Reece Robson has made it clear there’s no room for sentiment ahead of State of Origin II.
The Blues No.9 will line up against several familiar faces at Optus Stadium on Wednesday night, but insists that once camp begins, friendships are shelved.
The Westpac NSW Blues hooker will face Cowboys teammates Tom Dearden, Reuben Cotter and Jeremiah Nanai, all key figures in the Maroons set-up, but says club bonds won’t cloud his focus in Perth.
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“I love the boys, but when I get into this camp, they're just another player in a Maroons jersey,” Robson told 4BC. “I don't really think too much about them, other than what we need to do to nullify their game as much as we can.”
'It created the hate'
Robson’s Origin passion was born in Queensland territory, where he was raised on the border and surrounded by Maroons converts during the state’s famous eight-year winning streak.
“I grew up close to a lot of, I guess, adopted Queenslanders up there. When Queensland was so dominant, a lot of my friends just jumped ship,” he said.
“I guess that's what lit the fire in me so much and created the hate towards the Maroons.”
Robson has now played six times for New South Wales, winning four and helping them reclaim the Shield in 2023. But he isn’t getting ahead of himself and refuses to declare any shift in Origin momentum just yet.
“They won eight straight and we've only won the one,” he said. “I don't know what the pendulum looks like or which way it's swinging … our focus now is getting that win on Wednesday night.”
With an eye on the end-of-year Kangaroos tour to England, Robson knows another strong series showing could help turn one dream into another.
“That would be a dream come true to be able to pull on that Australian jersey,” he said. “It's always been a goal, so I am going to work as hard as I can and hopefully that does come one day.”