
Adam Reynolds is knocking on the door of a State of Origin recall and Brad Fittler has taken notice.
James Maloney and Nathan Cleary have time to prove themselves as the incumbents, but it’s impossible to ignore how well Reynolds has steered his undefeated Rabbitohs around.
He played the first two games of the 2016 Origin series before injury ruled him out of the third, which unfortunately became a theme for the halfback as he frequently spent time on the sideline with minor injuries. Ironically, these injuries came after he played his first 76 NRL games without missing a single week.
A full pre season and a new coach in Wayne Bennett has seen Reynolds start the season with flying colours, and the smooth entry into season 2019 is the reason according to Fittler.
“Adam Reynolds has been injured a little bit of the last couple of years and he’s sort of carried injuries throughout the year,” Fittler said to NSWRL.com.au.
“This year obviously he’s been in really good form. There wasn’t much pressure on Souths over the pre season; I know Wayne turned up, but outside that there wasn’t much talk about the players and what was happening there.
“They look really fresh at the moment I think Greg [Inglis] is the only one that’s a bit wounded.
“If Greg can get himself right at the business end of the season they’re going to be a real force but on the back of a lot of what Adam and Cody Walker are doing.”
While he has held camps with the current State of Origin squad to keep them together as a team, Fittler frequently speaks to players on the cusp like Reynolds.
“The good thing is with my other job with Channel 9 so that keeps me in contact with all of the players,” Fittler said.
“That’s the beauty of both roles it keeps me visible and I get to have a chat with these players.”