You don't have to live in Queensland to be selected for the Maroons but new Titans addition Chris McQueen certainly hopes it will help.
The 28-year-old former Rabbitoh arrived on the Gold Coast on Sunday evening and on Monday morning was wearing the colours of his new team and getting to know his Titans teammates during a gruelling fitness session.
Brisbane born, McQueen played his junior football with the Kingaroy Red Ants before returning to Brisbane to link with Wynnum Manly, his try-scoring exploits in Colts and the Intrust Super Cup attracting the attention of scouts from South Sydney.
Now that he is back living in Queensland, McQueen is hopeful that a more senior role with a young Titans squad will propel him back into the Origin mix after playing five games for the Maroons in 2013-2014.
"I think it is, I don't see why not," McQueen said of winning back his Origin jersey.
"I'm still young enough that I feel like I can keep getting better and keep improving and as I grow as a leader I certainly feel like that's definitely a realistic goal."
Despite South Sydney's premiership success the year prior McQueen was overlooked for Game One of the 2015 series and when Josh McGuire was injured prior to Game Three missed out to Raiders powerhouse Josh Papalii.
Despite his last Origin memory being that of watching NSW claim the shield for the first time in nine years, McQueen said that his undying allegiance to his state made it somewhat easier to watch Queensland win the 2015 series without him.
"It's always enjoyable to watch them. I'm a [Queensland] fan before I'm a player," he said. "Always have been a fan so I certainly enjoyed watching.
"Obviously I would have loved to have been there but it is what it is.
"It certainly is a goal to get back into that team and get my jersey back but before I can do that I have to play good football here and that's my goal at the moment."
As for how he has changed since leaving Brisbane for the big smoke almost a decade ago, McQueen said his move into the forwards has given him a new sense of entitlement when it comes to the contribution of wingers.
"Got to give all the wingers a hard time," said McQueen, who fought back from two knee reconstructions early in his time at South Sydney.
"I used to be one and I used to cop a bit of a hard time so now that I'm playing in the forwards I think I can get away with giving them a hard time."
