Blues front-rower Addin Fonua-Blake has set his sights on wreaking havoc for NSW with the returning Payne Haas in game two of the State of Origin series, declaring the Broncos prop one of the best players ever.
Haas missed the first match of the series due to a knee injury that had sidelined him for six weeks but is due back on Sunday for Brisbane, who take on lowly St George Illawarra at Suncorp Stadium.
An automatic choice for Laurie Daley if fit, the South Sydney-bound Haas will slot straight into the pack for Origin II in Melbourne next month, where the Blues have the opportunity to wrap up the series.
Fonua-Blake, who made his interstate debut in NSW’s breathtaking comeback win over Queensland in Sydney, is eager to be there alongside Haas, believing they could form a formidable combination.
“That’d be an ideal situation to go out and get to play alongside him. I definitely think he’s one of the best players to ever play the game,” he said.
“I’ve played against him a lot of times and obviously seen what he’s capable of. I feel like that would be a really good one-two punch.”
Fonua-Blake backed up from the series opener 48 hours later for club side Cronulla against Manly on Friday night and knows he must continue to perform at NRL level to keep his spot in the Blues team.
The Tonga international started in the front row last Wednesday night with Warriors enforcer Mitch Barnett while Newcastle’s Jacob Saifiti was the lone prop on the bench and didn’t get on.
If Daley opts for the same interchange make-up, one of the trio will have to drop out for Haas.
Fonua-Blake’s run statistics at Accor Stadium weren’t outstanding – he had nine hit-ups for 89 metres during his 42 minutes on the field – but Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon said criticism of the 30-year-old was misguided because of Queensland’s overwhelming level of possession in the first half.
“They had no ball and him and Mitch Barnett were off before they had one or two carries each,” he said. “Then [in] their second stints, both of those front-rowers got them back in the game.”
Fitzgibbon said it frustrated him when middle forwards were judged only on their carries in such challenging circumstances, arguing Fonua-Blake’s defence was always underestimated.
“Guys like Addin are notorious for their metres and tries and the things that everyone notices but … he saved three tries in three weeks in a row for us, like on last plays. [On] kicks down the field [he] turned up on the tryline,” the Cronulla coach said.
“There’s some stuff off the ball that he’s probably not getting credit for. [For NSW] to not have the ball but still turn up and get his D done and then get back on … when they were trading set for set, I thought he got better.”
Fonua-Blake is also aware of the commentary around his introduction to Origin, which came at the age of 30 because of a change to eligibility rules that previously excluded him from playing for NSW because he had represented New Zealand once during the 2017 World Cup.
It’s been suggested the ferocious pace of Origin was too taxing for a player of his size. But while he was pushed to his limits as NSW came under sustained attack during his first 18-minute stretch, he was pleased to play a role as the Blues fought back.
“Obviously, I’ve seen a lot of stories about [me] not having an impact in the first 15, but I don’t think many people would have had an impact in that first 15 minutes of that game,” Fonau-Blake said.
“We didn’t have the ball, we only got the ball maybe twice while I was on. But … [we] regrouped and went out there in the second half and I thought I did what I know I can do.”
Chris Barrett is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former South-East Asia correspondent for the Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.
