NSW prop Andrew Fifita has told his Blues teammates to get arrogant as they seek to break Queensland’s stranglehold on the State of Origin arena.
Fifita is shaping as a potential game-breaker for the Blues heading into Wednesday’s Origin series opener at Suncorp Stadium after discovering career-best touch.
The 27-year-old has at times been a magnet for trouble over his career but has proven a match-winner for the Sharks’ in the past 12 months.
After etching his name into Cronulla folklore with the game-winning try in last year’s grand final, he saved them from an embarrassing defeat as he set up Chad Townsend’s decisive four-pointer against North Queensland in round 11.
He insists his feet are firmly on the ground after a series of controversies – including being suspended for abusing a junior referee and being fined for his on-field support for convicted killer Kieran Loveridge – stalled his rep career.
He appears to have discovered the kind of form he has promised for years and has been regularly doing it on the big stage.
He said he was being fuelled by an unwavering self-belief and encouraged his Blues teammates to tap into the same mentality.
“I have to have a bit of cockiness, a bit of arrogance when it comes to those types of games,” Fifita said in Blues camp in Kingscliff in northern NSW.
“I think you need that quality going into big games like that.
“You can’t be nervous because it will just play on your mind throughout the game.That’s how I play for Cronulla and it’s how I’m going to play in Origin.”
While he’s earned a reputation as a go-to player in the clutch, he has also been criticised for committing too many errors.
He argued that both qualities were different sides of the same coin and if he wasn’t a risk taker, he would never pull off the big plays.
“Some days you have your up and some days you have your downs,” Fifita said.
“I’m a player who likes to risk things and if it comes off, I’m a super hero and if it doesn’t, I’m a villain.
“Hopefully on Wednesday night I’m that super hero.”
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