His teammates say he is made for State of Origin football and, come next Wednesday night, Tyson Frizell will be ready to show just how much he belongs at the elite level.
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The St George Illawarra forward is one of five debutants chosen by NSW coach Laurie Daley for the State of Origin series opener against Queensland in Sydney.
Frizell has been a shining light for the Dragons so far this season and has earned his representative call up through nothing but his own excellent form.
The 24-year-old told The Leader it was a dream come true – even though he was made to wait for it.
“I was just at home sitting on the lounge watching the footy,” he said.
“The phone call didn’t come [until] about 8.30 at night.
“The whole day dragged on for what felt like three days just waiting to find out.
“It’s been something that I’ve wanted to do the past year and this year too.
“To be called up and be a part of the squad now is very exciting.”
Frizell said while he didn’t know what to expect playing at Origin level, he was thrilled to have Dragons teammate Josh Dugan by his side, with the 26-year-old retaining his place in Daley’s squad.
“I’d say there’s going to be a lot of nerves and a lot of thoughts going through [my] mind,” Frizell said.
“But until you walk onto that field you’ve got no idea what’s going to happen.
“Duges has been playing awesome for the Blues and at club level too.
“It’s really nice to have another club mate in the squad as well.”
Dugan, a veteran of nine Origin appearances, told The Leader he was delighted for Frizell.
“He was unlucky not to get a start last year I thought,” he said.
“He’s been playing some great footy over the last couple of years and he’s really come into his own as a player and as a person.
“I’m really stoked for him and and you can tell how happy he is.
“But he’s one of those humble people that doesn’t want to get too much into it and tries to brush it off as much as he can.
“I think he is [made for Origin].”