He doesn’t claim to ooze the cool of Kalyn Ponga but AJ Brimson has returned from injury armed with the speed and strength to replace the NRL superstar at fullback for Queensland next month.

Gold Coast talent Brimson missed the first 11 rounds of the NRL season when a back niggle progressed to a full fracture.

But the season’s delay allowed the 22-year-old to return noticeably stronger and faster, racking up seven tries, 13 line breaks and 30 tackle breaks in nine games to force his way into the Origin mix.

With incumbent Ponga (shoulder) to miss the November series it leaves Brimson in the box seat for a debut in Wayne Bennett’s return as coach and with the task of filling the laconic Knights talent’s shoes.

Brimson was put through his paces by Bennett’s newly-appointed assistant Neil Henry and former Maroons coach-turned Brisbane mentor Kevin Walters in a Gold Coast training session with fellow squad members on Wednesday.

“Kalyn killed it on debut, but he’s a bit cooler than me,” Brimson said of the man he’s set to replace.

“I get very nervous. You wake up in the morning. Nerves. Then head to the field, get more nervous and in the sheds get extra nervous then again just before kick-off.

“I try to chill a bit more now and after the first tackle or run it’s sweet.

“But the last thing I’d want to do is let Queensland down; I love Queensland and I’d do everything I could to fulfil the jersey.”

Brimson said intense gym and sprint sessions analysing Usain Bolt’s technique with Titans physio Paul Scurfield had helped him return with a bang.

“He was pretty adamant about me gaining a bit of size and some speed … I trusted him and he said ‘I’ll get you back bigger, faster and fitter’,” he said.

“He was just flogging me in the gym.”

Brimson said it was surreal to pull on the Maroons training gear, particularly because his season was likely over without the long COVID-19 pause.

“It was a bit of a blessing and curse; I came back so late (in August),” he said.

“I don’t think I would’ve played if I was only going to three or four games, so yeah, a weird one.”