League or union, Kangaroos or Wallabies , they all love him. League or union, Kangaroos or Wallabies , they all love him. Image: Getty Images

I heard a rumour you were texting Mal Meninga in the hours before Origin II, telling him you were ready to play. Disappointed you didn’t get a call-up to the Origin squad this year?

Mate, I don’t even have Mal Meninga’s number. It’s funny how people believe that crap. At the end of the day I would rather have seen someone like Antonio Winterstein get an opportunity. As far as I’m concerned, at that level, I’ve got nothing more to prove. So no, not at all, I was happy in the commentary box … Look, I’ve done a lot of things in my career, but that’s certainly not one

of the things I’d do – I’ve got a lot of respect for Mal and the selectors.

Hypothetically, if you were on the field in the last minute of Origin III, would you have been in that pack gunning for Kurt Gidley’s head?

Mate, I love sledging, but I like to play the game pretty clean. I didn’t condone that tactic and I didn’t think it was in the spirit of the game. Anyway, if I’d been out there, I would’ve been on the wing and I don’t think the big, dark Hummer out wide would’ve come that far in …

Got a favourite sledge?

I think one of my better ones, one people actually enjoyed, was when I was coming back to Queensland Cup last year. I was up against this Ipswich winger who’d been going alright, getting a lot of publicity through the week, so it fired me up. And on the field I said, “Mate, who are you? You know what your name is? Kate Hudson.” He said, “What?” And I said, “Mate, you’re Kate Hudson because you’re almost famous … ”

I’ve had a few tit-for-tats, but I try not to get too personal. In my first game back last year against the Broncos I was up against Denan Kemp and I knew how quick he was, so I was just trying to put him off his game. I kept telling him, “You’re not scoring on me tonight, not scoring on me.” Then he looked up at me and smiled and I said, “You smile at me again and I’m going to throw you into that grandstand!” He quickly looked away. I don’t like to be a bully out there on the wing – sometimes you’ve got little blokes, but other times you’re marking someone like Manu Vatuvei or Taniela Tuiaki …