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It might have come as a surprise to some that Reece Robson found himself picked for New South Wales for the decisive clash with Queensland next Wednesday night at Suncorp Stadium.
It certainly didn’t catch any of his new teammates out. They’ve known all along how dangerous a player the Cowboys hooker can be, with established Blues stars lining up to describe their new recruit as one of the NRL’s most difficult players to play again, a potential secret weapon on their mission to ambush the Maroons.
“I watch a lot of football,” said NSW lock Isaah Yeo. “And what Reece does, he does really well.
Any time there’s a hooker down he just pings all the plays off the back of that. But what you see most of all is how big a competitor he is and he’ll suit Origin to a tee.
“It’s how hard he competes and works. He’s constantly leading the line speed and playing 80 minutes. They’ve got a lot of stars at the Cowboys and had such a successful season last year, and I feel like he was the catalyst for a lot of it. He was so good out there and it’s put him in the frame for Origin and now he’s playing.”
When a middle forward from the Panthers says that you have exceptional line speed, it means that little bit more.
“Line speed always helps,” said Yeo. “We like to pride ourselves on it (at the Panthers) and I feel like he understands his role at the Cowboys and does it so well.”
Clubmate Jarome Luai went even further.
“I know what his work ethic is like,” said the five eighth. “He doesn’t stop. He’s got that Arnold Schwarzenegger Terminator about him, that’s what I think about him.
“You can see that edge in his eye. He’s really keen to play and I know how keen he is to have that last name on the back of his jersey. I’m really excited.”
One man who was caught by surprise when facing Robson was Parramatta enforcer Junior Paulo. The prop expressed his shock when, the first time he played again him, he felt the wrath of the hooker’s defence.
“It’s different when you come out playing against Robbo,” said Paulo. “You think he’s just a hooker, you can cart the ball over and get a quick play the ball, but he definitely can whack. He’s got a shot in him for his size.
“That’s the way we’ll be heading into the game next week, whether he starts or whether (Damien) Cookie starts, they’re both explosive.”
Paulo was also impressed by the form of the Blues other debutant, forward Stefano Utoikamanu. He revealed that he has been assisting the Wests Tigers middle – who began life in the NRL with Paulo at the Eels – with the big step up to Origin level.
“You can help them with making the transition comfortable,” said the Samoa international.
“He’s been in the system and I’m sure he understands how important this game is. You can’t have too much of a focus about being overshadowed by the occasion, everyone knows how important this game is.
“Stef knows how to play footy and deserves his shot. He’s become a real leader in that Tigers pack. I had some time to work around with him at the Eels before he left to the Tigers and I always knew he was going to be a great player.
“For such a young kid, he’s powerful. He’s hard to put on his back and you know he’s going to keep turning up. We’ve seen what he’s done at the Tigers, he’s able to get them on the front foot and defensively he moves well. There’s a lot of leg speed there.”