Fisher-Harris refreshed and ready to rumble on return

Panthers forward James Fisher-Harris believes the time spent away from the game due to the birth of his second child has given him a mental freshen up ahead of his pending return on Sunday.

The 25-year-old hadn't missed a game in two seasons until he decided to leave the Panthers' Sunshine Coast base last month and return to Sydney to be with his pregnant partner Natalie.

The new arrival was quickly met with a dash back to Queensland and a 14-day quarantine with the family of four, which was completed last week.

He said the whirlwind experience had him agonising over leaving the Panthers originally but he has no regrets about breaking his game streak for his family.

"It was all pretty crazy because I didn't know what to do," Fisher-Harris said.

"We were trying to come up with a plan. It was hard, you've just got to make a choice. I wasn't worried about footy but more about my partner and little ones.

"[But] I was at peace with it straight away. It was hard not knowing all the possibilities when I was going to come back up – there were heaps of questions so I'm thankful for that.

"Footy was in the background. Everything worked out good and I'm glad I went to Sydney.

"We kept planning things but heaps of stuff kept getting in the way.

"We found a solution and I just went with it. I ended up making the right choice and everything turned out good."

Physically, Fisher-Harris has managed to stay in strong shape after he was given a treadmill and weights to maintain his fitness while in the hotel.

Mentally he feels reinvigorated and ready to help the Panthers go one better than last year.

"I feel pretty good, well-rested, the extra week of training with the other boys has helped me heaps," he said.

"I haven't had this opportunity before [to rest] so I hope it helps in the finals. I feel fresh and good having time away from footy. That might give me a benefit. I can't complain."

The Panthers will welcome back another metre-eater, Brian To'o, for Sunday's clash with Wests Tigers in an ominous sign for the rest of the competition.

To'o was among the Panthers' most consistent players and dominated the Origin arena before being struck down by an ankle injury.

"His carries coming out of yardage are phenomenal and get us on the front foot. It's great to have him back," playmaker Matt Burton said of the powerhouse winger.

"It's the same role for myself each week but it's definitely great to have him outside you.

"He's a character. He's in great shape and looking really strong. His leg has pulled up fine.

"He's ready to rip in and I can't wait to get out there with him."

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has navigated his way through a difficult representative season which also included injuries to key halves Jarome Luai and Nathan Cleary but he has a near full-strength squad at his disposal with the finals just a fortnight away.