Final hurdle ... Ben Ross. Source: The Daily Telegraph

Despite nearly 12 months of rehab, four months of summer slog and a perpetually sunny outlook, Ben Ross is still waiting for the last cloud to clear.

Ross, whose career looked over after breaking his neck in the opening round last season, still needs to overcome one last hurdle to resume.

It will come next week when the 29-year-old sits down with the specialist and he will be advised whether his spine has calcified to the point where it can withstand the rigours of weekly football.

Speaking at yesterday's 2010 Charity Shield launch, Ross revealed that a final set of scans next week would determine whether his courageous comeback can happen.

"The neck is feeling good, but I've got a scan in the next week that will tell me whether I'm right to play or not," Ross said. "I haven't done much contact work - just a few bits and pieces.

"It's just not worth taking the risk until I get the all-clear. The doctor is waiting for the calcification of two vertebrae."

Ross later told The Daily Telegraph he would most likely be forced into retirement if the scan delivered bad news.

But the former Maroon was extremely confident of getting the desired verdict, given that he has been pain-free for several months and all previous scans had foreshadowed a full recovery.

"If this scan doesn't come good, then my wife and I will have to think about things because it will mean the surgery hasn't been a complete success," he said.

"There's a lot of other things for us in life to consider."

If given the green light, Ross pledged to throw himself into the fray.

"If I was concerned about [re-injuring myself] I wouldn't be here," he added.

Ross's future is just one piece of a frustrating injury puzzle that confronts new Rabbitohs coach John Lang ahead of the traditionally brutal warm-up fixture against the St George Illawarra Dragons.

Skipper Roy Asotasi is returning from a knee reconstruction after tearing his ACL late last season, while star playmaker John Sutton has experienced neck problems and is in doubt for the February 27 encounter at ANZ Stadium.

Lang said young fullback Luke Capewell was a leading contender for Sutton's No. 6 jersey, and feeder club North Sydney have also signed former Rabbitohs half Eddie Paea.