HIS inclusion in the NSW Origin squad has capped off a roller-coaster ride of a season for Knights prop Daniel Saifiti.
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Saifiti was coming to terms with Newcastle's disappointing exit from the NRL finals race, after a 46-20 loss to South Sydney nine days ago, when he learned he had been named in the NSW preliminary squad for the end-of-season State of Origin series against Queensland.
A surprise selection in games two and three of last year's series, which the Blues won, Saifiti has been in even more dominant form this year, despite spending six games on the sidelines nursing knee injuries.
And while the faith NSW Origin coach Brad Fittler showed in him has provided some consolation, Saifiti admitted to being frustated about Newcastle's overall inconsistency.
"When we were good, we were real good, but when we were bad, we were real bad," Saifiti said.
"We were so up and down.
"But when you look at it that we played finals for the first time in seven years, under a rookie coach [Adam O'Brien], I guess you have to say it's a pass.
"At the same time, there are plenty of disappointed boys looking back on our season.
"It's disappointing to go out like that."
After debuting alongside twin brother Jacob in round one of 2016, this season provided Saifiti's first sample of finals football, which he described as "pretty cool".
But he insisted the Knights would not be resting on their laurels and needed to use their progress in 2020 as a springboard to further success.
"When we make errors, we've got to be good enough to defend them," Saifiti said.
"We've got to make our tackles and mentally be stronger.
"I think we've got a good base here. Adsy [O'Brien] and the staff have come in and done a really good job.
"We have to learn from this and work on the areas we need to improve.
"That's going to mean making some sacrifices, starting in the pre-season."
Saifiti will be competing with the likes of Junior Paulo, Reagan-Campbell-Gillard, Paye Hass, Jake Trbojevic and Nathan Brown for a spot in the NSW engine room.
The fact Fittler is an unabashed fan can only help his cause.
"He just goes forward," Fittler said.
"He's got great offloads, he's got a quick play-the-ball. I really enjoyed him in the team last year."