St George Illawarra winger Wendell Sailor says Dragons five-eighths Jamie Soward is the man NSW are crying out for to have any chance of preventing a 3-0 State of Origin whitewash against Queensland.
Soward was in inspirational form against Sydney Roosters on Friday night, scoring two tries and kicking fivegoals to help his side to a 34-12 victory and consolidate their position at the top of the NRL ladder.
The display left Sailor in no doubt the 24-year-old should be named tomorrow in the NSW side in the final match of the series in Brisbane on July 15.
The 34-year-old former dual international winger scored his ninth try of the season against the Roosters and said he owed most of them to Soward.
"I think Jamie has given me about seven of those tries and we have a good combination going out there on that side," Sailor told AAP. "He is going tremendous at the moment and I think people have to respect he has put in a lot of hard work to get there.
"He has been kicked a lot of times, been told he is not that good, told he is soft and it shows his mental attitude is strong to get where he is now."
Sailor, who played 14 times for Queensland, also believes NSW need someone like Soward to give the Maroons something to think about as they look to complete a 3-0 series whitewash in Brisbane.
"At training he has been a cheeky little five-eighth," Sailor said. "He has got that x-factor and those are the players you want to be around. He's got a good mind for the game, he reads it very well and, if I wasn't playing with Jamie Soward, I would be at home watching him myself.
"I know it is two steps up, but you are never going to know if he can unless you try him. NSW needs x-factor at the moment, someone to match Thurston, Lockyer and Billy Slater."
Sailor has enjoyed a remarkable return to the NRL following his two-year ban for testing positive for cocaine which ended his rugby career and said he would relish the chance to play for one more season with the Dragons.
"It is up to the Dragons and if they want me next year now. I am happy to go around again but it depends on who they sign and how much money they have in the kitty."
