Kevin Walters has named Latrell Mitchell in jersey 18 for Australia's Sunday night Rugby League World Cup semi-final against Samoa, viewing him as a versatile backline substitute.
Mitchell has not played since starting at left centre against New Zealand, where he appeared below his usual standard.
Bradman Best took that position against Fiji, with Kotoni Staggs at right centre, and Mitchell was left out of the 19-man squad for the Cook Islands match.
Speculation that Mitchell was not fully fit was rejected by the South Sydney player on Thursday.
Although he paced the sideline during the Fiji game, he did not take the field and has had no game time for three weeks.
Mitchell told reporters, "We're a collective really chasing something, and that's the World Cup."
He said, "I love Kotoni, I love Bradman Best, and I just love seeing them play."
Mitchell added that "my role is to be a good teammate."
Former Kangaroos centre Josh Morris had argued earlier in the week that Mitchell should start ahead of Staggs.
Walters defended Staggs on SEN radio, saying, "I've got the ultimate faith in him," and, "Defensively I feel like he's as good as any centre in the competition."
Walters said Australia had "we've put a lot of work into his edge" after Staggs and winger Tom Trbojevic struggled to connect in their first two games.
Trbojevic scored three tries against Fiji, but also had three tries scored against him.