Nick Cotric has caught the eye of NSW Blues coach Brad Fittler but the Raiders winger admits he still has work to do at club level before he starts thinking about State of Origin.
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Fittler brought up Cotric's name alongside Jack Wighton as Canberra players that have impressed him ahead of the June 8 series opener.
"I love watching Nick play. I think his form has been good," Fittler told The Canberra Times.
"He runs a lot, he's hard to tackle and makes tackle breaks, and he's doing a lot of it out of his own end."
The 23-year-old played Game One in NSW's series triumph in 2019, and later that year made his Test debut with the Australian Kangaroos.
"I've got to work on my game, get a bit better, just to feel good, have more confidence," Cotric said when learning of Fittler's Origin endorsement.
"Playing that 2019 series, my first Origin game, it's something that I want to be back to play. That was a great experience and I'd love to be back there.
"I've got to find my rhythm again and I'm slowly getting it back. I'm just focusing on getting my role for the team right and getting my hands on the ball as much as I can."
Cotric is yet to achieve the top form he had in green before he departed the club for the Bulldogs last season.
This weekend is a perfect storm for the winger to produce his best game since returning to Canberra though, facing his former Canterbury teammates in his 100th game for the Raiders, with veteran centre Jarrod Croker back in the NRL.
"I had that combo with Jarrod for a couple of years, and he's got those good little flick passes," Cotric said.
"Had a few put down through him so it's good to have him back. He's been doing the right things and he's flying out there."
Cotric will have his work cut out for him with the Bulldogs on a high following their surprise upset over the Roosters in round eight and key weapons like Josh Addo-Carr and Matt Burton heating up.
The Raiders meanwhile are looking to end a five-game losing streak without five-eighth Wighton, suspended for the next two games.
"It's a big loss. Two weeks for that, I couldn't believe it," Cotric said of the dangerous throw charge.
"We're just hurting ourselves. We've got to fix the little things and when we do we should be fine."
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Melanie Dinjaski
Melanie Dinjaski is an experienced sports journalist at the Canberra Times with a genuine love of all sports. She's covered every code from NRL to NFL. Melanie aims to bring Canberrans all the sports news they need to know. If you have a story worth sharing, get in touch!
Melanie Dinjaski is an experienced sports journalist at the Canberra Times with a genuine love of all sports. She's covered every code from NRL to NFL. Melanie aims to bring Canberrans all the sports news they need to know. If you have a story worth sharing, get in touch!
