Egan shrugs off Origin talk to prioritise form for Warriors

By Michael Burgess

Warriors hooker Wayde Egan welcomes being part of the State of Origin debate and insists it won’t affect his club form.

After a breakthrough 2023 season, when he was one of the most consistent dummy halves across the competition, Egan has made a strong start to this campaign, highlighted by his outstanding performance in the round-five win over the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

That has sparked widespread calls for Egan to be part of the New South Wales squad, under new coach Michael Maguire.

Some of that support came from predictable sources - like Warriors’ coach Andrew Webster - but he was also backed by plenty of Australian critics, including Blues’ legend Andrew Johns.

It’s a new scenario for the understated Egan, who has tended to go under the radar, partly due to being away from the Sydney media spotlight and partly because of his unspectacular but steady rise since his 2018 NRL debut with the Panthers.

“I obviously don’t mind it,” Egan told The Big League Podcast. “It’s cool to get your name out there and tossed in the ring with guys like Api [Koroisau], Reece Robson and Damien Cook.

“[But] I just love winning for the Warriors and if we win enough games and I play well enough, I guess whatever comes off the back of that, comes off the back of that. I’m solely focused on week to week with the Warriors and getting as many wins as we can.”

The talk has increased the focus on Egan and will inevitably lead to greater dissection and analysis of his weekly performances. That can be difficult to handle for some players but Egan isn’t flustered.

“I don’t think it’s a distraction at all,” added Egan. “I take it week to week and definitely don’t look too far into the future. I’m a person that lives in the now and focuses on the week at hand and if it comes to that, it comes to that.”

Egan had a difficult start to the season, sidelined for the trips to Melbourne and Christchurch after an elbow injury in the season opener against the Cronulla Sharks.

But he has impressed since, getting through 80-minute efforts against Newcastle and Souths, before the golden point marathon versus the Sea Eagles on Saturday.

“I’m pretty happy,” said Egan, when asked about his personal form. “Obviously, it really helps playing behind the likes of Adds [Addin Fonua-Blake], Tohu [Harris].

“They are all probably having career years already and it is a joy to play off the back of those guys. We have got Roger [Tuivasa-Sheck] in there now and our back five are awesome and it makes my job really easy.”

Egan has also coped with the physical demands, with a remarkable 58 tackles in Saturday’s 22-22 draw with the Sea Eagles.

“I actually feel better than I thought,” Egan continued. “I had a couple of weeks off and to come back and go 80, 80 and then 90 - the body is actually feeling good. At the back end [on Saturday] I was clutching for air but I think everyone was. I guess it will be good in the long run.”

Egan is also enjoying life here. He first arrived at the club in late 2019 for pre-season but that stay was cut short with the forced relocation to Australia due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 27-year-old didn’t even experience a Mt Smart home match until his third season at the club (July 2022) but is now fully settled in the city.

“I’ve got some really good friends here [now] and it just feels like a second home to me,” said Egan.

“It helps that his partner has moved across from Australia, while his little brother Tallan is also a flatmate, after getting a chance with the Warriors SG Ball under-19 team.

“It’s really cool to have him here,” said Egan. “He annoys me a little bit at times but I guess that is what little brothers do - I am a little bit like his dad . [But having him here] makes it feel even more like home.”

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission