Hammer waiting for call
HAMISO Tabuai-fidow helped save the Maroons from a State of Origin whitewash in 2021 but his chances of returning to the Origin arena next month are on life support after silence from Queensland coach Billy Slater.
Tabuai-fidow’s Game III try on debut inspired Queensland to defeat NSW 20-18 but injury and the emergence of Scott Drinkwater have limited the 20-year-old to just 59 minutes on the field since round four.
The Hammer revealed he had heard nothing from Slater and his coaching staff since his injury, with the Origin series opener now less than a month away.
“I haven’t heard anything from them just yet,” the representative utility back said.
“I do want to get back in that arena. Last year playing that Game III was a hectic game to play in, just the atmosphere and being in that arena.
“Whatever position they want me to play, I can go out there and give it 100 per cent.
“We’ve still got a couple of weeks to go so I just have to sit back and see what happens with the other selections.”
The obstacle Tabuai-fidow faces is that opportunities to prove himself worthy of an Origin return will be difficult to come by. Fullback Drinkwater leads all Cowboys in Dally M medal voting since breaking into the team in TabuaiFidow’s absence, while outside backs Murray Taulagi, Valentine Holmes and Kyle Feldt have all attracted Origin buzz of their own throughout North Queensland’s five-match winning streak.
Since recovering from his knee injury, Tabuai-fidow has been held to 14, 18 and 27 minutes off the interchange bench.
He has run for 270m and broken seven tackles in those 59 minutes of action, scoring one try, but is no closer to breaking back into the starting team.
“The boys at the Cowboys are all playing good footy,” he conceded.
“Val and just the whole back five, I give a rap to them, they’ve been doing so good.
“Toddy (Payten, Cowboys coach) hasn’t told me too much, just to be ready to play whatever position I need to play out there and I felt like I’ve done that the last couple of weeks.”
A colossal fortnight faces
North Queensland, with a Saturday home match against the second-placed Melbourne Storm before travelling to Penrith to take on the ladderleading Panthers the weekend after.
Facing teams laden with State of Origin-calibre players will give Tabuai-fidow the chances to prove he has what it takes to reclaim a Maroons jersey.
The rugby league world’s eyes will be on these matches and the Hammer must make the most of his fleeting opportunities to do so.