'I will put my heart into the job': Sharks enforcer Addin Fonua-Blake grilled on Origin ambitions

The Maroons may not be front of mind for Addin Fonua-Blake right now, but the Sharks gun is determined to earn a phone call from Laurie Daley to finally get a taste of Origin.

A simple revision of the State of Origin eligibility rules has deemed Fonua-Blake one of the many star talents who are available for selection for the Origin arena this season, with the prop formerly unable to represent the Blues due to his New Zealand connection.

Despite being barred from battling in the Origin arena in the past, Fonua-Blake knows exactly what the interstate rivalry means to rugby league fans and shares their passion.

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He is just waiting on a call from Daley to prove physically what the battle means to him.

"If I am lucky or blessed enough to get a call on the day, then I will take that opportunity with both hands," he told reporters on Tuesday.

"I am definitely passionate (about the Sky Blue jersey). I will put my heart into the job."

While Fonua-Blake and Sharks teammate Briton Nikora have fans excited about the eligibility rule change, their performances on the field will ultimately decide their fate.

Neither have broken 100 running metres after three games, with Fonua-Blake down on his barnstorming best from 2025.

"My full focus is on how I play and what I am doing for the Sharks," Fonua-Blake added.

"I know if I am playing well then I could put myself in a position to get a call. If I don't, well then I'll just keep working hard and worrying about myself."

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Asked if he sits at home thinking about how he hates Queensland, Fonua-Blake laughed.

"I don't think about Queensland too much," he replied.

"When I am at home, I think about my family. When I am in here (in Cronulla), I think about the Sharks. If I get a call then I will start thinking about Queensland."

The Sharks have had a difficult 1-2 start to the season and Fonua-Blake conceded that the "mixed bag of results" had not been ideal, particularly at a time when he needs to be at his best to get a representative call-up.

He was confident that the Sharks would turn their form around.

"I feel like we have strayed away from our brand of footy," Fonua-Blake said.

"We've been punished twice now, so we have to prepare well and get ready to go again.

"It is not ideal the way we have started the year but it is also not the end of the comp. If we can get our act together and start playing our brand of footy again, we should string together a few good wins and be sitting where we want to be.

"We were in a similar position last year and we pulled ourselves out of it. I have full belief in the squad that once we start getting things right ... the wins won't be far away."

The big picture for the Sharks would be to get a premiership at the season's end, with no player from their last premiership-winning team in 2016 still in the squad.

A plan "to go to the next level" was made clear to the playing group at the beginning of the season to put that ambition in the frame

"If you are not coming into the year wanting to get better or go to the next level, you are letting yourself down by not striving to that," he said.

"We are still striving to get to the next level, we have just hit a little hiccup; every team goes through them. We are working hard to get back to where we know we can be."