NEWCASTLE fullback Milton Thaiday went looking for opportunities on and off the field last night, scoring three tries as the Knights blitzed the Bulldogs and then inviting the Queensland selectors to have a good, hard look at him for this year's State of Origin series.
"I'm looking for a Maroon jersey, that's for sure," Thaiday said. "I've got those representative ambitions, just like anybody else. I try not to think about it too much, because I don't want it to put me off my game, but I'm from Townsville and I'd love to play for Queensland."
Thaiday received back-up as a potential Origin player from a heavyweight trio - Newcastle and former Queensland coach Michael Hagan, Newcastle, NSW and Australia hooker Danny Buderus and television commentator and former international Matthew Johns - after the Knights had rampaged through the Bulldogs defence to win 46-22.
"I don't know if there's a more exciting player in the game at the moment," Hagan said. "He won our players' player award in the first and second rounds and he's won it again tonight - and there are obviously some pretty good players in this side.
"He's getting better with each game of football he plays and his understanding with our best players is getting better as well."
There are several terrific fullbacks in contention for the Queensland spot, including North Queensland's Matt Bowen, Penrith's Rhys Wesser and Melbourne's Billy Slater, but none of them have a stranglehold on the spot.
Asked if he thought Thaiday, 26, was up to Origin class, Buderus replied: "I'm sure he is and I wouldn't be surprised if he bobbed up in the Queensland team. Even if he didn't get the fullback spot, they could look at him for a bench spot. He'd be pretty dangerous."
Johns, who was at the game for Channel Nine, said the sky was the limit for Thaiday. "He is a hell of a natural footballer," Johns said. "Players like him are capable of going a long way very quickly in this game. I wouldn't put it past him to play Origin."
Thaiday, who rated his three-try performance as his best game since joining the Knights midway through last season, is able to read pretty well what Newcastle's superstar halfback Andrew Johns is about to do and their combination has become one of the most lethal in attack for the Knights.
"I just listen for Joey to tell me where to go," Thaiday said. "That's the only thing I can do. Wherever he wants me to be, I try to be there. I'm trying to get more and more involved in the game. There's still some work to do, but I'm trying hard."
All the talk in the lead-up to the game was about how physical it was going to be, but the reality was an action-packed extravaganza in which the Knights blitzed their feared opponents.
It was only in the last 10 minutes of the game - after Johns had been replaced as a reward for a job well done and Buderus had been sin-binned for a professional foul - that the Bulldogs managed a dominant period of play, scoring two late tries with their one-man advantage.
But, of course, it didn't matter then. The game was already long over and the big win, which followed last weekend's 70-32 annihilation of Canberra by the Knights, justified the decision by bookmakers to make Newcastle premiership favourites.
The Bulldogs, meanwhile, found that, despite their 47-12 mauling of last year's premiers, Wests Tigers, last weekend they still have a lot of work to do if they are going to make a real challenge for this year's title.
Bulldogs coach Steve Folkes said his team had turned up for the game physically. But, he added: "We just didn't have our heads on."
Johns opened the scoring with a penalty goal, which took him to 2000 career points in first grade. He ended up with nine goals from 10 attempts, for an 18-point haul, to go with his 30-point spree against the Raiders.
Both sides lost a winger during the game, the Bulldogs Matt Utai left the field in severe pain from a rib injury in the seventh minute and Newcastle's Brian Carney hobbled off with a corked thigh early in the second half.
If the Knights avoid excessive injuries they may well go through the season without losing a game at their home ground. It is a fortress again.
