Just hours after Curtis Scott declared he wants a State of Origin jersey this year, Brad Fittler has backed him to do so.
He was well in the mix last year until he was suspended just before the team was selected, and has now switched from the left side to the right centre position for the Melbourne Storm.
Scott was a part of the Emerging Blues squad last December and at the time said it would be a dream for him to play for NSW, and that he would keep knocking on the door until he gets that opportunity.
Today, speaking to NRL.com, the message was just as clear.
“I will be doing everything I can to hopefully get a jersey,” Scott said to NRL.com.
“I will be putting my hand up. Let’s put it that way.”
Fittler heard the comments less than half an hour after it was posted online, and was not surprised about how desperate the 21-year-old is to play State of Origin.
“I’ve seen that in him since he was 15 or 16,” Fittler said.
“He’s been playing in the junior rep teams so he is always at the forefront of our thinking going into the future.
“He’s a fantastic player. He’s tough, he’s super fit, he picked up that ball from 50 metres out and they couldn’t catch him so he’s got enough speed playing in the centres.”
The last time Curtis Scott pulled on a sky blue jersey is when he received the ‘players player’ award in the 2017 NSW v Queensland Under-20s Origin fixture.
He’s risen through the NSW Pathways and gone on to win an NRL Premiership, and is now a permanent fixture in Melbourne’s super-impressive team.
If State of Origin is the next box for Curtis Scott to tick, he’s got a fan in the right man - Brad Fittler, who highlights his strengths and what he needs to work on to be in the mix this year.
“Bringing the ball out from his own end, he’s just one of those kids [who is] so lean and he’s strong.”
“Having the presence to bring the ball out of trouble, I’d love to be able to see him do that a little better.
“The one thing that I know is that the players love playing with him.
“He’s going to be a part of the system for a long time.”
