The State of Origin contenders

This year’s State of Origin contest will be like none other before it.

Played in the weeks following the grand final for the first time and from within a COVID-19 bubble, each state will choose a squad of 27 players who will make up their teams, and the squad can’t be added to in the event of injury or poor form.

Players begin to be selected from next week, firstly from those teams who don’t make the final eight before being added to from teams in the top eight as they are eliminated from the finals.

The challenge for selectors will be to pick a squad of players who are not only in form and capable of playing Origin but are also fit and ready to go. Choosing players with lingering injuries would be fraught with danger.

There has been high injury attrition this year and we can probably expect more injuries to occur in the next few weeks. Last round we saw the likely elimination through injury of both David Fifita and Tom Trbojevic. We can also expect some players to make themselves unavailable to train on the basis they either need to attend to injuries (whether real or imagined) or need to leave the bubble for personal reasons.

It’s a long season and not every player will be in shape for three more high-intensity games, particularly those who may have peaked both physically and emotionally for, say, the grand final. For this, Origin may even be an anti-climax.

Here are the players I believe will come under consideration for the train on Origin squads.

Brisbane Broncos
Queensland: Corey Oates, Joe Ofahengaue, Patrick Carrigan and Xavier Coates.
New South Wales: Payne Haas and Kotoni Staggs

Canberra Raiders
Queensland: Josh Papalii, Dunamis Lui and Corey Horsburgh.
New South Wales: Nick Cotric, Jarrod Croker and Jack Wighton.

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Queensland: Nil.
New South Wales: Will Hopoate.

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Queensland: Ronaldo Mulitalo.
New South Wales: Wade Graham and Jesse Ramien.

Jesse Ramien (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

Gold Coast Titans
Queensland: Corey Thompson, Ashley Taylor, Jarrod Wallace, Jai Arrow and AJ Brimson.
New South Wales: Nil.

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Queensland: Daly Cherry-Evans.
New South Wales: Jake Trbojevic.

Melbourne Storm
Queensland: Cameron Munster, Felise Kaufusi, Christian Welch and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui.
New South Wales: Josh Addo-Carr, Dale Finucane and Ryan Papenhuyzen.

Newcaslte Knights
Queensland: Kalyn Ponga and Kurt Mann.
New South Wales: David Klemmer, Mitchell Pearce, Daniel Saifiti and Jacob Saifiti.

North Queensland Cowboys
Queensland: Kyle Feldt, Michael Morgan, Josh McGuire and Valentine Holmes.
New South Wales: Jordan McClean.

Parramatta Eels
Queensland: Reed Mahoney.
New South Wales: Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Blake Ferguson, Junior Paulo, Clint Gutherson and Ryan Matterson.

Penrith Panthers
Queensland: Kurt Capewell.
New South Wales: Nathan Cleary, Apisai Koroisau, Isaah Yeo and Liam Martin.

South Sydney Rabbitohs
Queensland: Dane Gagai, Jaydn Su’a.
New South Wales: Damien Cook, Campbell Graham, Alex Johnston, Cameron Murray, Adam Reynolds and Cody Walker.

St George Illawarra Dragons
Queensland: Ben Hunt.
New South Wales: Tyson Frizell, Zac Lomax and Cameron McInnes.

Zac Lomax (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)

Sydney Roosters
Queensland: Jake Friend and Lindsay Collins.
New South Wales: Boyd Cordner, Angus Crichton, James Tedesco, Luke Keary and Daniel Tupou.

Wests Tigers
Queensland: Harry Grant and Moses Mbye.
New South Wales: David Nofoaluma.

New Zealand Warriors
Queensland: Nil.
New South Wales: Nil.

That adds up to 41 New South Wales players and 33 Queensland players. The squads are expected to comprise:

• eight outside backs, including fullbacks;
• eight middle forwards;
• five hookers/halves;
• four back-rowers; and
• two utility players.

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

If they are the likely contenders, the final squads may look something like this:

New South Wales

Outside backs
Josh Addo-Carr, Clint Gutherson, Campbell Graham, Zac Lomax, James Tedesco, Kotoni Staggs, Nick Cotric and Jack Wighton.

Middle forwards
Jake Trbojevic, Dale Finucane, David Klemmer, Daniel Saifiti, Cameron Murray, Isaah Yeo, Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Junior Paulo.

Hookers/halves
Nathan Cleary, Luke Keary, Damien Cook, Apisai Koroisau and Mitchell Pearce.

Back-rowers
Wade Graham, Boyd Cordner, Angus Crichton and Tyson Frizell.

Utility players
Ryan Papenhuyzen and Cameron McInnes.

(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Queensland

Outside backs
Valentine Holmes, Dane Gagai, Kalyn Ponga, Moses Mbye, Kyle Feldt, Michael Morgan, Corey Oates and AJ Brimson.

Middle forwards
Josh Papalii, Lindsay Collins, Josh McGuire, Christian Welch, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Jarrod Wallace, Jai Arrow and Corey Horsburgh.

Hookers/halves
Daly Cherry-Evans, Cameron Munster, Jake Friend, Ashley Taylor and Harry Grant.

Back-rowers
Felise Kaufusi, Jaydn Su’a, Kurt Capewell and Patrick Carrigan.

Utility players
Ben Hunt and Kurt Mann.

So it’s not that easy filling those squads, and the Queensland squad looks down on talent. It may very well be a case of last man standing by the time Game 1 in Adelaide rolls around.