Blues Origin predicted team: Huge blow for NSW and Bunnies with Murray out long term
New coach Michael Maguire will go into Origin I without one of the Blues' most reliable players after Cameron Murray was ruled out for…
New South Wales Blues coach Laurie Daley has confirmed that Jack Bird will start at five-eighth in State of Origin Game 3 at ANZ Stadium on Wednesday night.
Bird will make his run-on debut, starting in the halves alongside his Cronulla teammate James Maloney, after Adam Reynolds was ruled out with a shoulder injury late last week.
There was speculation that Matt Moylan would take Reynolds’ spot in the starting side, but Daley has instead opted for Bird, who experienced Origin for the first time in Game 2, coming off the bench.
Daley said he will likely share the pivot role between Moylan and Bird as the Blues look to avoid their first series clean-sweep loss since 2010.
Eight players will have made their Origin debuts for the Blues this year, including Wade Graham and James Tedesco, who have both been named to make their debut against the Queensland Maroons.
“We have a lot of young guys who have been given their opportunities throughout the series so it’s exciting times for them, and let’s hope they show everyone what they’re capable of doing,” Daley said on Tuesday.
“For us, it’s about going out there and playing some really good football – that’s what we really want to do. We haven’t played anywhere near our potential yet so that’s the thing that excites me.”
“I just want to make sure this team is prepared well which it has been and we go out there and have a real crack… This team is very capable of a lot more than what it has shown.”
The Blues want to send their skipper Paul Gallen out on a high in his 24th and final Origin game.
NSW Blues team for State of Origin Game 3
1. James Tedesco, 2. Blake Ferguson, 3. Michael Jennings, 4. Josh Dugan, 5. Josh Mansour, 14. Jack Bird, 6. James Maloney, 8. Aaron Woods, 9. Robbie Farah, 10. Paul Gallen (c), 11. Wade Graham, 12. Josh Jackson, 13. Tyson Frizell.
Interchange: 15. James Tamou, 16. David Klemmer, 17. Andrew Fifita. 18. Matt Moylan
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
New coach Michael Maguire will go into Origin I without one of the Blues' most reliable players after Cameron Murray was ruled out for…
Whether it is for his football form or comments around his Aboriginal heritage, Mitchell may just be the most talked about player in the history of the game.
An NRL clause has come to light, stating that if a player is selected for a representative team and withdraws, the players agrees they…
Queensland often has the right mix of generational talent, playmaking brilliance and these nuts-and-bolts players that bind them together like glue.
Despite a poor season by his own high standards, Latrell Mitchell is still a chance to force his way into the NSW team for…
Michael Maguire is saying all the right things about how he wants to guide NSW back to State of Origin supremacy but the inescapable…