EXCLUSIVE: NSW icon Phil Gould expecting David Fifita to be 'targeted' in Origin opener

NSW legend Phil Gould is expecting the Blues to target Maroons returnee David Fifita, saying the Titans star must knuckle down on defence to avoid being the "weak link".

After being left out last year, Fifita returns to Billy Slater's Queensland side this time around following a strong start to the season at the club level.

While Gould said he was "happy" for Fifita after his Origin selection, he warned of a massive step up awaiting the 23-year-old when he puts on the Maroons jersey again next week.

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"I've got no doubt that he will lift to the occasion, but I have no doubt that he will be targeted," he told Wide World of Sports' Six Tackles with Gus.

"He will be asked to do plenty of work, so he's going to have to do it every play, every minute for the full 80 minutes and maybe beyond.

"There's nowhere to hide for these players out there. You take one lazy step, you don't make up your ground straight away, the ball just comes back to you, it just finds you.

"You're playing against the best players so if there's one chink in his armour, they will find you out.

"They're all like that. Every player out there won't want to be the weak link in the team.

"There is no problem when he puts the ball under his arm, that's the least of his issues, and he's going to be a thorn in the side of NSW. He can score a try and he might even score the winning try, but there are a lot of aspects to Origin football that are a lot more than grabbing the ball and running with it.

"He might score three tries, he's got the ability to do that, but he will also be worn down. They will wear him down to take the juice out of his running game."

Fifita has scored four tries in 11 appearances so far this season for the Titans, but Gould suggested it was his improved all-round game that caught Slater's eye.

"I think David Fifita's last 12 months has seen a marked improvement in his attention to detail in all aspects of the game," he said.

"He was always a damaging runner and he can score tries and he tends to beat up on the weaker teams, but he had no defensive resolve or commitment whatsoever. It wasn't that he couldn't tackle, it's just that he didn't.

"He just didn't apply himself in that part of the field (but) he does now. He's played in the centres, off the bench, they've tried everything. What they've done is put him back in the back row and he's actually been pretty good.

"The problem is the Titans are a team that leaks points like nobody's business. They have poor second halves when they can be outstanding in the first half.

"If you're coming in to play No.12 for Queensland's State of Origin team, they're expecting you to go 80 minutes and do it on both sides of the ball and do it when the game is in the balance at the back end, and he's not playing with a team that does that at the moment. You just can't click your fingers and make it happen for you.

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"There's a lot of work you've got to do and a lot of work you're not going to get credit for.

"A lot of work you're going to have to do and not get involved in the play but you've got to be there just in case. He certainly does not have that in his game at the moment."

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