Jojo Fifita has put himself into Queensland Origin calculations with a strong start to the NRL season, and the 23-year-old has one more chance this week to show Billy Slater he belongs in the Maroons squad.
The Gold Coast Titans centre, who can also play on the wing, is expected to be in the frame for a possible debut after Queensland's backline picture was opened up by injuries and poor form elsewhere. The Maroons are expected to name their squad after Round 11, with the State of Origin opener set for Sydney on May 27.
Fifita was invited into Slater's camp last year, and his progress has continued under Josh Hannay, whose Titans side has given him a regular home in the centres after years on the wing. The shift has been one of the quieter success stories of the season for Gold Coast, and it has come at exactly the right time for a player trying to force his way into Origin contention.
Fifita said the chance to represent Queensland would be the biggest moment of his career. He said that if the call came, he would be ready and would do everything he could to be at the top of his game.
He also credited Hannay for helping him adapt to the new role. Fifita said Hannay, who has a background as a centre himself, pointed out the strengths and weaknesses he needed to work on during pre-season. Defence was the main area he had to tighten up, and he said that part of his game remained a work in progress, with Hannay helping on the small details that often go unnoticed during a match.
Hannay has not been shy about backing him. Last month, he said there was no doubt in his mind that Fifita was good enough for Origin and pointed to the state's lack of depth in the position. He also noted that Queensland had to debut Robbie Toia last year and used Gehamat Shibasaki in Game Three after the backline options thinned out.
The immediate test comes this week, when the Titans face the Knights in Magic Round, and it may be Fifita's last clear chance to catch Slater's eye before the squad is selected. Queensland's options on the edge remain unsettled: Valentine Holmes has been out of form at the Dragons, Xavier Coates is still recovering from an Achilles injury and has not played for the Storm this season, and Shibasaki has also struggled for his club side.
That leaves Fifita in a position he has earned rather than inherited. He has made a real fist of the centre position for Gold Coast, and if Queensland is looking for form, versatility and a player still climbing, the Titans centre has given Slater a reason to look twice.
