If Laurie Daley is looking for players in his NSW side who have felt the pain of State of Origin defeat, he should look no further than retaining Penrith prop Tim Grant.
After experiencing both ends of the spectrum with a win and, ultimately, a series loss last year in his debut Origin campaign, Grant is desperate for another shot at dismantling the Queensland side he hates so much.
“I don’t know what it’s like to lose a grand final, but if it hurts more than that (loss in game three), I never want to be there,” Grant told AAP.
“It still burns me now to think about it.
“There’s definitely a desire there to beat Queensland, that’s for sure.
“I hate the jersey, to be honest. That’s just me being honest.
“Every time I think about NSW, I get goose bumps.”
After a slow start to the year, Grant has found form at just the right time as he prepares to take on the might of Melbourne on Sunday.
Grant has been somewhat of a forgotten man in pre-Origin talk, with pundits talking up the likes of Aaron Woods, Trent Merrin, Tim Mannah, Willie Mason and Andrew Fifita.
Daley has openly admitted front-row and five-eighth are the only positions he’s yet to decide on, injuries aside, and Grant is out to rise to the challenge.
Dropped to the bench by Panthers coach Ivan Cleary earlier in the year, Grant has responded with four hulking performances where he’s averaged 150 metres and 35 tackles a game.
“Obviously, I’d love to be there (NSW) again,” he said.
“It was a great opportunity last year. But in saying that, there’s a month to go before that.
“Whatever Laurie thinks is best for the team he’ll pick, so all I can do is play my best footy and hopefully I’m part of his plans.
“I went back to the bench … I don’t like being there. Thank God I’m back in the starting team and that’s where I think I can contribute most to this team.”
Cleary praised his forward leader on the way he’s responded.
“He’s carrying the ball well – he’s getting us forward,” Cleary said.
“If (NSW) look back on incumbents, I’d say he definitely deserves to make it.”
Melbourne have won 11 straight matches against the mountain men, with the Panthers last tasting success in 2005.
The Storm’s loss to the Raiders last week snapped a 15-match winning streak – some would say that’s bad timing for Penrith, who have won just two matches this year and are looking to cause a monumental upset of their own.
“The Storm have shown they don’t need to lose to be able to get their game on,” Cleary said.
“They’ve put 15 games together so they’ve obviously got a pretty consistent approach.
“So if anything, losing may just dent their confidence slightly.”