Legendary Queensland player and coach Mal Meninga has made some big calls in selecting his Queensland pack for game one of the series.
Meanwhile, incumbent Blues’ hookers Damien Cook and Api Koroisau face off in Round 11 in an Origin audition.
Read on for the latest selection news in Origin Scout.
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MENINGA’S BIG SELECTION CALLS IN PICKING MAROONS PACK
Legendary Queensland player and coach Mal Meninga has made some big calls in selecting his Queensland pack for game one of the series.
Speaking on SEN radio Meninga believes Titans forward David Fifita must be given a Maroons recall because he provides a point of difference for Queensland.
“Pat Carrigan, obviously, Man of the Series last year, having a terrific year at the Broncos last year, made the Kangaroos, is a young great leader of a footy team, he certainly won’t let them down,” Meninga said on SENQ Mornings.
“Felise Kaufusi as well, he’s having a terrific year, they (NSW) don’t want to run into him, he’s got that experience as well which is very important at Origin level.
“He (David Fifita) is playing really good footy at the moment, he needs to be in the side in my opinion, he could become a non-negotiable because he is an X-factor.”
Meninga also believes Storm skipper Christian Welch could miss out in a bit to give the forward pack more versatility.
“Front rowers, you’ve got to go Tino (Fa’asuamaleuai) and Lindsay Collins… (Josh) Papali’i obviously and you could go with four front rowers I think Reuben Cotter is the other option at prop,” Meninga said.
“Someone like Christian Welch does miss out based on that (but) he (Cotter) is a fantastic player and probably needs to be in the squad somewhere.”
Meninga would also pick Raiders forward Corey Horsburgh in the squad, but stopped short of giving him a debut because game one is so crucial to the series and experience counts.
“For Game I, I think he’s (Corey Horsburgh) in the squad, he deserves to be in the team, you’ve got to pick a team you know is going to perform, Game I is really critical to the success of the Origin series,” Meninga said.
“Depending on what happens in Game I you could start to maybe bring in a player or couple of players that could strengthen the footy team, you don’t know.”
Meninga would also consider only taking one of Ben Hunt or Harry Grant in order to get a more versatile utility player in the 14 jersey.
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BLUES’ INCUMBENT HOOKERS FACE OFF IN ORIGIN AUDITION
He took down Queensland star Harry Grant at Magic Round, and now Damien Cook can move one step closer to winning back his NSW starting spot when he takes on Blues teammate Api Koroisau in what could be a telling Origin audition.
Saturday’s game at Accor Stadium isn’t going to be the deciding factor for Blues coach Brad Fittler, but it could help him decide who gets the nod for the series opener in Adelaide later this month.
Both Cook and Koroisau have had strong starts to the year, with South Sydney’s early success a big plus for their speedy dummy-half who started his first 13 Origin games but came off the bench in the final two matches last year.
Koroisau’s hopes will receive a huge boost if his former teammates Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai retain their spots in the halves, while a third-straight win for the Tigers would also help his chances of keeping the starting spot.
“I always look forward to playing against the good hookers of the game, and Api is definitely up there as one of the best,” said Cook, who has made the fourth-most tackles this season.
“I had Harry as well last week, so I always enjoy those little battles that come along in footy where I can challenge myself against the best.
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“I’ve always learned that you just keep doing your job at club level and keep doing what your team needs here, and if you’re playing good footy, then you’ll be selected each year.
“Last year is done and now you get selected again this year. There are still a couple of games for us, and that’s where my focus is.”
Cook has shown that he can easily play 80 minutes at Origin level, but both states showed last year that two hookers could be the way forward given the speed of the game and the possibility of head knocks or other injuries to spine players.
Queensland will go with Ben Hunt and Harry Grant again, with the Blues likely to follow suit unless Fittler opts for Nicho Hynes on the bench.
“There were two hookers for Queensland last year and there were two hookers for NSW,” said Cook, who played 80 minutes in the series opener and then 46 and 28 minutes in the final two games.
“Cam Smith played on his own for a long time and we had one hooker for a long time as well.
“It’s whatever way they want to go, and that’s where you trust selectors to do that job. If you need to get in there, that’s when your full focus goes to NSW and doing what the team needs.”
The South Sydney star said his mindset changed when he came off the bench last year, and he says he’s playing better footy than he was in 2022 when he missed out on the World Cup squad.
His combination with South Sydney teammate Cam Murray would cause nightmares for Queensland defenders in the middle, but the Rabbitohs skipper doesn’t want to get involved in the selection debate.
“I’ll leave that up to the selectors, but they’re both quality hookers,” Murray said.
“I think Damien is playing really good footy, so I wouldn’t like to be a selector.”
