Andrew Johns' New South Wales State of Origin exile is over, with the rugby league great back in the fold a year after a racism row saw him banished from the Blues.
New coach Ricky Stuart has invited the man who as a player orchestrated New South Wales's last Origin series victory in 2005 back to work with his side in the lead-up to next Wednesday's opening clash with Queensland.
Johns stepped down from his assistant coaching role with the Blues last year after admitting he'd made a racist remark about Queensland centre Greg Inglis.
The remark so offended Blues back Timana Tahu that he walked out on the Origin II camp on the NSW north coast.
NSW Rugby league boss Geoff Carr said Johns had done his time, comparing the incident to the one that saw current Blues assistant Steve Roach stand down for calling referee Tony Archer a "cheat" in 2008.
