{"id":403900,"date":"2026-04-29T22:05:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T22:05:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/403900\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T22:05:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T22:05:13","slug":"the-rise-of-jackson-ford-and-an-unlikely-origin-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/403900\/","title":{"rendered":"The rise of Jackson Ford, and an unlikely Origin dream"},"content":{"rendered":"

Warriors workhorse and current Dally M leading forward Jackson Ford<\/a> continues to enter NSW State of Origin<\/a> conversations off the back of some amazing gritty performances \u2013 even if the phone call he’s dreaming of hasn’t come just yet. <\/p>\n

In the midst of some career-best form, Ford jokingly told Zero Tackle he hasn’t received a call from NSW coach Laurie Daley<\/a>, though the dream of pulling on the Sky Blues<\/a> jumper remains a very real one for the Warriors ironman. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s a massive dream of mine to play for NSW Blues<\/a>,\u201d Ford said.<\/p>\n

“Right now I’m just trying to play good footy, and I’ll keep focusing on putting in each week here at the Warriors, [and then] hopefully.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ford’s rise has been one of the Warriors’ most compelling storylines this year: big minutes, averaging well over 150 running metres per game, relentless defensive work, and a knack for lifting when his side needs it most. <\/p>\n

He’s gone from dependable to indispensable, and Saturday’s win over the Dolphins<\/a> was another clear example yet of just how far he’s pushed his game.<\/p>\n

In a bruising contest at Hnry Stadium, Ford racked up 206 running metres, 78 post\u2011contact metres, and made 57 tackles, numbers that would be impressive for any forward. <\/p>\n

And then there’s the kick: he played the full 80 minutes. In modern-day NRL<\/a>, where middle forwards are rotated like clockwork, an 80\u2011minute stint is almost unheard of. It’s these kinds of shifts from Ford that has teammates Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad<\/a> understandably nicknaming him: \u20184X4′. <\/p>\n

Normally stationed on the edge, Ford has been thrust into a far bigger role in 2026, partnering James Fisher\u2011Harris in the front row. While he has filled the role previously, the move to start Ford was born out of co\u2011captain Mitch Barnett<\/a> sidelined by a long\u2011term injury that wiped out the opening stretch of his season. But Ford hasn’t just filled the gap; he’s made the role his own. <\/p>\n

In Barnett’s absence, Ford has quietly become one of the Warriors’ most reliable middle forwards, turning what was meant to be a temporary fix into a genuine selection dilemma for head coach Andrew Webster<\/a>. <\/p>\n

So much so that since Barnett’s recent return, the skipper has been eased back via the bench \u2013 a testament to how Ford has made the role his own.<\/p>\n

The irony is that Barnett himself is expected to be in the mix for a New South Wales front\u2011row jersey when Origin rolls around. <\/p>\n

Ford’s consistency has pushed him to the top of the Dally M leaderboard and placed him firmly among the NRL’s elite forwards in 2026 \u2013 the kind of form that has people talking about him and usually forces selectors to take notice.<\/p>\n

But while Ford’s numbers keep climbing \u2014 and the calls for him to be considered for New South Wales grow louder each week, especially with Payne Haas<\/a> out with injury \u2013 he’s not interested in framing his rise as an individual surge. <\/p>\n

In his view, it’s less about him \u201cplaying well\u201d and far more about how the Warriors have been operating as a collective. Ford has been quick to credit the cohesion, trust, and consistency within the squad, insisting that his own form is simply a reflection of a team that’s moving in the same direction.<\/p>\n

“I’m playing off the boys right now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels like we’re all thriving as a team. There’s not really anyone who’s having a bad season, so we’re just bouncing back off each other and I’m just getting off the back of everyone too.”<\/p>\n

One thing for sure, if Ford keeps producing numbers like he has been, the conversation around his ceiling \u2013 club level, representative level, all of it \u2013 is only going to get louder.<\/p>\n

Yet for now, Ford remains grounded, focused on his club duties, and quietly hopeful. <\/p>\n

Origin may not have called yet, but the way he’s playing, it feels less like a dream and more like an inevitability waiting for its moment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Warriors workhorse and current Dally M leading forward Jackson Ford continues to enter NSW State of Origin conversations…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":349165,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[111,139,69,213],"class_list":["post-403900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=403900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403900\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/349165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=403900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=403900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=403900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}