Former Queensland forward Corey Parker says Maroons prop Tom Flegler has emerged from the shadows of his lauded Brisbane teammates Pat Carrigan and Payne Haas.
Flegler will play against NSW prop Haas at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night in Game II of the State of Origin series, and alongside Maroons lock Carrigan who was last year’s Wally Lewis Medal winner as player of the series.
Parker, who worked as a skills coach with Flegler at Brisbane in his formative years, said the 23-year-old now offered just as much as his Broncos teammates, and on his day even more.
Parker said Flegler had aerobically taken his game to a new level to play longer minutes with more punch.
“In my opinion Flegs brings to a game what those other two can’t. It’s where the wires don’t cross,” Parker told AAP.
“Flegs can come up with a play that no-one else will go for. That might be him flying out of the defensive line to iron someone out … and getting it right. He’s got it wrong over time, but you’ve got to get it wrong to work out that balance.
“Flegs has a burning desire to step out of the shadow of Pat and Payne which is why he signed at the Dolphins (from 2024). I know he wants to be that front man.
“While he is at a Brisbane he will always be seen as that third wheel, but he wants to be, and he is, his own man. He is a Queensland forward now. That’s what people see him as and what he is.”
Flegler told AAP he had learned plenty about consistency from Haas.
“Payne is in my opinion the best front-rower the game has seen,” he said.
“I take some of what he does and put it in my game but we are all our own players.
“My game has improved in a lot of areas but the big one is consistency and shortening the gap between one of my better games and one of my worst. I’ve got a long way to go but I am heading in the right direction.”
Flegler was sin-binned and charged for clocking Tom Trbojevic high in Adelaide in the Maroons’ 26-18 win in game one of the series but escaped with a fine.
He missed games previously for taking his aggression too far but has not been suspended this year for any infringements.
“It is not going to change the way I play,” he said.
Parker said Flegler previously would attempt “a big shot every time and big play every run”.
“Now he has got really good balance with what he does,” he said.
“He has still got the ability for the eyes to roll back in the head and for the red mist to descend, which is good. You never want to lose that, but he now knows when to come up with the big play.”