DANIEL Saifiti feels with a big couple of games he is "a chance" of retaining his NSW jersey, but the Knights prop insists playing State of Origin is the last thing on his mind.
Saifiti, who suffered a leg fracture in a pre-season trial and missed the Knights' victories in the first two rounds, admitted on Thursday his performances over the past six weeks had been well short of his best form.
With the first State of Origin game now little more than a month away, the 26-year-old, who has made seven appearances for NSW, is hoping Blues coach Brad Fittler rewards incumbency but senses without improvement at club level his position could be at stake.
"I've done my job the last three years," Saifiti said.
"We've got four games until then and I'm confident if I turn my footy around quick smart and start playing really good footy, I'm a chance.
"But at the moment it's the furthest thing from my mind.
"It's putting this jersey first, as I always do, and putting in a good performance this week to start off with."
Saifiti insisted helping the Knights break a six-game losing streak with a victory over the Cowboys on Saturday night was his main focus.
"That rep stuff looks after itself. You play good in this jersey, you get the next one," the 125-game prop said.
A Fijian international, Saifiti described his form this season as "not good enough", but he refused to say if the leg fracture he suffered on the eve of the season had impacted his performances.
"I'm not going to give myself any excuses," he said. "It's just mentally getting myself right, getting confidence. The leg injury I feel sweet, physically and mentally."
Saifiti returned in round three against the Panthers, a game Newcastle lost but showed plenty of resilience in scoring three tries while playing a man down after Mitch Barnett was sent-off.
Since then, the side has been in free fall, losing their past six games to drop from first to last place.
In their past two outings, the Knights have not scored a try.
Saifiti said it "hurt" to have not sung the team song a third of the way through the season, but with 16 games to play he believes the club can climb its way up the ladder.
"It's not how you start the season - it's how you finish, that's what I'm thinking," the Entrance Tigers junior said.
"At the end of the day, I'm just taking it week by week and [hoping] to turn my form around real quick."
Newcastle coach Adam O'Brien said this week that Saifiti and the middle forwards had been "robbed" of playing to their potential against the Storm due to the side's poor start, and Saifiti is keen to ensure Newcastle's forwards lay a platform against the in-form Cowboys.
"They're one of the most under-rated packs," he said of North Queensland.
"Obviously they've got one of the best forwards in [Jason] Taumalolo, but Rueben Cotter is having a gun year, he played so good last week.
"Coen Hess and Jordan McLean, they're back to their best too.
"The whole team is just singing at the moment and it's a good challenge for us, as a forward pack, to go up there and try and do a job on them."
