'Firecracker' Gilbert endorsed for Maroons return
Dolphins captain Tom Gilbert is the "firecracker" to nullify the impact of NSW enforcer Liam Martin, which is why one Queensland hard man is promoting his State of Origin recall.
The 24-year-old Gilbert last played for the Maroons in game one of 2023 when he dislocated his shoulder. He sat out the season and a ruptured ACL then wiped him out of 2024.
Gilbert has led his Dolphins with conviction in 2025 and 17-game Maroons veteran Felise Kaufusi is convinced that, with the Origin series opener on May 28, his Maroons return is not far way.
"Absolutely," Kaufusi said.
"He is one of those players that you would pick and have no doubt he will go out and give it his all. I am not one of the selectors but he would definitely be on my radar.
"After two back-to-back season-ending injuries it is always going to be tough for someone to come back from that.
"The way he is and the way he attacks the game, that's what you see with Tommy. Whenever he is in our side - whether that is back-row or middle - he goes after it and that is something I love playing alongside, someone that goes after the game."
Kaufusi is of a similar ilk. They don't call him "hard man" and "enforcer" for no reason.
Gilbert is the kind of player admired by Maroons past and present. He's steely-eyed, with a hint of wild fury on the field in pursuit of the cause. When he talks, he looks straight at you. When he runs, he charges right through you. The Maroons have won both games he played.
Kaufusi said Gilbert would also be an antidote to Penrith and NSW firebrand Liam Martin in Origin.
"They are both firecrackers in the sense that they both love playing for their state, so I expect nothing less," Kaufusi said.
Queensland coach Billy Slater has a high opinion of Gilbert. He gave him his debut off the bench in 2022 and then in 2023 named him to start in the back row in Adelaide before injury struck with a dislocated shoulder.
Dolphins utility Max Plath was in the picture for a Maroons debut this month until he had foot surgery. Slater's recent praise also included a nod to his opinion of Gilbert.
"Max is a bit like his captain at the Dolphins," Slater told AAP.
"I think he has got a great role model in Tom Gilbert. They are cut from the same cloth as real team-first players that set the standards."
Gilbert provides Slater the option of playing him in the middle or on an edge. The Maroons also lost last year's series, opening up more competition for spots.
The Maroons do have several issues bubbling away with regard to the forwards.
Their 2023 Wally Lewis Medal winner and North Queensland co-captain Reuben Cotter is suspended for two matches and won't play again before the Origin series opener.
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