Mitchell Moses is out of Origin II after injuring his left calf at NSW training on Thursday.
Blues’ team performance manager Frank Ponissi confirmed the news at the team’s hotel in Leura.
Matt Burton is 18th man and a five-eighth option, as is Wests Tigers’ playmaker Jarome Luai, who has played for NSW, and won four premierships with NSW halfback Nathan Cleary.
“Unfortunately Mitch Moses suffered a calf strain this morning at training, about 20 minutes into the session,” Ponissi said.
“He’s been ruled out of State of Origin II. We’re not sure about the severity at this stage. Our medical team is working with the Parramatta Eels medical team. He’ll have scans and return to Parramatta.
“In terms of a replacement, we haven’t even discussed that. He’s only been ruled out now. We’ll sit down with the coaching staff, and the NRL from a procedural point of view, about who we bring into the 20. We’ll make an announcement in the next few hours.”
Cleary and Luai have already combined as statistically the most successful halves combination in rugby league, while the Tigers star played five-eighth alongside Moses in last year’s series triumph.
Luai’s handling of his demotion before game one impressed Laurie Daley and NSW staff, with the 27-year-old telling the Blues coach he would remain ready at a moment’s notice throughout the Origin campaign.
Burton too has won admirers for his commitment to the 18th man role. This is the fifth time the Bulldogs pivot has taken on the stand-by duties, having played the last of his two Origins in 2022.
While on holiday leading into game one, Burton had been prepared to organise his own private plane from Dubbo to Brisbane when Stephen Crichton’s injury doubts had Burton in the frame to be 18th man again.
More to come.
