NSW captain Paul Gallen has given his Cronulla teammate Michael Ennis a glowing appraisal ahead of his possible return to the State of Origin arena.
Gallen spoke to the media in Brisbane ahead of tomorrow night’s decider, July 8, and confirmed no decision had been made on the fitness of Robbie Farah.
Farah, the incumbent Blues hooker, has been in a race against the clock to overcome a broken hand; Ennis is on stand-by.
But Gallen said Ennis had fit in well to the NSW team environment and would be ready to go if required on Wednesday night.
‘‘He’s been great from day one. He hasn’t been shy. He’s really stepped up,’’ Gallen said.
‘‘He’s been somewhat of a leader around the side as well as he is in all sides.
‘‘He’ll be fine, he knows the game plan inside out already. He’s a professional.
‘‘Everybody likes him. A few of the boys were a bit wary of him at the start ... even big Woodsy (Aaron Woods) came up and told me he’s (Ennis) not a bad bloke.
‘‘He’ll be fine. He’s run most of the training sessions in and out with Robbie. We’ll see what happens today.’’
Gallen said Ennis’s reputation on the field would a big plus for the team if he does make a return to Origin for the first time since 2011.
‘‘He’s already under their skin, he’s just a competitor,’’ Gallen said.
‘‘He’s got a bit of niggle in him. He’ll be great. If he gets out there and gets his opportunity, he’ll make the most of it.’’
The Origin decider at Suncorp Stadium is sold out; a crowd of more than 52,000 is expected.
Gallen said NSW would not be intimidated by the hostile reception.
‘‘There’s no point in going out there and thinking of it as a daunting atmosphere,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s a good atmosphere. It really is. As much as I don’t like the Queenslanders and as much as they don’t like me, I enjoy playing there.
‘‘There is no other stadium like it in the world. They can be as hostile as they want and hopefully we can keep them quiet.’’