St George Illawarra may be the biggest beneficiaries of Tyson Frizell’s outstanding performance in Origin II last Wednesday night.
The back-rower was arguably the Blues’ best in their loss in Brisbane which handed Queensland their 10th series victory from the last 11.
And Frizell, who is likely to back up again against Manly on Monday night, said he would be better for experiencing the elite level of the game.
"Being on that kind of stage and playing part in one of the toughest games of the season, I think you can only take positives out of it and hopefully transfer that into club land,” he said.
"To see how packed the stadium was and how loud everyone was, it was really memorable.
“Standing there singing the anthem and seeing all your family out the front that have come all the way up to support you was very special to me."
Frizell almost pulled off one of the great Origin try-saving tackles, ankle tapping Dane Gagai after a 50-metre chase, before the Queensland winger scored the first try of the match.
It was that kind of effort that showed why many have now marked the 24-year-old as a mainstay for future NSW sides.
"I probably shouldn't have been able to get anywhere near him but I did my best and was hopeful of getting as close as I could,” he said.
“It was disappointing not to make the difference then and I'm sure anyone else in my position would've done the same thing. You have a responsibility to fill when you're handed that jersey."
Frizell also praised the NSW set up which he said helped him prepare for the game after being thrown in as a late replacement for the suspended Wade Graham.
Frizell used his previous experience as the Blues’ 18th-man and development player to his advantage on game night, remaining cool under pressure throughout the 80 minutes.
You have a responsibility to fill when you're handed that jersey.
- Tyson Frizell
"I definitely like the way it's been set up and the experience I was given in being able to go into camp was invaluable,” he said.
“If I was thrown into the deep end straight away, it would've been a lot tougher for myself in terms of having to learn new things on the run. You only get one chance to prove yourself and being a development player and 18th man certainly helped.”
