Jai Arrow has revealed he emotionally broke down between receiving news about his State of Origin selection and attempting to call his parents.
The Burleigh Bears junior told QRL Media that he started shaking uncontrollably after Queensland coach Kevin Walters first informed him that he would play against New South Wales on June 6 in Melbourne.
For the full interview, click the embedded video above.
"Once I got off the phone I started shaking," Arrow said on Day One of Maroons camp.
"I didn't expect this at all.
"I tried to call my old man and broke down for a bit. I started tearing up.
"Obviously it's a lot of emotions."
Arrow's own father was a seasoned rugby league player, and his mother was a competitive sprinter.
He described his father as "hard-driven" and explained that ethic had been passed down to him.
At one stage Arrow's dad begged the new Maroon's junior coach to let him play up a year, a factor that may have contributed to his unflinching determination.
"Growing up, I was never the most talented," revealed Arrow.
"There's the saying that hard work beats talent."
Arrow's efforts in the gym for the Gold Coast Titans have been widely admired, while coach Walters revealed it was Arrow "taking on the whole Warriors team" early in the season that earnt his admiration.
In his final game before Origin selection, Arrow made 16 hit-ups, 33 tackles and ran for 161 metres on a losing Titans side.
While his workaholic style may remind fans of Origin greats such as Dallas Johnson and Gary Larson, Arrow said his childhood hero was a forward of a completely different mould.
"I loved Gorden Tallis. I just loved the way he played...he was aggressive," said Arrow.
"If I can be half as good as him, I'll be going alright."
In a wide-ranging interview, Arrow marvelled at how his career had turned around in the space of two years, going from being unsure of his future to being a representative player.
He revealed personal problems had held him back in Brisbane and the shift down the M1 had given him a new lease on life.
