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Stefano Utoikamanu isn't hiding from the moment.
Ahead of a must-win State of Origin game in Perth, the Melbourne Storm front-rower has delivered a brutal challenge to Maroons star Cameron Munster.
"If they're kicking off, I want them to kick it to me ... I want to run straight at Munster," Utoikamanu told 9News during NSW's first day of camp.
Utoikamanu's last Origin appearance in 2023 was forgettable, but after a year under Craig Bellamy's high-pressure system at Melbourne, the 25-year-old says he's better prepared – and has no intention of holding back.
"You've got to tell yourself that these blokes are here to kill you, so you've got to kill them first – that's my mentality."
"I feel like mentally I'm more aware of my job, especially coming off the bench," he said. "I got a bit too nervous and played the game before I even got on… I was probably too much in my head about everything that's happening."
Utoikamanu is the only Storm player in Michael Maguire's NSW squad, but across the field, three of his club teammates – Harry Grant, Xavier Coates and Trent Loiero – will line up for Queensland.
And then, of course, there's Munster.
The quiet prop, come kick-off, would want his actions to speak loudest.
Ahead of a must-win State of Origin game in Perth, the Melbourne Storm front-rower has delivered a brutal challenge to Maroons star Cameron Munster.
"If they're kicking off, I want them to kick it to me ... I want to run straight at Munster," Utoikamanu told 9News during NSW's first day of camp.
Utoikamanu's last Origin appearance in 2023 was forgettable, but after a year under Craig Bellamy's high-pressure system at Melbourne, the 25-year-old says he's better prepared – and has no intention of holding back.
"You've got to tell yourself that these blokes are here to kill you, so you've got to kill them first – that's my mentality."
'More aware of my job'
The Blues enforcer has joined a stacked NSW bench rotation alongside Payne Haas, Max King and Spencer Leniu. But Utoikamanu admits his first Origin experience overwhelmed him, something he's determined to correct."I feel like mentally I'm more aware of my job, especially coming off the bench," he said. "I got a bit too nervous and played the game before I even got on… I was probably too much in my head about everything that's happening."
Utoikamanu is the only Storm player in Michael Maguire's NSW squad, but across the field, three of his club teammates – Harry Grant, Xavier Coates and Trent Loiero – will line up for Queensland.
And then, of course, there's Munster.
The quiet prop, come kick-off, would want his actions to speak loudest.
