NSW captain Paul Gallen stated his case for an Australia recall in deed – and then verbally – in Canberra on Sunday.

Gallen, 34, revealed last weekend he was yet to hear from national coach Mal Meninga ahead of the Test against New Zealand on May 6 at Hunter Stadium.

“I’ve never taken that jumper for granted,” Gallen said after his side’s 40-16 victory at GIO Stadium.

“I’ve always worked my backside off to get there and when I’ve been there I’ve made the most of it and made it my own.

“Unfortunately I’ve missed the last couple of Tests but all I can do is play like I played today and see what happens in a few weeks’ time.

Gallen said he has still not heard from Meninga.

“That doesn’t really concern me,” he added.

“I’ve been out injured. It’s my third game back. I need to get some minutes under my belt and I feel like I’m getting better each week.”

Canberra coach Ricky Stuart was visibly distraught at his team’s performance.

“There’s no excuses and there’s certainly no short term solution for what we did today, he said.

“It goes to show why were not a top team at this stage. We’ve got a lot of learning to do before we even think we are.

“It wasn’t the referees’ fault today. It was our fault. We were shocking.