Parramatta Eels forward in line for Origin debut

He was a member of the Maroons extended squad last year.

A Parramatta Eels forward is reportedly in line to make his State of Origin debut for Queensland after catching the attention of head coach Billy Slater.

Struggling to lock down a regular spot at the Penrith Panthers, Hopgood departed the club in the hope of new opportunities.

Linked with a host of NRL teams (such as the North Queensland Cowboys), he ended up signing with the Parramatta Eels in 2023, where he has hit career-best form.

This saw him named as the 18th man in Game 3 of last year’s Origin series, having previously represented the state at the Under-18s and Under-20s levels.

Now, with Queensland set to be without Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Tom Gilbert, Kalyn Ponga, Corey Horsburgh and Thomas Flegler for this year’s opening game due to injury, a door has opened up for the lock to make his debut in the Origin arena.

The 24-year-old has emerged as a frontrunner to come off the interchange bench and will be in contention with the likes of Kurt Capwwell, Jai Arrow, Moeaki Fotuaika, Felise Kaufusi and Jadyn Su’a, among others.

“Absolutely I am looking at him,” Slater said of Hopgood, per The Courier Mail.

“J’maine was involved in our squad for Game Three last year and he was part of our 34-man squad in Brisbane at the start of the year.

“He was just outside the 17 last year and I’m impressed with his performances for Parramatta and his consistent actions.

“You don’t get invited to camp because it’s a holiday or you have won a raffle ticket, you have to earn it and J’maine is certainly in that category of earning his opportunity to be involved in the squad.”

While the Eels may not have been in their best form to begin the season as of late, Hopgood has been a shining light for the team in the middle of the field.

The lock has played in all eight games and managed 951 total running metres (averaging118 per game), 286 total tackles at a 96.8 per cent efficiency.

He has also added 15 offloads, 14 tackle busts, and one try to his stats since the opening round.

A member of Queensland’s team from 1981 to 1989 and a veteran of the State of Origin arena with 23 appearances under his belt, Gene Miles has tipped him to make his Origin debut and views him as “an Origin player”.

“J’maine is an Origin player and we identified him way before last year,” ex-QLD Maroons Great Gene Miles told AAP earlier this year.

“We had to get him in the squad and he came in as 19th man to get a feel of it at the end of last year’s series.

“He will definitely be in the running this season and we just want him to keep doing what he has been in clubland, because that has impressed the coach.

“That is the most important thing and why Billy whacked him into the squad to start with. He could get called on at any time.”