Playing with a groin and hip injury in game one, and then also playing out of position alongside Nathan Cleary in game two, wasn’t going to help anybody. Now, with Cleary sidelined because of an ankle injury, Pearce can in the space of one match slam the door on his ugly Origin past and open another door to his possible future for the Kangaroos. He was always the scapegoat when NSW lost and I felt sorry for him. Mal Meninga on Mitchell Pearce Funny game, isn't it? The Kangaroos play two Tests later this year, meeting New Zealand at WIN Stadium on October 25 and then Tonga as part of an international triple-header at Eden Park on November 2.

While Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans is the incumbent Australian No.7, national coach Mal Meninga is a huge Pearce fan. “Anything’s possible — nobody’s position is guaranteed in the Australian side,” Meninga said. “Mitchell has reached the point of his career when he is really peaking. He’s had an up-and-down career so far but he’s really matured. He’s come through all those issues he’s had and is now a better person and player because of it. It shows a lot about his mental application and dedication to still be in the picture for rep football.” Meninga’s renowned for his loyalty — but he’s also thorough when it comes to selection. If Pearce can dominate for NSW in the decider, and then drive Newcastle deep into September in the NRL, he will put considerable pressure on Cherry-Evans. Time to shine: Mitchell Pearce is hoping to parlay Origin redemption into a Kangaroos jersey. Credit:NRL Photos The irony is Meninga, in another life as Queensland coach, was responsible for putting as much pressure as he could on Pearce.

“He was always the scapegoat when NSW lost and I felt sorry for him,” Meninga, who coached the Maroons from 2006 to 2015 before taking on the national job, said. “He had the respect of our players. You do your homework on the opposition and we always saw him as a definite danger. We always saw him as a player we needed to stop. His game has always been quality. “We would do video and on him and knew we had to apply pressure to him. We were always going to apply the blowtorch to everyone. Our desire was to be aggressive, the way we applied ourselves to the game, and Mitchell was a part of that. “We made sure we applied the torch to him to see if he could handle it. There might’ve been some self-doubt there when he played — but I don’t think he was the sole reason NSW lost all those matches.” The respect Queensland’s greats have for Pearce isn’t lip-service. Earlier this week, former Maroons captain Cameron Smith was gushing in his praise of the Blues halfback.

“I’m a fan!” he declared. What isn’t commonly known is how Smith tried to entice Pearce to join Melbourne from the Roosters after the Roosters signed Cooper Cronk at the end of the 2017 season. Smith was in camp with the Kangaroos during the World Cup at the time and phoned Pearce about coming to the Storm. Cronk had left the Storm and indicated to his teammates he was likely to retire before suddenly signing with the Roosters. In the end, Pearce signed with Newcastle but the fact Smith — the best player in the game — tried to bring him into the Storm system showed how much he respected him. So, too, fellow Maroons great Johnathan Thurston, who famously told Pearce in 2017 to consider getting a selfie with the Wally Lewis statue outside Suncorp Stadium because “that’s the closest you’ll get to holding the shield”.