https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/bl...-ends-road-back-to-blues-20181214-p50mcd.html
Blake Ferguson's refusal to travel 13km ends road back to Blues
Christian Nicolussi
14 December 2018 — 3:55pm
Blake Ferguson's refusal to travel 13km and instead snub Brad Fittler and a NSW Blues get-together has all but ended his Origin comeback.
Ferguson was a spectacular no-show at Sydney Olympic Park on Friday as more than 20 of the state's best players gathered at Blues HQ.
Fittler only learned of Ferguson's late, late scratching from an Eels official, who informed him the winger wanted to ditch the gathering and hit the training paddock with his new club.
While Ferguson could not bring himself to make the short trek down the M4, Tevita Pangai Jnr flew in from Brisbane and said he would never miss the event.
"If I was having a kid today I'd miss it [the birth], that's how much I love rugby league,'' Pangai said.
Fittler struggled to hide his disappointment when it came to Ferguson's snub. The prized Eels recruit hinted last weekend that he was undecided about the Blues because of the way he was hammered for his boozy afternoon during camp in 2017.
Eels coach Brad Arthur said there had been no pressure on Ferguson to make a call either way.
"Blake has come to me a couple of times about what he thinks he wants to do, and I've told him to go away and keep thinking about it,'' Arthur told Fairfax Media.
"It's great he wants to be committed to the club but I want him to make the right decision for the right reasons and for him to be comfortable with it. I don't think he's ready to make that decision. He's only been back a week at training and he said it was important he showed his teammates he was committed to them.''
Already forced to dodge questions about Jack de Belin and his police charges, Fittler could have done without having to deal with a second player drama.
"I haven't really kept up on what Blake is thinking about with his rep career or whatever he's been talking about,'' Fittler said.
"He was asked to come today but decided to stay at Parramatta, for whatever reason. I wish him all the best.
"Maybe he's at a new club and in a new environment, and maybe he's doing whatever he can for Parramatta.
"There are about 26 players inside I'm really excited to go and have a chat with and see how they're going.
"Everything is taken into consideration.''
Fittler opted for wingers Tom Trbojevic, who plays fullback for Manly, and Melbourne speedster Josh Addo-Carr for the series victory this year.
Ferguson enjoyed a wonderful year at the Roosters, where he became one of the few players in the modern era to run for more than 5000m.
The previous year, however, Ferguson and good friend Josh Dugan were criticised for spending an afternoon at a pub just five days out from the Origin decider in Brisbane, which ended up being a 22-6 blowout loss.
"His year was awesome,'' said Fittler, who was more than happy to roll out the sky blue welcome mat to the 28-year-old on Friday.
"I don't know if anybody has played his role as well as he did last year. He played like a front-rower, a winger, he scored tries, he stopped them.
"It was just a really impressive season at a really impressive club. How the Roosters handled last season is one of the better performances from a club I've seen in a long time.
"Now he has to do it at a club who most likely didn't do as good a job last year.''
Ferguson could have created plenty of selection debate for the wing spots had it not been for his not-so-subtle message.
By showing his hand on Friday, he has basically turned his back on a potential $100,000 each year, which is roughly what Origin players earn for three matches.
Nick Cotric was on the fringes of a call-up last season, while Campbell Graham and Rob Jennings were included in the Emerging Blues and made a point of heading west to train with Fittler.
Ferguson departed the Roosters with a grand final ring and plenty of respect as he played the final half hour in the grand final with a broken fibula.
While Ferguson has quickly played down the comparisons to former Parramatta wrecking ball Semi Radradra, his teammates know the premiership winner is capable of freakish finishes and similar bullocking runs early in the tackle count, something they sorely missed last season.
