Sydney Roosters star Luke Keary has been so focused on putting his State of Origin omission behind him, he hasn't returned two missed calls from NSW coach Brad Fittler.
A week after losing out on his Blues debut to James Maloney and Nathan Cleary, Keary bounced back with another strong effort in the Roosters' heart-stopping NRL win over Wests Tigers on Sunday.
He insists he wasn't overly disappointed by missing out.
"It's pretty cool to have your name thrown around up there. The people they picked definitely deserved their spot too. I'll just keep playing and see what happens. It's a long series," Keary said on Monday.
Fittler has previously revealed how close Keary was to selection, saying Maloney and Cleary's efforts in Penrith's last-start win over St George Illawarra were critical.
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After announcing his team last week, Fittler called a number of players to explain his decisions.
While Ferguson - a NSW incumbent - was disappointed not to be among them, Keary was.
"I missed a couple (of calls)," he said. "I haven't got him back but I'll speak to him the next couple of weeks I'm sure. I definitely didn't expect to be picked.
"You don't know what's going to happen. It's not really disappointing but it's just part of it."
Keary said it was important the Roosters' unlucky Origin hopefuls bounced back.
And Ferguson responded with a barnstorming effort against the Tigers, where he carried the ball for a game-high 219 metres, set up a try and produced a match-saving four-pointer at the death.
"He was really good for us last night. He obviously disappointed that he missed out on Origin so it's good to see him have a big one," Keary said.
"It's important this time of year to get wins, doesn't matter how you get them. The next six weeks is a funny time of the year. You just want to get some wins and build yourself for the back end."
