He hasnโt made his State of Origin debut yet, but North Queensland Cowboys half Tom Dearden is happy to be part of the traditional pre-decider mind games for this yearโs series.
Called in as a late replacement for Cameron Munster after a positive COVID test, Dearden says heโs still not sure just what role heโll play in Billy Slaterโs Queensland Maroons team on Wednesday.
โIโm not too sure, Billy just said Iโll be in the 17,โ the 21-year-old told AAP.
โHe hasnโt really worked out how itโs going to work yet.โ
Though he likely has a plan in place, itโs still unclear to the rest of us whether Slater will move starting dummy-half Ben Hunt to five-eighth and employ Dearden as a bench utility, or if heโll start the young Cowboy in the halves.
โIโd be comfortable to jump in wherever the team would need me,โ Dearden said.
โThatโs what Iโve been doing at camp โ helping out wherever the team needs me. Thatโd be my role if I was to come off the bench.โ
Though Dearden has only played 49 games at NRL level, few would argue heโs out of his depth.
Following a mid-2021 swap from Brisbane, Dearden has since become a vital ingredient in the rise of Todd Paytenโs Cowboys team, and already has 10 try assists for the second-placed side in 2022.
โIf you go back 12 or even six months ago, I wouldnโt picture myself even coming along to one of these camps,โ Dearden admitted.
โTo get my debut now, itโs unreal. It's a really good turnaround. Iโm proud of myself.โ
