Blake Ferguson with the NSW faithful after winning State of Origin Game One. Picture: Phil Hillyard Source: The Daily Telegraph
Blake Ferguson takes a bomb in front of Darius Boyd. Picture: Phil Hillyard Source: The Daily Telegraph
BLAKE Ferguson, they say, can be summed up by his first ever Origin touch.
"Not that he knocked on," says Blues assistant Trent Barrett. "But that he never made another mistake for the rest of the night."
After fumbling with his first touch in a sky blue jersey - "trying to play the ball too quick," as he remembers it - Ferguson enjoyed an outstanding Origin debut 14 years after his cousin Anthony Mundine.
"Absolutely awesome, best experience of my life," he said afterwards, bare-chested and bopping in a jubilant Blues dressing room.
"I made that one mistake with my first touch but I didn't do anything wrong after that. Now I just have to go back to Canberra, work my arse off and stay in this team. And that's all I really wanna say right now ... "
While NSW Coach Laurie Daley said afterwards that Ferguson "has no idea how good he can be", fellow Blues great Barrett disagreed ever so slightly.
"Oh, I think he knows exactly how good he can be," Barrett grinned. "You just ask him.
"I've known Fergo since he started out at Cronulla. He has a great future ahead of him. But it's our job now to keep his feet on the ground and make sure he keeps improving.
"For Blake, it's his job to go home to Canberra and play well for the Raiders. He owes (coach) David Furner that much. But he certainly had a great night."
While Ferguson's nan Joan made the trip down from Wellington for the game, the Raiders flyer admitted he couldn't coax pop Rex down to the big smoke for his Origin debut.
"But that's fine - he never likes to go far anyway," the new Blue laughed. "He's always been one of my biggest supporters and I wouldn't have been there tonight without him.
"Nan was here and I spoke to her before the game. Nothing too much, I'm big enough and ugly enough to look after myself out there now."
Apart from helping the Blues to a win in the series opener, Ferguson also did the unthinkable - returning cousin Mundine to the Blues fold. After years of cheering the Queenslanders following his controversial departure from league, the former world champion boxer was among the crowd of 80,000 to cheer the footballer he has watched since a child.
And in cause for further celebrations for the Ferguson clan, another cousin Reimis Smith - the son of former NRL forward Tyran Smith - was part of the triumphant NSW under-16s side.
Despite having his own game to prepare for, Ferguson stayed on the sidelines to watch the young Blues centre and was there on the ground to embrace him immediately after the win.
"But that's how we are in this family," he said. "We support one another."
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