KNIGHTS coach Nathan Brown has backed Daniel Saifiti to "get the job done" in his Origin debut and revealed that Saifiti's twin brother Jacob is close to an NRL recall.
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Daniel was considered by many to be a surprise selection when he was named to replace Knights teammate David Klemmer for Sunday's Origin II showdown against Queensland in Perth.
But Brown revealed NSW coach Brad Fittler contacted him last week asking for his opinion on whether 23-year-old Saifiti was ready for the step up to representative ranks.
On the strength of Saifiti's form in Newcastle's wins against St George Illawarra, Sydney Roosters and South Sydney, Brown was more than happy to recommend his heavyweight prop, who debuted in 2016 and has 75 NRL games to his name.
"The job that Freddy wants Daniel to do, Daniel can do that job," Brown said on Monday.
"He's proven that against the best packs in the competition this year. It's a pretty simple job that he [Fittler] needs from him, and I'm very confident that Daniel can go out and do it."
Daniel's rise to the Origin arena has highlighted the frustrating hiatus fellow "Twin Tower" Jacob has endured.
Jacob has not appeared in the NRL since round 11 last season, when he suffered a fractured shoulder blade playing against Gold Coast Titans.
He was primed to make amends with a big pre-season, only to suffer a broken ankle in December in a much-publicised off-field incident that led to him receiving a club-imposed $25,000 fine.
He missed the opening month of the 2019 season but has since been playing strongly in NSW Cup, and travelled to Melbourne last week as an NRL standby player.
Brown said Jacob had been a "standout" in Newcastle's 16-12 loss to Wests Magpies in Sunday's NSW Cup clash.
"Jacob in the pre-season was one of our best trainers," Brown said. "He was training as good as any middle in the club. Unfortunately the incident that happened set him right back ... [but] I think there's no doubt that Jacob is a first-grade rugby league player.
"Jacob playing well, training well, there's no doubt he's a first-grader."
Brown indicated a recall to Newcastle's top side was imminent.
"If he gets back to his best, will he be able to force his way into the team during this year?" Brown said.
"That's a high possibility.
"With the blokes we've got playing rep footy at the moment, and suspension and a few injuries, Jacob is going to play shortly."
The selection of Daniel Saifiti for NSW is notable because he is the first Origin player to emerge from Newcastle's junior system since Akuila Uate in 2011.
When Brown arrived at the Knights late in 2015, Daniel was a project player straight out of Newcastle's under-20s, while Jacob had featured in Newcastle's NSW Cup grand final win that season.
Brown immediately identified that the young giants from the Central Coast had the size and athleticism to make the grade.
The coach said it was especially satisfying to see Daniel selected for NSW because "I know where he was at, where he started and where he is today".
"The Knights at their best, in the mid-'90s and early 2000s, had five, six, seven Origin players that had pretty much come through the Knights," Brown said. "They were Knights juniors.
"Bedsy [Danny Buderus], Joey [Andrew Johns], Matty [Johns], Adam MacDougall, Steve Simpson, Timana Tahu.
"There were a cast and numbers that had come through the system.
"Daniel's hopefully the first of what's going to be in the next part of the journey a good number of young players that have started here and made their careers here."