WILL Blues coach Brad Fittler make changes for the must-win State of Origin III on June 12?
Given the way the scattergun, left-field NSW selections have unfolded in the series to date it’s anyone’s guess.
For the record, here’s a NSW team we believe could stop Queensland making it a 3-nil series clean sweep for the first time since 2010.
Watch every game of every round of the 2023 NRL Telstra Premiership Season LIVE on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Dylan Brown pleads guilty to two charges | 01:28
Given what’s at stake, it’s time to take some risks. We’ve made five changes to the team thumped 32-6 at the Cauldron of Suncorp Stadium in Origin II.
The biggest changes are at fullback, five-eighth and lock with James Tedesco and Jarome Luai both axed and Isaah Yeo moving to the bench.
The other two Blues players we’ve left out are backrower Tyson Frizell so we can get Liam Martin into the starting side and rookie prop Stefano Utoikamanu who was an unusual choice in the first place and only played 14 minutes in Origin II.
Blues captain James Tedesco is an out and out champion who has won three Brad Fittler Medal’s as NSW best player across the past eight State of Origin series but it’s time to go generation next.
Penrith’s Dylan Edwards is in irresistible form leading the NRL in terms of metres gained and tackle busts – let’s give the Clive Churchill Medal winner a crack in a sky blue jumper.
The wingers stay the same with Brian To’o one of the Blues best throughout the series and Josh Addo-Carr needing to lift but a proven big-game performer.
With no Tommy Turbo in the centres the obvious replacement is South Sydney’s Campbell Graham at right centre.
Graham will have the tricky assignment of marking lightning fast Maroons speedster Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow but thankfully he’s proven as one of the best defensive centres in the NRL.
Stephen Crichton has been one of NSW better players over the opening two losses of the series and can revert to playing left centre.
At five-eighth we’re going with Matt Burton. NSW has traditionally played best with a big-bodied, running no.6. Think Brett Kenny, Laurie Daley, Brad Fittler or Shaun Timmins.
For this reason and also because of his lethal left foot boot we’re saying Burton deserves another shot – especially with no Reece Walsh at fullback for the Maroons.
The halfback is Mitchell Moses unless Nathan Cleary somehow makes a miracle recovery.
Payne Haas picks himself as the Blues front row enforcer and we’re going to start with Reagan Campbell-Gillard as his partner in crime.
Reece Robson held the gloves up on debut in Origin II but we’re going to still roll with Damien Cook on the bench so he doesn’t have to punch out 80 minutes.
In the backrow we’re making Cameron Murray the captain and starting him in the no.13 jumper.
Murray is probably the best ball-playing forward in the NRL, has a lightning quick play-the-ball and is a weapon in defence.
Canberra Raiders hard nut Hudson Young holds his spot on the left edge while on the right edge we’re starting Liam Martin in his preferred position.
That makes our NSW bench Damien Cook, Junior Paulo, Isaah Yeo and then we’re going with Keon Koloamatangi as a debutant because he can play on and edge or in the middle and punch out big minutes if required.
OUR NSW SIDE: Dylan Edwards, Brian To’o, Stephen Crichton, Campbell Graham, Josh Addo-Carr, Matt Burton, Mitchell Moses (provided Nathan Cleary unavailable), Payne Haas, Reece Robson, Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Hudson Young, Liam Martin, Cameron Murray (c).
Bench: Damien Cook, Junior Paulo, Isaah Yeo, Keon Koloamatangi.
Is there growing unrest in Tiger town? | 03:19
TROUBLE IN TIGER TOWN
THE more things change it seems the more they stay the same in Tiger Town.
Is anyone surprised there’s a major rift between the Wests Tigers coaching staff and the club’s new head of recruitment Scott Fulton?
Because Blind Freddy could have seen when the board appointed Fulton without consulting either head coach Tim Sheens or 2025 head coach Benji Marshall it was always every chance of imploding.
Despite the initial reports out of Tiger Town about Marshall being happy about the decision-makers at the club trying to actually make decisions – it turns out nothing could be further from the truth.
Almost two months on from Fulton’s signing being trumpeted by the Wests Tigers board and CEO as a masterstroke appointment the club is now dealing with the same old roster problems.
For starters, the Wests Tigers have one player signed in the halves for next season in terms of the club’s top 30 roster in Adam Doueihi.
Doueihi is currently recovering from a third ACL reconstruction on his left knee and will be doing well to be back at all next season.
With respect to the other Wests Tigers incumbent Brandon Wakeham, who has done an admirable job since joining the club this season on a minimum wage contract, he’s not the playmaker who is going to guide the Wests Tigers to the club’s first finals series since 2011.
Finding NRL-ready, quality halves right now is like winning Powerball.
Just look at the struggles Canterbury-Bankstown are going through or the way St George Illawarra are blocking the slow extraction of Ben Hunt.
To be perfectly clear this is by no means the fault of Fulton or Sheens or Marshall.
Nope, once-again, this situation is on the ineptitude of the powers-that at the Wests Tigers who have created this situation.
Marshall won’t be quitting but the rift in Tiger Town is one of the biggest talking points in the game right now.
Manly young gun Latu Fainu met with Marshall and Fulton on Wednesday night and will join either the Tigers or the Dolphins.
Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens was peppered about the problems at a media press conference on Thursday.
Probably Sheens most telling line was this: “You’d like to hope the coach gets what he wants.”
FOX LEAGUE PODCAST – MICHAEL MORGAN
Cowboys legend Michael Morgan opens up on the injury that forced him into early retirement — and the doubts he had over the decision. He also relives his iconic flick pass in the 2015 NRL Grand Final and filling Johnathan Thurston’s shoes in 2017.
Fitzgibbon backs Hynes for Origin recall | 01:08
GOING AFTER BROOKS
THE Manly Sea Eagles play for Luke Brooks is a smart one and could well be the making of how the maligned half is remembered.
The Sea Eagles have had a big week in terms of the club’s recruitment and retention with Josh Schuster also getting locked down until the end of 2027 and young gun centre Tolu Koula also recommitting.
Brooks, 28, may have failed in terms of playing finals in his ten seasons at the Wests Tigers but at a Manly roster including Daly Cherry-Evans at halfback, a more-than-competent forward pack and Tommy Turbo back from his latest injury there’s every chance he gets a crack at playing in September.
The reality is Brooks needed a clean break from the Wests Tigers and no one can blame him for taking on the challenge on offer at the northern beaches.
The Wests Tigers board and recruitment committee refusing to budge on the $550,000-a-season the Tigers offered him has backfired badly.
The play to re-sign Josh Schuster until the end of 2027 with a view to moving him into the backrow is intriguing.
Manly’s best strike edge backrower at the moment is undoubtedly Haumole Olakau’atu – yet Schuster is on considerably more money at $800,000-per-season.
Where it gets even more intriguing is both player’s share the same agent in Mario Tartak.
Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!
Keary confident Chooks turn form around | 02:31
IMPRESSIVE PANTHERS ARE WHERE THEY ARE
CREDIT where credit’s due you’ve got to admire the job Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has done to have the back-to-back premiers sitting on top of the NRL ladder leading into round 18.
The Panthers have lost assistant coaches Andrew Webster and Cameron Ciraldo plus strike players Viliame Kikau and Api Korisau yet Cleary has managed to navigate all the changes and still find ways to win.
The Panthers have by far and away the best defence in the competition leaking an average of just 12.5 points per game leading into Friday night’s blockbuster against the Melbourne Storm in Melbourne.
They’ve also had to do it without chief playmaker Nathan Cleary since 14 and beat Newcastle last weekend without all five of their NSW State of Origin stars.
Provided Nathan Cleary returns without issue from a torn hamstring then the Panthers are a red hot chance of becoming the first side since the Parramatta Eels in 1981, 82 and 83 to win a three consecutive premierships. Fair achievement.
Walsh handed heavy three week ban | 01:44
WALSH CASE A FULL-LENGTH EPIC
EVEN though it did go for a marathon four hours and five minutes – the Reece Walsh judiciary hearing on Tuesday night was one of the most entertaining cases in recent years.
The reason was because of the language Brisbane Broncos star Walsh has been found guilty of directing at referee Chris Butler – “what the f… do you mean c…”
In what set all sorts of new records for the number of expletives used at an NRL judiciary hearing the final f-bomb and c-bomb meter was well into triple figures.
If you could have chopped about three hours out of the tedious legal eagle argument and condensed the entire shebang to 30 minutes there was an episode of Seinfeld in there somewhere. Yep, it was that comical.
Broncos champion Pat Carrigan and Titans forward David Fifita also got roped into the case because they were in the vicinity of the incident on the field.
Carrigan initially started out trying to be polite and respectful by saying “f-bomb” and “c-bomb” before highly-respected NRL judiciary chairman Geoff Bellew instructed the Brisbane forward it was OK to use the expletives in full.
The real trump cards were when it emerged the three Queensland players had all had coffee and discussed the case prior to the judiciary hearing and then when Fifita tripped up and said Walsh had directed the spray at the referee.
The Titans forward then tried to backtrack by saying he was nervous and intimidated about being cross-interrogated at the NRL judiciary.
“Slow your f…ing brain,” was another doozy that emerged.
That was Carrigan trying to get Walsh to cool down on the field.
MORE NRL NEWS
WHISPERS: Shark swoop could fill Brooks void; Reynolds reveals future plans
‘HUGE DIVIDE’: Tigers blasted over recruitment blunder as ‘major rift’ revealed
‘WORTH A PHONE CALL’: Maroons weigh up Ponga recall in four-way No.1 battle
EXTRA TIME: Inside wild Walsh hearing and the ‘nervous’ slip that brought him down
BROWN: Eels star pleading guilty to sexual touching but some charges withdrawn
‘SHADOW’: Emotional Kevvie ‘spooked’ by Broncos’ history repeating in furious spray
‘Shadow’ of last season haunting Kevvie? | 03:10
LODGE LATEST
THE Sydney Roosters split with Matt Lodge has taken another twist with the ex-Broncos and Warriors frontrower told he is no longer part of the club’s NRL squad and must spend the rest of the season training and playing with the North Sydney Bears.
We’re tipping a big part of the Lodge issue for the Roosters is his agent Isaac Moses who has had a spectacular bust-up with the Chooks (again) over the handling of the Joseph Suaalii contract negotiations.
Roosters king pin Nick Politis went out of his way to help Moses re-gain his NRL accreditation after being deregistered for 18 months (second time deregistered) but the two are now off for life.
Moses wanted the Roosters to pay out Lodge’s contract for the remainder of the season and let him leave immediately but the club has instead instructed him to train and play with North Sydney Bears.
Broncos lose Flegler and Riki to injury | 01:21
HANDY HOLIDAY
IT’S nice work if you can get it. The imperial leader of the Newcastle Knights Philip Gardner is currently on a mid-year sojourn to Europe.
Meanwhile coach Adam O’Brien is left to face the music and answer questions about whether he’s about to become the third NRL coach for the season to be sacked.
For the record, nothing will happen prior to Gardner returning from his European escape but the drums are well and truly beating.
From an outside point of view it looks like the biggest issue at the Knights is the constant chopping and changing around whether O’Brien is the right coach.
One week he’s there man. The next week he’s gone. For the time being all the likeable O’Brien can do is try and win games.
Newcastle face the Bulldogs on Sunday, a bye and then the Wests Tigers in round 20.
The three main names being mentioned as possible replacements are Michael Maguire, Paul McGregor and John Morris.
