Queensland Maroons winger Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow is poised to make history as he vies to become the highest try-scorer in State of Origin history during game two of the series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday night.

Since making his Origin debut in 2021, the 24-year-old Tabuai-Fidow has crossed the try line 12 times in just 11 appearances, maintaining an average of more than one try per game. This scoring rate positions him to surpass Greg Inglis’ long-standing Queensland record of 18 tries, achieved over 32 games.

Despite closing in on the record, Tabuai-Fidow emphasized that surpassing Inglis is not his primary goal. “It’s a huge achievement if I do get that, but it’s not my main focus,” he said. “I’ll just go out there and do my role, and hopefully I score some tries as well.”

Tabuai-Fidow has demonstrated versatility across Queensland’s backline, having played every position in the back five. While his try-scoring pace has slowed somewhat, with three tries in his last five matches, he found the try line in the Maroons’ narrow opening-game loss to New South Wales at Accor Stadium.

That match featured a defining moment for Tabuai-Fidow late in the game after he shifted from left centre to fullback following Kalyn Ponga’s send-off in the 57th minute. During the dying seconds, Blues fullback James Tedesco outjumped Tabuai-Fidow to catch a bomb from teammate Nathan Cleary and scored the winning try, sealing victory for New South Wales.

Reflecting on that play, Tabuai-Fidow expressed regret but stated he is focused on moving forward. “Obviously, it’s something that I’d like to go back and have another go at,” he said. “I’m not too worried. I haven’t dwelled on it or anything like that. I can’t do anything about it now. I just have to work on what I need to work on and go from there.”

Queensland winger Murray Taulagi, a former teammate of Tabuai-Fidow at North Queensland Cowboys, praised his colleague’s impact on the series. “He’s been very good. He’s a very exciting player to watch and I think just his maturity throughout the game has been developing the more games he plays,” Taulagi said. “He’s a big player for our team, and whenever he performs well, we seem to go well, as well. He is a very exciting player.”

As the series continues, Tabuai-Fidow aims to convert his on-field promise into further tries and help Queensland respond in game two at the MCG.