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Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy says young Storm giant Tino Fa'asuamaleaui is ready for the State of Origin arena with the Maroons this season.
Try-scoring Melbourne giant Tino Fa'asuamaleaui has played his way into a Queensland State of Origin jersey contention with Storm coach Craig Bellamy saying he's ready.
The 20-year-old barged across for a try in Melbourne's 36-20 win over North Queensland to get another big tick in selection notes of Queensland coach Kevin Walters.
The Maroons mentor has already said that Fa'asuamaleaui couldn't be ignored for the end of season three-game series.
And Bellamy backed that call, saying the Samoan international had stepped up in the past 12 months after making his NRL debut last year in round 16 and going on to play five games.
This season he's the only Melbourne player to have played every game, with the coach planning to give him a rest in one of remaining rounds before finals.
Bellamy said Fa'asuamaleaui had worked incredibly hard in the pre-season, which was behind his rocketing form.
He said if he'd been asked last year about the Gympie youngster playing Origin this soon he would have said no way.
"He worked really hard in the pre-season and came back in really good shape and that's been the foundation to what he's done this year," Bellamy said.
"He's played long minutes for us but he's been very productive with those minutes as well."
Bellamy believed Fa'asuamaleaui, who will join Gold Coast next season, had soaked up playing alongside greats in the game like Cameron Smith and Jesse Bromwich, in the forward pack.
"He's learnt a lot being in the system and just seeing how the good players prepare and and he's taken all that on board and come back in great shape and you've seen what he's done this year."