Picking Fifita would open can of worms: Lewis
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Sharks veteran Luke Lewis will never stand in the way of a teammate playing in State of Origin but he has reservations about the precedent being set if Andrew Fifita is selected for NSW.
Lewis said the Blues would be opening a can of worms if they picked Fifita for games one and three in the Holden State of Origin series, while allowing him to play for Tonga on the weekend of game two.
"Not too sure what's going on with Fifita if they're going to let him play or not but in my eyes he is the best front-rower in the game at the moment," Lewis said.
"He is still a proud NSW man, loves NSW, loves the blue jersey, and talks about it all the time. But he also loves the country he comes from and loves playing for his country.
"If they do pick him it's going to open a can of worms, there's going to be a lot of Fijian players that would like to come and play. I think it's really going to test the big guys that need to make the decision.
"In saying that, Fifita, I back him 100 per cent. If he wants to play and they want to pick him I'd have him there straight away."
Should Fifita be considered for NSW?
With the likes of Wade Graham, Josh Dugan and Valentine Holmes also in contention for a Blues jersey, Lewis said if the Sharks lost some of their big-name players he had no doubt the younger guys would step up yet again. They did that while Lewis, Graham and Paul Gallen were watching from the sideline through injury.
"I think they (Graham, Dugan and Valentine) are all going to get an opportunity sometime during the series," he said.
"I suppose only time will tell and fingers crossed we don't miss them too much but I think the last couple of weeks with all of those young guys stepping in, that if we do lose four or five guys we've got the guys to step up and do the job."
Lewis said the Sharks would remain focused on taking it one game at a time while continuing to build on what they've created in a five-game winning streak.
"We haven't thought too far down the track. We haven't had our full team on the park, which is a credit to all the young guys that have really stepped up and come into the side," he said.
"For us it's just about building momentum and build some camaraderie in the team and getting some of that trust and belief again that we had a couple of years ago.
"We've got a couple of really hard games coming up, so the next four weeks will be a big test for us and then we can re-evaluate and start from there.
"But if we can get to the back end of the year in good shape with everyone on the field, and in the top four would be nice, then that's when the competition starts I suppose."
