Dane Gagai has State of Origin class, says Newcastle Knights CEO Matt Gidley FORMER Test centre Matt Gidley has hailed Dane Gagai a Queensland Origin star in the making as the Newcastle flyer prepares to face the Broncos club that sacked him. Just 14 months ago, Gagai seemingly had his dreams of a prosperous NRL career shattered when he was axed by Brisbane coach Anthony Griffin for a series of minor infractions. At his lowest ebb, Gagai slept on the couch at Broncos teammate Jack Reed's place before packing his belongings into an old black BMW for the long drive to redemption at Newcastle. Tonight, Gagai runs onto Hunter Stadium at peace, in a sense indebted to the Broncos for the wake-up call that has sparked his renaissance under Wayne Bennett's tutelage in Newcastle. The Knights recently rewarded the 22-year-old with a two-year upgrade and Newcastle CEO Gidley, a man who knows Origin class when he sees it, believes Gagai is destined to wear Maroon. Indeed, Gagai's career has come full circle. Tonight he will mark up against Reed, the one-time Broncos colleague who provided home comforts when Gagai briefly went off the rails. Dane Gagai is a future Queensland star, says Matt Gidley. Picture: Gregg Porteous "I'm really pleased for Dane, he's settled really well on and off the field and I'm proud with the way he has handled himself," said Gidley, who played 11 Origin matches and 15 Tests between 1999-2004. In terms of talent, I think Dane can cut it at Origin level. He definitely has the ability to play Origin for Queensland. It's just a matter of getting some more experience in big games. Last weekend was an example of that, the Roosters clash was a big game and Dane marked up against an Origin centre in Michael Jennings and handled himself really well. They both negated each other. It was a really good centre battle between them so that shows Dane can match it with the best centres in the game. With the Broncos having lost key backs Jharal Yow Yeh and Dale Copley to serious injuries, coach Griffin could certainly do with Gagai's pace and zip out wide. Since arriving in Newcastle, Gagai has played 26 games, scoring eight tries. This season, he has been a handful for NRL rivals, averaging 116m and 13 runs a game and managing 150-plus running metres four times. There are times when sacking a player can be terminal. For Gagai, it has proved his making. "I'm not sure what happened to Dane at Brisbane but he's been fantastic since he arrived," Gidley said. Sometimes sacking a guy can be the best thing for them, taking a guy out of their comfort zone can help and since Dane has come here he has been sensational. He is a really talented young player. He's got a lot of strikepower and I was quite amazed how well he settled. He hadn't played a lot of centre before he came here, it can be a difficult spot to defend so he's transitioned really well in a foreign position. But off the field, he's also fitted in. The guys enjoy having him here and he's been wonderful in the community so we can't be happier with his contribution to the club. When he arrived in Newcastle, Gagai told The Courier-Mail all he craved was opportunity. "It was never about the money," he said. It was where I could see myself developing as a player and where I was going to settle in and fulfil my potential. I remember staying at Jordan Kahu's house and I even slept on the couch at Jack Reed's a few times before I moved to Newcastle. But now I'm here, I can't be happier with the decision I've made.