Lion-hearted Queensland forward Matt Scott says he will definitely play in next Wednesday night’s second State of Origin clash in Sydney after spending the week with his ill mother.

The Cowboys prop joined Maroons teammates in camp at Coolum on the Sunshine Coast on Thursday but did not want to talk about his personal family issues.

He flew to Longreach last Sunday after the Cowboys lost to the Gold Coast.

“Mal (Meninga) and the team have been very supportive of me in giving me a few extra days to deal with things and I’d like to keep it as a private matter and concentrate on my footy from now on,” Scott told reporters.

Asked if he would be playing he said: “Definitely”.

He said he’d discussed playing with his mum Diane, who is battling throat cancer, and his family who supported him all the way.

“It was a difficult decision to make but I love this team and and I love being part of it,” he said.

“I got into camp last night and I’m focused on getting my preparation right.”

Scott knows he will have to get his head right and his preparation spot on going up against giant Penrith rookie Tim Grant who will be launching his Origin career at ANZ Stadium.

“Whenever I’ve come up against him he’s been very hard to handle,” said Scott, who like several Queensland players will be looking to lift their performance in Sydney after a less than satisfactory start in Melbourne last month when NSW were all over them early.

“He’s a big boy and he’s been playing great for Penrith.

“Our start in Sydney was poor and they came out of the blocks hard.

“We have to fix that because they made a lot of metres through the middle.

“We can’t afford to be off the pace in Sydney.”