Reagan Campbell-Gillard admits he is running out of time to earn New South Wales Blues recall

Reagan Campbell-Gillard has a burning desire to return to State of Origin football - after all, nobody wants to be a former Origin great at 25.

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Reagan Campbell-Gillard’s one-game Origin career is a source of fun and games at Penrith until the reality of missing out on this year’s series sinks in.

While his teammates might give him a bit of stick at training about being a “one-hit wonder”, Campbell-Gillard is aware time is running out to prove to Blues coach Brad Fittler he deserves a recall.

“You don’t want to be a FOG, a former Origin Great, at 25,” Campbell-Gillard said with a laugh.

“A few of the boys have brought it up as a bit of a joke … calling yourself a FOG. It does drive you to want to play a few more games.

“I was over the moon last year to play one game before I had an injury.

“It would be nice to play again but my performances haven’t been where I want them to be.

“I think there are three or four weeks left. I just have to knuckle down and see what happens. I have to back my own performances and be more consistent.”

The forward practically picked himself for game one last year after a powerhouse start to the season which helped lift the Panthers to top spot on the ladder.

LISTEN! Matty reveals the biggest lie he ever told coach, the song he can’t get out of his head, an Origin rumour that won’t go away and what it’s like to have a video session under Tommy Raudonikis. Don’t miss this week’s episode of the Matty Johns podcast.

But Campbell-Gillard was rubbed out of the reminder of the series after breaking his jaw against the Sydney Roosters in round 15. The injury required two plates and 10 screws to fix.

Six months later, the Rooty Hill Dragons junior again broke his jaw in a pre-season training mishap just before Christmas.

However, he is adamant his confidence has not been rocked.

“It’s a glass jaw at the moment,” Campbell-Gillard said. “It’s not a confidence thing.

“If it plays on your mind then you don’t want to run the ball, you probably don’t even want to play.

“I want the ball in my hands. You cop a knock on it, you cop a knock on it, you just have to move on.”

Campbell-Gillard made his Origin debut last season. AAP Image/Joe Castro.

Campbell-Gillard’s form has mirrored that of the Panthers but he refused to make excuses, describing his lacklustre start as “rocks and diamonds”.

“I won’t sugar-coat it,’’ he said. “It’s frustrating for myself because you hold a standard of how you want to play.

“I thought on the weekend, that was a positive sign. You get the mojo back a bit and you can hold your head high a bit there.

“You’re not running around like a mad chook trying to get a carry under your belt, wasting energy. That’s what I was trying to do for the last five weeks.

Campbell-Gillard believes Penrith are set to turn their season around. Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images.

“When you are winning it helps, when you’re losing it’s a pain in the arse.”

The Panthers slumped to their fifth loss for the year at the hands of South Sydney last Friday but improved markedly, especially in attack.

They returned to their trademark expansive style and Campbell-Gillard believes it has set them up to turn around their season, starting this week against Canberra in Wagga Wagga.

“We simplified our football,” he said. “When you do that the ball hits the mark and when you are not having to defend it helps and you have more energy to run the ball and threaten the line.”