Canberra Raiders skipper Jarrod Croker believes Joey Leilua is ready for State of Origin but says he's a hidden gem because of his lime green jersey.
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NSW are searching for an answer to Queensland's Origin dominance and Leilua has emerged as a bolter to cause havoc against the Maroons in the coming weeks.
His NRL stats are better than any of his NSW centre rivals, but Croker joked that being in Canberra curbed the hype of Leilua's superb form.
The 24-year-old has blitzed his NRL opponents this season, throwing more offloads than any other player to go along with his 11 line breaks and six try assists.
"I'm a bit surprised he hasn't been mentioned as much," Croker said.
"We tend to have players down here who don't get as much mention as they should, and probably as [much] as some of the bigger clubs do, but I'm happy for him to be in the green jersey every week."
The Raiders are preparing for the Brisbane Broncos on Thursday night, with a top four spot up for grabs at Suncorp Stadium.
It wasn't that long ago Broncos coach Wayne Bennett said Croker's brand of football was the perfect tonic to stop the Queensland juggernaut after working with the Raiders captain in the NRL All Stars camp.
"If I was a NSW selector he'd be the first guy I'd be picking in the centres for them. I love him. I love what he brings," Bennett said in February.
"He's consistently good every year for Canberra, if they're [NSW] looking for something they haven't got. He did a great job."
Croker was humbled by the former Maroons mentor's comments, but said if there is a Raiders centre deserving of an Origin jersey, it's Leilua.
Leilua has set the competition alight as one of the most destructive centres in the game, racking up unparalleled numbers in Canberra's charge to the top four.
Leilua's average of 125.4 metres per game far outweighs those of Blues incumbents Josh Morris (100.6) and Michael Jennings (100.9), suggesting he could be the solution to Laurie Daley's attacking woes.
The Blues' 18th man in 2012, Leilua has worked tirelessly to regain the form of years gone by, and has flourished under Ricky Stuart.
"It's a credit to [Leilua] the way he trained in the pre-season," Croker said.
"It was probably his first full pre-season, and it's starting to pay off now. It's showing how good he can be."
Leilua has formed a combination with Jordan Rapana on the Raiders' right side, prompting fans to dub the pair 'Leipana'.
Brisbane and Maroons winger Corey Oates said this week he was oblivious to the dangers they pose, and now must find a way to cope without defensive specialist Jack Reed on his inside.
Reed's late withdrawal could see Leilua run rampant in Thursday night's Origin audition against an inexperienced defensive pairing in Oates and incoming centre Jordan Kahu.
Croker will be tasked with shutting down damaging centre James Roberts, who he marked in this year's All Stars match under Bennett's tutelage.
