But he was at the end of his fitness “tether” after the entertaining half-hour fixture.

“It was awesome to see so many kids in the one area,” Fittler said.

“They’re all young and fit and all got their shirts on and are all part of the team.

“I did my groin and my hammy was going; I only snapped a ligament so it was good; I was at my tether after half an hour.”

Fittler lined up against daughter Demi at Regional Stadium as part of the Hogs For Homeless ride around regional parts of Australia.

Since Fittler started Hogs For The Homeless in 2013, the initiative has raised almost $700,000 for Youth off the Streets to help disadvantaged youth.

“They’re some big issues we’re trying to battle and the other issue is we need to be very proactive,” he said.

“We’ve got a hook-up with the NSW Police Force and we go to PCYC’s of a morning where we do boxing classes with kids at 7am.

“It’s one of the biggest things – we want to try to get into the community.

“If the kids are willing to get up and get into bed a bit earlier, there will be something for them to do the next day.”

The Blues coach admitted there had been a gradual increase in awareness over the past six years, but there was still a long way to go.

“The awareness is getting out there without a doubt because a lot of people know what we do,” he said.

“But the rates of neglect are getting higher and you’ve just got to look at suicide, depression, homelessness ... the whole lot.

“The percentages are getting higher and that’s why the PCYC can play a huge role in all communities.

“Those real tough times like the morning and evening where hopefully the kids can find enough friends to get themselves down there and find something to do.”

The trip to Port Macquarie was the first stop of a nine-day tour around regional and country New South Wales.

When Fittler returns to Sydney on Saturday, he will turn his attention squarely back to attempting to claim back-to-back State of Origin series wins.

But he knows it will be a tougher challenge than last year.

“It’s always tougher when you’ve got the trophy without a doubt; that’s why we respect Queensland so much for what they did,” he said.

“This year is going to be a lot tougher than what it was last year.

“Last year we went Melbourne, Sydney. This year we’re going Brisbane, Perth so it’s going to be a huge contrast to how we went about things.”

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