ERIC Grothe Jr is planning a comeback after three seasons out of the NRL with a goal of making a return to State of Origin football.
At 33-years-old, the former Parramatta winger is on the verge of making his return to the field after retiring at the end of 2010, and while a comeback would be an impressive feat, Grothe has his sights set on a Blues’ jersey.
"I never really had goals when I was playing football," Grothe told the Offense podcast.
"My goal now is to play Origin … It might sound funny to people, I have been out of the game for three years, I guess it would be a bit of a fairy-tale story. I’m going to put every brick in place to make it my goal."
Grothe says has started early discussions with a number of NRL clubs and while he is yet to confirm a deal, he’s hoping to have a deal done within the next few weeks.
"I’m very keen to lock something up straight away," he said.
"...I’m not one to keep secrets and it’s not a big announcement for me, I’m happy to talk about it.
"I just can’t say who I am talking to at the moment only because I haven’t spoken to the clubs about doing an interview about speaking to them. To give them the respect I am not going to say."
Despite having been away from rugby league for three seasons, the former NSW and Australian representative believes his time away from the game will funnily work in his favour.
"Being out of the game for three seasons, I see that as a plus," he said.
"I have a body which is three seasons fresh so to speak.
"The biggest challenge is not doing it for three seasons. I am going to be a bit rusty in your skill base but being a winger I just need to concentrate on a few things and do them really well and I think I can still do them to the best of my ability."
Grothe says his desire to strap on the boots came as a result of training with former Cronulla forward Jason Stevens, while watching the Newcastle forward pack, including Willie Mason, gave him the belief that a comeback was achievable.
"I was in a bit of a rut and didn’t feel really healthy," he explains.
"I started to change my ways, started eating healthier and started doing a bit of training ... As I was training, I started training heaps better in every way ... After about two months doing that five to six days a week I felt amazing.
"I feel strong and I feel fast.
