Parramatta star Blake Ferguson has put his hand up to receive a recall in the Blues' State of Origin team, as reported by theย Sydney Morning Herald.ย
It is understood that the winger is keen to secure a meeting with NSW coach Brad Fittler next week to "clear the air" and revive his Origin career.
Ferguson and Fittler had a falling out last year after the 29-year was overlooked at the selection table, then failing to attend the Blues bonding camp in December to train with his new club.
โYeah, I do want to be a part of it,โ Ferguson told the Sydney Morning Herald.
โOver the break in December I wasnโt really sure, thatโs why I didnโt go to the NSW (training camp).
โI didnโt want to put myself in an environment where I didnโt feel like I belonged. Obviously I wanted to work hard with my teammates, theyโd been back at training for two or three weeks and I wanted to get to know my teammates as well.
โNow Iโm definitely keen to play both sides of footy there, for NSW and Australia, if I get an opportunity this year. Hopefully Iโm playing good enough footy to be picked and anything can happen.โ
Ferguson added that it was tough to watch last year's series from the sidelines.
โI was pretty disappointed not to get picked last year, to be honest,โ he said.
"It played a part - it made me play better because I had a chip on my shoulder.
โI was actually enjoying not being in and out of camps and that sort of stuff. Iโm in the right headspace this year to give it a shot and see what happens.
โObviously itโs the selectorsโ decision. Iโll do everything in my power to stake my claims and hopefully win the series if I get an opportunity.โ
Please don’t.
Needs to be better defensively, havenโt seen him play in a while but every time he plays origin he lets in tries or makes poor defensive reads. His carries would help, but yeah needs to be better defensively.
Should have been the first winger picked last season instead of playing fullbacks on the wings. A proven premiership winning monster season last year must have him at the top of the list this year. His metre eating performances as an extra forward last season toped even the great Taumalolo as the season biggest metres run. The bottom line is he is a flying try scoring winger who also plays the extra forward coming out of their own 20. ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฏ๐ฑ