Willison has fed off star teammate Payne Haas to take his game to greater heights, and has now put himself in the frame to be the State of Origin wrecking ball’s long-term front-row partner.
While Corey Jensen will retain his place in the starting pack, the rising star’s had a 68-minute coming-of-age performance against the Bulldogs this year.
Taking the No.8 jersey in an under-manned Broncos side – stripped of Haas, Jensen, Pat Carrigan, Reece Walsh, Gehamat Shibasaki, Ben Hunt and Jesse Arthars – Willison kept his team in the hunt despite trailing 18-0, finishing with 204 running metres and 43 tackles.
It led Hetherington to claim the squad had given him the nickname “Xavier Haas”, which Willison was quick to laugh off.
“It was definitely a confidence booster I could play those minutes if called up, but I think Kobe was the only one calling me that,” Willison said.
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“[Haas] is definitely a role model on and off the field, he takes everything so professionally so it’s good to have him on my side.
“There’s not many people who can do what he does … he’s definitely a generational talent and one of a kind.”
The Willison Broncos fans see today is a far cry from the man spotted vomiting during coach Michael Maguire’s gruelling preseason.
Haas had seen a complete evolution in his prodigy.
“I thought he started so well, and of course to have that fracture in his arm didn’t help … but he’s grown so much as a person, not just on the field but off the field as well,” Haas said.
“I think maturity has been a big part of him and maturing up and being professional about how he goes about his business. I’ve seen that come a long way and come in spades, especially this year.”
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