Rabbitohs’ Adam Reynolds faces State of Origin audition in coming weeks

ADAM Reynolds will have the chance to prove his State of Origin readiness in the next two weeks, when he face eight incumbent Queensland stars.

RABBITOHS

ADAM Reynolds will play eight incumbent Queensland Origin stars, including Johnathan Thurston, over the coming fortnight as he looks to prove himself a NSW Origin saviour.

Returning from a broken jaw suffered in round one, Reynolds looms as a potential smoky for the always contentious Blues No.7 jersey.

Apart from an outstanding kicking game, the 25-year-old playmaker has also racked up 15 try assists from his past 19 NRL games.

Reynolds will also be looking to revive his struggling South Sydney Rabbitohs, who have already lost three of five games without him this year.

Indeed, according to Fox Sports Statistics, the Bunnies win only 38 per cent of games without their tattooed halfback. With Reynolds, however, that figure rises to 66 per cent.

Certainly, the numbers also show why.

Apart from those 15 try assists, the Redfern superboot has forced 16 drop-outs, averaged 348 kick metres and converted 57 goals at a strike rate of 80 per cent.

With the Bunnies facing North Queensland in Townsville on Friday night, Reynolds will go up against Cowboys star pairing Thurston and Michael Morgan.

Then the following Friday night the Rabbitohs square off against a Brisbane side boasting a host of Queenslanders, including Sam Thaiday, Corey Parker, Darius Boyd and Matt Gillett.

The tough Queensland road trip looms as the perfect opportunity for Reynolds to press his Origin claims with NSW coach Laurie Daley.

While Daley has already said his preference would be for incumbent Trent Hodkinson to retain the NSW No.7 jersey, the 27-year-old has endured a mediocre start to the season with new club Newcastle.

Elsewhere, NSW legend Andrew Johns has publicly backed Canberra pairing Aidan Sezer and Blake Austin to lead the Blues into a new era. It was a stance the eighth Immortal maintained, even after the pair struggled in their loss against Parramatta last Saturday afternoon.

Elsewhere, it seems five-eighth Cody Walker’s chances of being retained by Souths beyond this year have decreased after he was dumped to make way for Reynolds.

Reynolds’s return could start a bid for an Origin jersey.

Initially, there was talk the player to miss the Townsville game would be Luke Keary, whose future has been the subject of much discussion ever since that now infamous boozy preseason argument with Hollywood owner Russell Crowe.

However, with coach Michael Maguire finally having the trio all available for the first time this year — Keary was suspended for the season opener — it is Walker who has proved the odd man out.

Both Keary and Walker are off contract at the end of this year and, while the later performed strongly over the opening six rounds, Maguire has opted to stick with the pairing who won the 2014 NRL premiership.

Originally published as Rabbitohs’ Adam Reynolds faces State of Origin audition in coming weeks