Manly coach Kieran Foran has come forward to support his right back rower following the surprising decision to leave Haumole Olakau'atu on the extended bench for the second match of the State of Origin series.
Despite his impressive performance, where he led the metre count among all NSW Blues forwards in Game 1, coach Laurie Daley has chosen to exclude the 27-year-old from the winning lineup.
Adding to the confusion, Olakau'atu has been in exceptional form at the club level, notably dominating South Sydney last week with 266 run metres, 140 post-contact metres, and five tackle breaks.
In his place, Knights' left back rower Dylan Lucas has been selected, but Foran insists there is no player he would prefer to have on the field than the Tongan international.
"I'm extremely disappointed for Haumole and I wouldn't want any other back rower in the game other than him," Foran shared with NewsCorp.
"He is a true professional, Haumole, and he will be a team player. He will do whatever is needed for his side and his state."
Daley remarked that even though the team won the first match, Olakau'atu's place in the lineup was jeopardized by Lucas's recent strong performances in the Hunter region.
"It's always difficult to have those chats, but you've just got to make the decision on what you think is in the best interest of the team and what the team needs," NSW coach Daley explained.
"It was difficult. We tried to see whether we could put him on the bench, but just the balance of the side and the balance of the bench with another back-rower there, we felt like we needed a big man."