In a worrying sign for opposition sides, Brisbane Broncos speedster James Roberts has revealed that he is still a long way off reaching the form that saw him score 16 tries for the Gold Coast Titans in 2015.
Roberts is battling a hip injury that he picked up a couple of weeks ago against his former club, with the star centre going down in the first half of Brisbane's 24-16 Round 5 win.
The injury appears to be plaguing Roberts, with the 23-year-old struggling to run at full speed.
Roberts says he is battling to shake off the knock and doesn't expect to be back to his best in the near future.
"I've been carrying a hip injury over the last couple of weeks so I can't see myself being at my best any time soon," Roberts said.
"It's around my abs and my hips. It's going alright and getting a bit better each day. I'm still working on it, but it's certainly not 100 per cent.
"If I was 100 per cent then I feel I would be up there for State of Origin, but I don't think I am at the moment. I have plenty of improvement in me so I'll see what happens."
Roberts is yet to play State of Origin, missing out on selection for New South Wales last year in favour of Josh Morris and Michael Jennings.
He was picked in the Emerging Blues squad at the start of the year and Laurie Daley has been keeping a close eye on his form so far in 2016.
It's clear Roberts would love to be a part of State of Origin this year, but for now the Brisbane centre is remaining focused on getting his body back to 100 per cent.
"It's not playing on my mind. At the moment I'm just focusing on my job at the Broncos. If an Origin spot comes then I'd be very happy," he said.
"It's very honouring to be mentioned when I'm not 100 per cent. I'm not sure what the side will be, but I'll cross my fingers and hope I get picked.
"I'm sure whatever team they pick they'll do a good job and hopefully they'll get the win."
