St George Illawarra forward Tyson Frizell has declared he will be fit and firing when the State of Origin opener kicks off next Wednesday night after brushing off a head knock suffered on Sunday afternoon.
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Fans and NSW coach Brad Fittler immediately feared the worst when Frizell was involved in a sickening head clash with Josh Dugan in the Dragons loss to the Sharks, with both players left strewn on the ground.
Despite the heavy collision, Frizell showed no signs of a concussion when he attended the NSW Blues first media opportunity in Bondi on Monday morning and he declared he will be ready to go as the Blues look to open their campaign with a victory on enemy territory.
"The head's good," Frizell said. "I did all my tests Sunday night, obviously I wasn't going back on the field to continue the game, but no big headaches or anything like that last night.
"I woke up this morning feeling okay. There's a few things I need to do before I can get back and train on the field. I'm not too sure how that looks exactly, it's a bit different, I haven't had a bad concussion like that for a while.
"I'd say it's going to be a light first couple of days and hopefully by the back end of the week I'll be back in full training."
Frizell's comments come as Queensland coach Kevin Walters lit the fuse for a fiery Origin series, declaring his side will win game one next Wednesday night. Dragons halfback Ben Hunt was named as hooker for the Maroons.
For the Blues, Frizell lines up alongside five rookies, including forwards Payne Haas and Cameron Murray.
The upcoming series marks the first time Frizell will head into a series with NSW the defending champions, however he said that doesn't mean the team will be any less desperate for victory than they were in 2018.
Frizell feels claiming a victory in Brisbane next Wednesday night is crucial and he's confident that even with a limited preparation, he will be able to produce a great performance.
"We know how vital it is to go up to Brissy and win game one. That's what hopefully sets you up for the series and there's no bigger challenge than to go up there and do it against a Queensland side on their home turf.
"For me, I'm probably lucky because I've been part of the squad for a couple of years now, I know what the go is. I'll be a part of training, just not participating.
"I guess it could be good for me to just relax the first couple of days, then hit the ground running once I get on the field the back end of the week leading into Wednesday night's game."
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Cameron Mee
Sports reporter at the Canberra Times
Sports reporter at the Canberra Times
