Having battled back from a pre-season knee injury, young prop Aaron Woods bagged a double in the Wests Tigers’ win over Penrith to show he’ll likely be a NSW State of Origin candidate again this year.

Woods was back to his best in the 28-18 win over Penrith after a lacklustre performance against the Knights last week, making 22 tackles and the second most metres (144m) in the match.

“I was lucky to play last week, I probably shouldn’t have, but just to get through it was a big confidence boost,” Woods said.

There were no signs of the knee injury that ruled the 22-year-old out of the trial games, with his two tries involving big hit-and-spins off hooker Robbie Farah close to the line.

The 2012 Wests Tigers player of the year will have to continue to perform at a high level with reports fellow prop Keith Galloway could be out for between six weeks and six months after walking off Campbelltown Stadium in the second half with a suspected pectoral muscle tear.

“It’s very disappointing. Keith is the leader of our pack, so I suppose us young blokes have to step up now,” Woods said.

“It’s a massive loss but we don’t know how bad it is with Keith.”

Woods was on the cusp of NSW Origin selection in 2012 and while he admits the extra responsibility will help his representative aspirations in the months ahead, his focus remains on solidifying a starting spot in the Tigers’ pack.

“Yeah, it does, but to be honest I’m not really thinking about (Origin selection) too much,” he said.

“I came off the bench today, so I just want to get in the starting side and lay the platform for the team each week and then if it happens, it happens.”