Reagan Campbell-Gillard made a brief cameo appearance for the Penrith Panthers in the Canterbury Cup NSW last year but just 12 months later he has made an ominous case for a State of Origin return for the Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues.
Campbell-Gillard struggled for form during the 2019 NRL campaign but has been a revelation for the Parramatta Eels and has arguably been one of the best signings of the year.
He has returned to his barnstorming best under coach Brad Arthur, averaging 171m and 30 tackles per game. He has bolstered the engine room of the Eels alongside Junior Paulo, Nathan Brown, Ryan Matterson, and Shaun Lane, and helped them become a premiership force in 2020.
He has stormed back into Origin contention having made his NSW debut in Game One of the 2018 State of Origin series, just four years after playing every game for the Panthers in the Canterbury Cup NSW.
He made a seamless transition into their first-grade squad and made his NRL debut in Round 1 of the 2015 season, and played 120 games for the club before his departure at the end of last year.
Campbell-Gillard will be a major part of the Eels desperate search for their first premiership since 198, and will undoubtedly continue to press his claims for representative honours at season's end.