Adam Reynolds admits he has to tighten his defence before he will be considered for a NSW State of Origin call-up.
Reynolds made an earlier than expected return from a knee injury in South Sydney's 16-10 win over St George Illawarra at ANZ Stadium on Monday night which snapped the Rabbitoh's three-game NRL losing streak.
The No.7's first game back could not have come at a better time with NSW coach Laurie Daley to pick his side for Origin I next Tuesday.
Reynolds had been putting pressure on Blues incumbent halfback Trent Hodkinson before he was injured in Souths' win over the Bulldogs in round five.
His performance against the Rabbitohs was a mixed bag. He was solid in attack and his kicking game was a key component of Souths' win - making 576 metres with the boot.
But he was let down by some poor defence and a missed tackle on Peter Mata'utia led to the Dragon's first try.
Asked what he needed to do to get back in the representative frame, Reynolds admitted his defence wasn't up to standard on Monday night.
"I just have to stay on top of my game and do all the little things," he said.
"I thought my defence was pretty average tonight. First game back I've got to be better than that and it's something that I'll work on during the week."
Reynolds said there were no lingering problems with his knee and he was confident the injury was behind him.
Souths coach Michael Maguire said Reynolds was excellent in his return while captain Greg Inglis said his kicking game had been the missing ingredient during their recent string of defeats.
"His kicking game was pretty much what we've been missing over the last few weeks," Inglis said.
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