Josh Addo-Carr was determined not to be the fall guy again. His story in Origin had been a vibes train until last year, with three series wins out of four and ten tries in 12 appearances for the Blues, only for it all to come crashing down around him.
The scene in the sheds at Belmore was stark. On the evening of team announcements last year, the Dogs had just lost to St George Illawarra at their spiritual home, the Foxx had been responsible for two Dragons tries.
With the news having leaked that he would be dropped from the side, the usually media-friendly Addo-Carr did everything possible to avoid the journos who had congregated to get his side of the story. Understandably, he couldn’t face it.
But he rebounded: his late season NRL form was good enough to get him a Kangaroos jumper, and once he was back on the rep stage, the Foxx excelled with a World Cup showing good enough to get him into the final three for the Golden Boot.
It looked like he had been denied an Origin return this year, when a syndesmosis injury struck in the Good Friday game against Souths, but instead, Addo-Carr raced back to full fitness, getting back on the field at the last possible moment – and scoring a try – to underline his availability to coach Brad Fittler.
When the coach’s call came on Sunday night, all he had to do was accept the offer.
“Freddy rang me after the game, spoke to me and said ‘Are you ready?’,” the Foxx told The Roar.
“I said ‘I’m ready’. It’s good to get the phone call, it’s so exciting to get the jersey.
‘People don’t realise how big this week is before the game. It’s just about ticking all the boxes and making sure you’re playing well. It’s good to be back.
“It’s the best. It’s something I don’t take for granted and I definitely missed it last year. That’s all in the past now and I’m just looking forward to the future with these boys. It’s a privilege to be back.”
The winger went into the Dogs’ game against the Titans knowing that he needed to prove fitness, but said his priorities had always been getting to his best for the Bulldogs and letting the rest take care of itself.
“You have to be in the moment, be present and focus on what you have to do,” said the Foxx. “I focus on what I had to do in my role, my position, my team and that’s what got me through.
“I just focussed on what I needed to do to get back. I was lucky enough to get back before Origin. It could have gone both ways, I could have been out for longer. I’m lucky. My mindset was to get back to 100%, as fit and strong as possible.”
While Addo-Carr getting picked was a case of fitness, it was more of a surprise that he was joined by Doggies teammate Tevita Pangai junior.
The Foxx was over the moon to have his clubmate beside him in Origin camp, especially after he had endured a similar setback, being dropped to NSW Cup late last year and then doing time on the treatment table alongside Addo-Carr this year.
“Sometimes players need that,” said the winger. “I don’t know if he needed that, but the coaches at the time thought maybe he needed that.
“Everything happens for a reason, he’s here now and that’s all that matters. He’s definitely bettered himself, he’s fully fit and that’s what we need to win.
“He’s a big boy, he’s powerful and aggressive and that’s what Origin’s about – being aggressive. We’ve all got our strengths and we’re a well-balanced team, we just need to put it all together.
“It’s wonderful for the club. We want the best players and we want players to come and be the very best that they can be. Having me and T in this side from the club that we love is exciting, it’s a bright future for the Bulldogs and I’m happy to be a part of it.”
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