DRAGONS back-rower Jack de Belin has boldly declared that he is ‘‘made for Origin’’ after taking part in Saturday’s emerging Blues camp alongside 16 other NSW hopefuls.
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De Belin made the 17-man cut for the camp alongside Dragons teammate Tyson Frizell which went a long way to soothing his disappointment at missing out representative selection last year.
De Belin was high profile selection snub for Country as he enjoyed a breakout NRL campaign and said knowing he was in the frame for and Origin call-up was a welcome boost so close to start of the 2016 season.
‘‘I felt like I was pretty hard done by missing out [on Country selection],’’ de Belin said.
‘‘I feel like I’ve been ready to play rep footy for a while now but I felt last year I took that next step and showed I was capable of performing on the biggest stage.
‘‘You can’t do much about it and there’s not point sulking all you can do is get on with things and play good footy.
‘‘I think I did that last year and [the camp] was a nice reward.
‘‘Getting told you’re next in line is a pretty good feeling.’’
NSW have ushered in the likes of Aaron Woods, David Klemmer, Boyd Cordner and Josh Jackson in recent series’ alongside several veterans.
A heavy loss to Queensland in last year’s decider – sealing the Maroons ninth series win in 10 years – may prompt coach Laurie Daley to inject more young blood in 2016 in the hope of ushering in a new era.
De Belin is confident he can make the step up this season should he earn a maiden blue jumper.
‘‘After being [in camp] and experiencing it all I definitely feel that I’m made for Origin,’’ de Belin said.
‘‘We learned what Origin is all about as a whole and what makes and Origin player.
‘‘It’s more about attitude than it is about talent.
‘‘After learning what makes a good Origin player and what their structures are it suits my game completely.
‘‘I don’t think that the arena’s too big for me at all. I’ll be ready if I get the call.’’
The camp included a run down of team attacking structures but de Belin said most of the focus was on the Blues culture and understanding the Origin concept.
It’s an area in which NSW have lagged behind Queensland in recent seasons but De Belin believes such camps are rapidly closing that gap.
‘‘It’s an area where people have said Queensland have it over NSW, the culture they’ve created, the stability and their leaders,” he said.
‘‘They’ve had more leaders who put their hand up when times get tough.
‘‘I think we’re developing those leaders and that culture now.
“Ricky Stuart did a great job there and Loz is definitely carrying the torch now.
“They’ve definitely brought the passion back into the NSW team.”