Truth behind Origin call-up as NSW rookie completes incredible comeback from NRL “crossroads”: “Madge s*** himself”

On Sunday, Connor Watson was introduced as the newest member of the Blues, but after he found himself at a “crossroads,” his career could have gone in a completely other direction.

The 28-year-old began his career in 2016 with the Roosters and moved to the Knights in 2018, but not before experiencing a difficult 2020 campaign.

After missing the entire year due to an Achilles tear in Round 11, he returned in 2021 and was faced with a major contract dilemma.

He turned down the Knights’ offer of an extension in favor of a two-year contract with his old team, but Mitch Barnett, a former teammate, disclosed that he had nearly bid the NRL farewell.

Barnett told foxsports.com.au, “I played with Connor for four years, and we are really good friends to this day. Not only is he a really good footballer, but he’s a really good person too.”

“His story is well known; he has experienced numerous injuries and difficult times. He undoubtedly believed at one point that he would have to play elsewhere abroad.

He returned to the Roosters because he was at a bit of a crossroads, and now look at him.

“He’s a fighter, and there’s no one more worthy than him.”

After that, his return to the Roosters didn’t go as planned. He played 21 games in 2022 before missing the entire 2023 season due to a torn patella tendon during preseason.

After sitting out the first three games of the 2024 season, he rose to prominence as Trent Robinson’s personal “Mr. Fix It” and went on to play lock, hooker, and five-eighth.

“He’s a terrific athlete, and he’s just so mentally strong.”

“He aims the highest… when he plays his best the sky is the limit for him.”

Then came the phone call from Michael Maguire.

Scheduled to feature on Fox League’s The Matty Johns show on Sunday night, Watson was sitting with the rugby league legend, listening to reports he was about to be selected.

Johns asked the Roosters gun “do you know anything?” to which he replied “I don’t know”.

But then it happened.

“Literally as he said that his phone rings. It’s Madge,” Johns explained on the Matty Johns Podcast.

“You know what the reception is like in this building. It’s terrible. So, he goes ‘hey Madge… Madge, Madge… it’s just dropped out.’ So he runs outside and you can see the sweat coming off him, but then he called him.

“And on the show we had to be coy because he told Madge he was about to go on Matty’s show and of course Madge shit himself, and said (to Connor) ‘whatever you do don’t say anything’.

“After the show as we were leaving, I said ‘Connor well done’ and he said ‘Matty how bizarre is rugby league?’ He said, ‘not that long ago I’m playing reserve grade and now I’m picked in Origin’.”

Speaking on NRL360, Watson recounted his version of events and how he couldn’t even call his parents to break the news.

“I was actually in at Fox Sports when Madge called me, I was just about to do the Matty Johns show,” Watson said.

“As you guys know the service is not great, so I had to shoot Mum and Dad a text and just say ‘I’m in, I can’t call you right now, I’m about to go on the Matty Johns show’.

“It was a pretty tough hour holding on to that.”

Now Watson has a chance to fulfil a childhood dream, but where could the versatile livewire fit into the Blues’ side?

Watson has played majority of his games off the bench and has been named in the No.14 for NSW. He’s also featured at lock, hooker, five-eighth and fullback in his 135 NRL games.

For NSW gun Isaah Yeo, he believes Watson will be used to plug holes, with injuries incredibly common in the brutal affair that is Origin.

“He’s a ball of energy, he communicates really well,” Yeo told foxsports.com.au.

“He obviously has different roles but he seems to do them all really well, and that’s his job in this team.

“He probably won’t know where he’s going to go on, Maguire will have a plan I’m sure but whatever he does he will bring a lot of energy there.

“I think Madge has come out and said he sees him in that sort of Craig Wing style, that ability to come on and up the tempo,”

“He has done that for the Roosters, his last couple of years he has been smashed with injuries.

“But you can just feel it, when he’s on it feels like the game gets faster so he will be really important for us.”

Watson himself revealed that Maguire had informed him he would likely be used in the forwards should the Blues avoid any major injuries.

“No.9 and No.13 are the spots I will most likely play if all things go to plan, but if injuries happen you might have to jump into the halves, at fullback,” Watson said.

“So I just need to get the reps in, I do a lot of it at Roosters training anyway. But the important thing is just getting those connections with all the new teammates.”