgibbon
Interchange:
14. Danny Nutley
15. Mark O'Meley
16. Nate Myles
17. Iosia Soliola
18. Frank-Paul Nuuausala
19. Sam Perrett
20. Mitch Aubusson
