Jackson Ford says he can’t argue with his omission from the State of Origin series opener, insisting the snub has only made him hungrier for a NSW debut.<\/p>\n
Warriors prop Ford has been unstoppable to begin 2026 and trailed only Penrith superstar Nathan Cleary on the Dally M leaderboard after 11 rounds.<\/p>\n
Among forwards, the 28-year-old led the league for average run metres this season and was in the top three for average post-contact metres.<\/p>\n
Ahead of last week’s team selection, NSW hierarchy told Ford to pack extra bags in case he needed to fly straight from Magic Round into Blues camp.<\/p>\n
Payne Haas’ knee injury positioned Ford as a like-for-like replacement in the front row for his work rate and ability to play extended minutes in the middle.<\/p>\n
But Ford’s phone never rang, with Jacob Saifiti and Victor Radley named as two surprise selections in the forward pack.<\/p>\n
Pressed on Ford’s omission this week, NSW coach Laurie Daley said he needed to preference middle forwards who could also fill in on an edge.<\/p>\n
Ford has started 39 NRL games at second row, more than any player on the Blues’ six-man bench for game one.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Ford had made peace with the snub by full-time of the Warriors’ win over St George Illawarra on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
“They’ve got a really good team there, so I can’t argue with it,” Ford said.<\/p>\n
“I’ve just got to keep doing my job here and hopefully some accolades can come.”<\/p>\n
Since making his first-grade debut with the Dragons in 2019, Ford had barely rated a mention in the Origin selection discussion until this year.<\/p>\n
Ford said he had “100%” grown more determined from his omission.<\/p>\n
“I’m just stoked to be in the conversation,” he said.<\/p>\n
“You look back a couple of years and I probably wouldn’t have thought I could do it. It’s a big achievement for me to be in that conversation.”<\/p>\n