TITANS flyer David Mead says he only pledged his allegiance to Queensland because of the mad following the Maroons receive in his homeland.
The Papua New Guinea international’s comments came after he was controversially called into the NSW Country team.
Mead, who played for PNG in last year’s World Cup, has been declared a Blue and will replace injured fullback Josh Dugan in Sunday’s clash against City despite saying that he wanted to play for Queensland just a fortnight ago.
Mead was born in PNG before moving to Lismore as a 12-year-old and the NRL was yesterday asked to sort out his eligibility by the Country Rugby League.
The 25-year-old satisfied the NSW selection criteria and was on a plane to Sydney only hours later to go into camp.
He is the second Queensland hopeful NSW have pinched recently after Ipswich-born Rabbitohs young gun Luke Keary was declared a Blue.
Mead said the only reason he wanted to play for Queensland was because he grew up around Maroons supporters.
“Growing up in PNG, a lot of my family are Queensland fans and that’s how we went,” he said.
“My eligibility says I’m NSW and I’m just keen to get down there and concentrate on this game. That’s all settled now.
“I ticked all the boxes for NSW and that’s where it stands. It’s all pretty clear now.
“I’m definitely stoked to be able to put on a rep jersey. It’s a dream come true.”
It’s understood Mead is privately worried about the backlash he will receive over the eligibility saga. He first signalled his desire to play for Queensland in 2011 after receiving advice from former Maroons Queensland and PNG representative Adrian Lam.
The ARL Commission last year overhauled Origin eligibility guidelines following a series of controversies and Mead satisfies four of the five NSW criteria.
Mead recently said: “I think I’m eligible for NSW. But growing up I always went for Queensland when I lived in Papua New Guinea, so I would like to choose Queensland.”
That decision has now been taken away from him and the electric fullback said that he was determined to make the most of his opportunity in Dubbo with a NSW Origin jersey now a real possibility.
“It has been confusing but I wasn’t too fussed because my form the past few years hasn’t been as good as the other players,” he said.
“I was always playing for PNG so I never knew if I was on the radar for either state.”
Mead’s representative call-up has come on the back of a purple patch of form since he replaced the injured William Zillman at fullback for the Titans.
“I’ve had a bit more opportunity to play up the middle and catch out some tired forwards,” he said.
“I’ve had a lot more involvement and that’s definitely helped my chances.
“Origin wasn’t really in my mind during this period of time.”
Even City hooker Beau Falloon, Mead’s teammate at the Titans, said he was confused by the situation.
“It was a bit confusing,’’ Falloon said. “It’s good to finally know who he’s eligible for.”