James McManus' enviable record of earning State-of-Origin honours after donning the maroon of Country has arguably its greatest test this year and the Scottish international is banking on Laurie Daley sticking with specialist wingers for the series opener.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Knights flyer has gone on to play some part in an Origin campaign in three of the four years he has represented Country and can further his claims for one of the most contentious spots in sky blue against City on Sunday.
While South Sydney's Australian debutant Alex Johnston can edge closer to a maiden NSW jumper in the one-off Anzac Test, McManus, Newcastle and Country teammate Akuila Uate and NSW incumbent Daniel Tupou will be involved in a shootout at Wagga.
Daley could flirt with the ambitious idea of playing Josh Dugan on the wing, where he will debut for the Kangaroos on Friday night, to accommodate the red-hot Matt Moylan at fullback. But such a scenario is still considered unlikely and McManus, who is yet to taste victory in three starts for NSW, understandably would prefer the specialist wingers to be given preference.
"I'm sure Loz has got his own ideas, but I do think it's a specialised position," McManus said. "There are a lot of guys who could still cover that [wing] position and Duges is a freak of a player. He can play anywhere on the field and he played centre last year in Origin, fullback ... he's played really well wherever he's been picked. I'm sure [Daley] has got in his mind who is thinking at the moment, but there is one or two spots available and it's going to be a genuine clash [on Sunday].
"I'd still love to [play for NSW] and I've really enjoyed every game I've played and every camp I've had with them. I think there's some genuine opportunities there for people to take spots."
Barring Melbourne Storm veteran Ryan Hinchcliffe, 29-year-old McManus is the elder statesman in Trent Barrett's Country side, which still shades a very youthful City outfit under Brad Fittler's guidance in the experience stakes. And there is no shortage of familiar faces in camp with fellow Knights Kade Snowden, Tariq Sims and Uate providing nearly a quarter of the Country side.
Their arrival in the Country camp has been a welcome change after Newcastle stumbled into the representative round on the back of a four-game skid, only to be welcomed by teammates from the in-form Raiders (three) and Dragons (three).
"Being around different guys who are on the other end of the scale and have won a few games in a row ... you feed off them a little bit," McManus said. "They say a change is as good as a holiday and all the other boys have got a week off, but we get to enjoy this week which is something special while taking the honour out of being a representative player. We're out here representing everyone who helped us along the way – all the unsung heroes in rugby league. It's a chance for us to put on the jersey and represent them. And that's what is great about playing for Country, everyone comes together really quickly and everyone is quite humble."
