- David Fifita has been left out of Queensland’s squad for the Origin decider
- The Titans star played all three Origin games for the Maroons last year.
David Fifita’s omission from Queensland’s squad for the State of Origin decider came as a surprise but coach Billy Slater has reiterated previous reasons he gave for why the Gold Coast forward was overlooked.
Slater also said injury concerns played a role in the withdrawal of St George Illawarra second-rower Jaydn Su’A from the starting lineup following the 38-18 loss in Game 2. Warriors veteran Kurt Capewell, who came on as a substitute in Game 2, has been promoted to the starting lineup for the July 17 clash at Suncorp Stadium.
“Jaydn Su’A is the other lad who is a bit unlucky not to be in the squad but he is dealing with some issues and is undergoing scans on an issue he picked up over the weekend,” Slater said.
AAP has been told Su’A has had scans on a tight quad he injured in the club’s loss to the Sydney Roosters on Sunday.
Fifita played in all three matches of last year’s successful Maroons Origin campaign before tearing his pectoral in pre-season. He has averaged a career-high 159m on the ball in 12 NRL appearances in 2024 and improved his defensive efficiency to 93.3 per cent from 90.4 per cent in 2023.
Ahead of the first game of this year’s series, Slater said Fifita had not met the standards he set last year.
The coach was questioned again on Monday about why Fifita, who had one of his best games of the season in the 66-6 win over the Warriors a fortnight ago, was overlooked.
“All Queenslanders are considered and Dave’s name has been in the conversation at every game,” Slater said.
Billy Slater says David Fifita is still not playing at the level he set last year when he played a key role in the Maroons’ series win.
Fifita (pictured) has been omitted from the Maroons Origin squad for the decider.
‘As I said at the beginning of the series, he started the season at a disadvantage with a pectoral injury, didn’t have a great preseason and is still working to get back to the standard he set last year.
“I’m sure he would be the first to admit that. These conversations are not casual conversations that we have behind closed doors, these are the 17 that we think are the best for Game 3.”
Slater has not gone into detail about the areas in which Fifita has not reached his peak in 2024.
Titans coach Des Hasler said before the Maroons squad was announced that Fifita had been “pretty consistent throughout”.
“He’s been interrupted by a number of injuries, but I think his last month of football has been pretty strong,” Hasler said.
The Titans star played in all three State of Origin games for the Maroons last year.
Fifita’s cousin and Titans teammate Jojo Fifita said the Origin snub would only inspire David.
“It’s unfortunate for Dave,” Jojo said.
‘I think the Maroons jersey is a big inspiration for him to improve throughout the year.
“If he continues like this, there is no doubt that he will be in the team next year.”