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"I believe he has done enough to be in the team, but whether he is in the team or he is hanging around in the camp, or he is 18th man, whatever part of it will be better for him as a player.

"Origin does it for you. Whether it’s your first game or your 20th game, Origin makes you a better player. It’s probably one of the toughest arenas to play a game of football in and I believe it just does it to you naturally.

"It makes you more of a footballer. You just cannot replicate that type of experience and intensity from an Origin point of view to any other type of game.

"It’s just the intensity, the collision, the game itself, even with the atmosphere and environment, really the next level of that is a grand final."

Fittler unveiled a staggering 11 State of Origin debutants in his side for game one, with Cotric ousted in the race to the flanks by a pair of fresh faces in Josh Addo-Carr and Tom Trbojevic.

Cotric has played just 36 NRL games but his representative debut is widely regarded as a certainty, having scored 23 tries during his short stint in the top grade.