Trent Robinson says Dylan Napa shapes as Queensland’s answer to NSW man mountain David Klemmer in the State of Origin decider.
Napa made a bold statement about his Origin credentials with an eye-catching performance in the Sydney Roosters’ 20-10 NRL win over the Gold Coast in Gosford on Sunday.
After Maroons prop Josh McGuire was ruled out for the rest of the year with an Achilles injury, suffered in Brisbane’s win over Newcastle on Friday, the door has been left ajar for Napa to force his way into the team for Game III on July 8 at Suncorp Stadium.
While Korbin Sims and Josh Papalii will also come under consideration by coach Mal Meninga, Napa performed when the chips were down on Sunday.
His game was marked by a bust in which he made Gold Coast and Queensland front-rower Nate Myles look ordinary.
“I think he ran 50 metres, straight through me,” Myles said while endorsing the 22-year-old’s representative claims.
Canterbury prop Klemmer was a standout off the bench for NSW in Origin II and it has left the Maroons wondering how to counter his size and aggression.
Robinson said the way Napa took on Myles and went searching for a contest against one of the game’s best props spoke volumes about his competitive nature.
Napa stands at 194cm and weighs in at 115kg, Robinson said his size and strength was needed by Queensland against a big Blues pack.
“I’m a big fan of Josh McGuire. He’s a great player, a 100kg forward who does things at times that belie his weight,” Robinson said.
“But there are some big boys in that NSW team. Queensland know what they’re doing but he’s a 115kg big guy that carries well, takes them on in defence too. Let’s hope he gets in.”
Napa said while he was dreaming of an Origin call-up, he wasn’t expecting a phone call from Meninga.
He said he felt like he was ready for the Origin cauldron and was capable of doing a job if called upon.
“Obviously as an NRL player you want to get to that next level and play Origin,” Napa said.
“We’ll see what happens. I feel like I’ve done as much as I could to be selected. It’s not playing on my mind at all, I feel like I’ve done my job for the Sydney Roosters.”
