Penrith Panthers captain Matt Moylan has once again hosed down speculation over a possible State of Origin berth to concentrate on this weekend’s all-important match against the New Zealand Warriors.
The Panthers fullback is neck and neck with fellow local junior Lachlan Coote to get the coveted Blues number 1 jersey, when teams are finally announced by selectors next weekend.
Speaking in Christchurch on Wednesday morning, the 24-year-old said his focus is on winning more games for the Panthers and not a sky blue jumper.
“I haven’t really thought about it to be honest,” Moylan said.
“After coming off a long lay-off from injury, I’m just trying to get back out there and focus on playing good footy for the club.
“That sort of stuff (Origin selection) takes care of itself. If you’re playing well enough you’re going to be in the frame, I just have to do my job for the team.”
Since returning from a back injury in Round 5, Moylan has slowly worked his way back into form and has helped guide the Panthers into a top eight position.
Moylan said he’s feeling a lot stronger as the weeks roll on and is somewhat happy with how his side is travelling.
“I’m feeling good, I’m just trying to get back into it and the body is starting to get used to the grind again of playing first grade week in, week out,” he said.
“We (Penrith) are going along alright… we’ve just got to tidy up a few things in each match.
“We’ve been in all our games this year, we just lost our way a bit in a couple of them and didn’t come away with the points. We’ve got to concentrate on trying to finish off the game well.”
Penrith fans will hope Moylan and his teammates are in for huge performances this Saturday afternoon against an inconsistent Warriors outfit in Christchurch.
Nathan Taylor
Nathan Taylor is the Weekender's Deputy Editor and Senior Sports Writer. He also compiles the weekly Chatter on the Box TV column. Nathan is an award-winning journalist, who has worked at the Weekender for a decade.