Beau Fermor is looking to his Queensland State of Origin camp experience to further boost his NRL campaign.
The Gold Coast back-rower was in the Maroons' extended squad for game two, but after they copped a 44-12 thrashing against NSW, he's not giving up hope of an Origin debut in the July 13 series decider.
And after some encouraging words from Queensland coach Billy Slater, Fermor's hoping a big display against Newcastle on Friday night can keep him in the selection frame.
"(Slater) said 'you're in the squad for a reason' ... he's said he'll pick from that squad if he needs to make changes," Fermor told reporters.
"The boys tried really hard on Sunday and all I can do is go out and play my best footy for the Titans on Friday night and hopefully get the win against the Knights.
"The rest will take care of itself. If I earn that opportunity then I'll be grateful."
While last-placed Gold Coast (3-13) have had a poor season, Fermor has been a constant positive, churning out an average 111m run metres and 32 tackles a game to go with his five tries.
Pointers from Slater and fellow great Cameron Smith in camp can hardly hurt the 23-year-old's development either.
"I learnt heaps ... disappointing the boys didn't get the result on Sunday, but just to be in and around those boys and those coaches is unreal," Fermor said.
"(There were) just a couple of little things around my defence that Billy and Cam picked up on and did a bit of work with me on how to fix.
"Hopefully I can bring that back to the Titans and keep working on my game here and keep pushing to get better and get some more wins."
Teammate and five-time Queensland representative Moeaki Fotuaika said he'd given no thought to an Origin III recall, although he was excited for the NRL return of another Maroon in David Fifita, who is on the bench after a knee injury.
"He definitely adds a lot of confidence, just with what kind of player he is and what he can do on the field," Fotuaika told reporters.
"Just some of the freakish things he can do ... we're finding it hard to get a win and he can create something out of nothing."
Australian Associated Press
