NZ Warriors' coach Andrew Webster believes Wayde Egan deserves a State of Origin call-up in 2024 after the hooker starred in his side's 34-4 demolition of the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Saturday evening.
Egan, 27, was influential in many of the Warriors six tries with two-line break assists and seven dummy half runs. The first-choice hooker also recorded a team-leading 39 tackles while completely outplaying his counterpart Damien Cook.
The impressive performance comes during a terrific run of form that has Webster calling on higher honours for the Australian.
"He's just brilliant," said Webster.
"The next step is Origin for him for sure. I've said it to Wayde; 'I just believe you should be an Origin player."
Born in the small town of Lithgow outside of Sydney, Egan qualifies to play for NSW in State of Origin.
Having lost the past two instalments of the series to rivals Queensland, Webster believes Egan could be one of the keys to the Blues getting back on top.
"I don't think you'll get two better New South Wales 9s that are going to ask so many questions of Queensland than Api [Koroisau] and Wayde, they're two guys who ask so many questions and they make other people look good," Webster said. "And when the opposition starts worrying about other people that's when Wayde takes opportunities.
Egan's teammate and captain Tohu Harris agrees Egan has taken his game to a new level this season.
"He's just so calm, he doesn't really get... flustered in his decision making and, when they're like that, it just seems like they've got so much time to make the right decision," said Harris. "And when he does pull the trigger, the execution of the pass, whether it's wide to Shaun [Johnson] running onto it or a little short one in the gap, he very rarely gets it wrong."
One also can't argue with Egan's impact on winning, at least in 2024. So far, the Warriors' only two defeats have come with the hooker out of the lineup due to injury, while they have outscored teams 72 points to 26 in games he has played.
Egan has played 83 games for the Warriors and is signed with the club until 2025.
