Forever the bridesmaid ... but St George Illawarra coach Wayne Bennett believes it's only a matter of time before his in-form backrower Ben Creagh gets his turn to walk down the aisle.

Creagh was forced to settle for a Country Origin jumper - his fourth in five years - after missing out on the Australian side for Friday night's Test against New Zealand, Kangaroos selectors showing faith in the back row which failed to come up with the goods in last year's World Cup final.

The wide-running 24-year-old had been many people's tip as a possible bolter for the Test line-up after a blistering start to the year, which continued with a powerhouse game against the Warriors on Sunday in which he scored the match-winning try in the 12-11 win.

"His time's coming - whether it's tonight or whether it's in a fortnight, he's not far off," Bennett said just before the Test side was announced.

"He's been the bridesmaid that many times.

"I took him away on the 2005 tour with Australia, we all thought then he was going to kick on and become one of the wonderful players that Australia has produced at that level, but 2009, he still hasn't played Origin or for Australia."

Creagh does in fact have one Test to his credit after he was given a run in the match against France at the end of that 2005 Tri-Nations series.

The match was not given Test status until after the event, Creagh's only other representative football being an appearance for the Prime Minister's XIII in the same year.

Creagh said he understood why he hadn't been given an opportunity in previous years, but was hopeful of snaring an Origin berth in 2009.

"I haven't come into the rep season having strung seven or eight games together," he said.

"I've always been injured or I haven't been playing well enough to play rep football or haven't deserved a jersey

"I'm definitely ready, I've put in a fair bit of work and I think I'm playing consistently better footy than I have in previous seasons."

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