Sydney Roosters prop Martin Kennedy has moved to assure his NRL club coach Trent Robinson and teammates Mitchell Pearce and James Maloney they have his full support after claiming he was misquoted this week.
Brisbane’s Courier Mail reported the 24-year-old on Monday as saying he would help Queensland with his knowledge of NSW halves Pearce and Maloney if picked for the first Origin match in Sydney next week.
“I’m happy to give them every little detail if they want. In Origin … we’re not mates any more,” Kennedy was quoted as saying.
However the Roosters prop hit Twitter soon after the Queensland team was announced on Monday night telling his followers he’d been misquoted and was a Roosters’ player first and foremost.
“The mateship we have at the club is unparalleled,” he tweeted.
An hour later he again took to the social network, this time posting: “Massively misquoted – spoke to coach, Junior and Jimmy to clear it up.”
Chris Garry, the journalist who wrote the article, said on Tuesday that Kennedy had been accurately quoted.
It’s understood Kennedy was on the verge of Origin selection before playing for the Roosters against Melbourne last Saturday.
While he made 38 tackles in the 26-18 loss, his 87 metres from six hit ups may have counted against him on Sunday when coach Mal Meninga and his panel of Des Morris, Gene Miles and Alan Smith opted to go for four mobile back-rowers on their bench.
Their reasoning was they had the option of pushing either Nate Myles or Sam Thaiday into the front-row while Corey Parker also played in the middle.
The Queensland squad flew to Bundaberg on Tuesday morning for a fan day before heading into a five day camp at Coolum on the Sunshine Coast.
Meninga will take the team to Sydney earlier than usual on Sunday to give then an extra few days to settle in.
Melbourne flyer Justin O’Neill will link with Meninga’s squad on Tuesday as cover for injured winger Darius Boyd (ankle) who’ll be given every chance of playing his 15th Origin.
Queensland’s medical staff will also assess a lower leg injury suffered by South Sydney bench forward Ben Te’o in Monday night’s shock loss to Cronulla.
Meninga has included punishing Canberra hit man Josh Papalii as Queensland’s 18th man as cover should Te’o be ruled out with injury or be stood down as a result of ongoing investigations into assault allegations by a 22-year-old women.
New Zealand-born Papalii came up with the tackle of the year smashing Manly rival Jamie Buhrer back several metres with timing and brute force.
The bellringer was enough to convince Queensland selectors the crash-tackling 21 year-old was ready for an Origin call-up as the Maroons’ 18th man.
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