Boyd says 'GI Joe' Ofahengaue a must for Queensland Maroons

Darius Boyd insists Broncos prop Joe Ofahengaue is ready-made for State of Origin and would do the job for Queensland that Nate Myles did in his 32-game Maroons career.

It is fitting Ofahengaue will get another chance to push his Origin claims on Thursday night at ANZ Stadium when the career of his childhood idol Greg Inglis is celebrated by South Sydney.

Inglis will be watching on as Ofahengaue takes on the giant Rabbitohs pack led by the three Burgess brothers.

Boyd, who has retired from the representative arena, said Queensland props were thin on the ground and Ofahengaue was just the kind of player needed if the Maroons were to overpower a confident NSW side in this year's Holden State Of Origin series.

"Joffa should be in the Queensland team this year in my opinion because we are lacking a little bit in middle forwards and the side needs someone like him," Boyd told NRL.com in the lead-up to his 300th Telstra Premiership game.

"He is one of the most experienced of the guys in his position not in the team already. He works hard, has a great motor and doesn't make mistakes. He has all the traits that you want to see in an Origin player.

"Nate Myles is a classic example for me. I don't think he ever lit the NRL on fire but he was a Wally Lewis Medal winner and played 32 Origin games because he would put his head in places others wouldn't, would turn up for inside balls or for kick-chases and all had all those little things in his game that count.

"Joffa has those traits as well. It is not always the flashy players that succeed in Origin. It is those who work the hardest, like Joffa does for us whether he starts or comes off the bench."

Ofahengaue was one of Brisbane's best in last week's 29-6 win over the Sharks when he ran for 148 metres and made 27 tackles, with none missed.

The 23-year-old forward will just be honoured to play in front of Inglis on Thursday night.

"GI was my idol growing up and he still is," Ofahengaue told NRL.com.

"He is a natural footy player. If you saw him on the street you might not think he was a footy player. He's just a big bloke. But when he came out and played he was just a freak.

"When GI crossed that white line you knew what you were going to get.

"Even if you didn't play rugby league if you watched GI play he caught your eye straight away. He has been an awesome player for so long and that is something I want to be. Obviously I can't do the stuff he does because he is an outside back but I can transfer what I have learned watching him into my game."

Ofahengaue had a crack at playing in the centres for the Broncos in his younger days.

"I played a couple of games in the 20s in the centres and, maybe because of my motor, I got caught up coming in to the middle to make tackles," he said.

"My coach had a word to me and said I may as well play front row and I fell in love with the position from there. He said that all the little things I did may not be seen by the fans but the players do. That is what I like, those little efforts. That is something I pride myself on."

Ofahengaue was invited into Maroons camp last year where a highlight was just being in Inglis's presence.

"I met him in the Origin camp and he was a really relaxed guy. He's got the respect in the game, and that's a big thing," he said.

"It would have been awesome to play under a guy like that. I just I love the way he was as a player.

"With that left-hand carry and the big fend with the right, he'd never switch the ball. It is a skill you never get taught. It is something you just have."