An early season shoulder injury to hooker Issac Luke has become a belated blessing in disguise for South Sydney coach Michael Maguire ahead of Sunday’s NRL grand final.

Luke was sidelined for two months with the complaint suffered in round three, giving his deputy Apisai Koroisau invaluable game time ahead of his unlikely berth in this season’s decider again Canterbury.

Without Luke, Souths started the season slowly as the Penrith-bound dummy half was granted 13 games that might not have been.

Otherwise he could be making his NRL debut on Sunday, and Maguire could be taking the biggest risk of his career.

Grand finals are won on skill and discipline, but they are also won on luck.

Koroisau plays a similar style of scooting dummy half to Luke and filled in capably in the Kiwi rake’s absence.

And his fellow Rabbitohs young gun, five-eighth Luke Keary, says Koroisau will get the job done.

“Api has played some good footy this year and we have Cameron McInnes there as well who has played half a dozen first grade games this year too,” said Keary, who has 21 NRL games to his name.

“I thought they both did a fantastic job for us over those weeks when Issac was injured.

“We obviously have the depth there to cover for Issac and will be able to do the job on the day.”