Jarome Luai has beaten Jack Wighton for the five-eighth spot as the NSW Blues team for State of Origin 1 was revealed
Coach Brad Fittler has given the in-form number six, who is one of six Panthers in the line-up, the nod over the Raider, and will partner teammate Nathan Cleary in the halves for the opener.
They’ll be joined by another Origin debutant in Brian To’o on the wing, with Isaah Yeo named at lock. Liam Martin will also make his representative debut off the bench, with Api Koroisau named as 18th man.
Yeo and Cameron Murray will be breathing sighs of relief that they escaped sanction for their weekend indiscretions, having both been named in the forwards.
Tyson Frizell is a major absentee, having suffered a serious ankle injury just hours before the team was named. He is expected to miss at least the next 3-6 weeks.
James Tedesco will captain the team, having stepped into the role last year in the absence of Boyd Cordner.
1. James Tedesco (c)
2. Brian To’o
3. Latrell Mitchell
4. Tom Trbojevic
5. Josh Addo-Carr
6. Jarome Luai
7. Nathan Cleary
8. Daniel Saifiti
9. Damien Cook
10. Jake Trbojevic
11. Cameron Murray
12. Tariq Sims
13. Isaah Yeo
Bench
14. Jack Wighton
15. Junior Paulo
16. Payne Haas
17. Liam Martin
Reserves: 18. Api Koroisau, 19. Campbell Graham
Duncan Smith
Roar Guru
No Dale Finucane? What's going on?
Paul
Guest
No. Luai won’t have those players running off him. He will have the best back in the game by far right now. Tom Trbojevic. Then , the now second best back in the game Tedesco. What part of being near the top of the list for try assists , with Cleary. Plus the best tackle percentage of all the 5/8th’s available, is not good with Luai’s game? I hope Queensland underestimate him as well. Penrith will most likely have a couple of losses after this SOO waste of time is finished. Before this , No losses! I don’t think other club sides underestimate the Penrith halves any more.
Paul
Guest
Lots of Queensland locks & second rowers were no frills effort players. Good tacklers & hard runners. Exactly as Martin is.
Paul
Guest
I’d have gone with Saab on the wing. Just because he’s tall & no one faster. As for Luai? He & Cleary looked pretty good putting 56 points on against South’s.
James
Roar Rookie
time will tell
matth
Roar Guru
Not well apparently. It’s by far the biggest Origin story. If Munster is out QLD will struggle. Might be best to write Game 1 off snd try to win 2 and 3 with Munster fully fit
matth
Roar Guru
They’ll be kicking to the same winger. Coates leaps ridiculously high, but his success rate at actually catching the ball is not brilliant
danwain
Roar Rookie
Our wingers are the same height, you can't say To'o will get peppered anymore than Addo-Carr based on it.
danwain
Roar Rookie
I don't think Lomax is making the team ahead of Mitchell and Crichton. He is a quality player and wouldn't let them down, but he isn't in the running for an origin spot.
danwain
Roar Rookie
I don't think he has been that great for us this season, in fact he has been lucky to still get a run in first grade IMHO
James
Roar Rookie
The Broncos... not really in the same class as Queensland methinks!!
Chilli
Roar Rookie
Pongs was alright on his return too so I stand corrected but it wasn’t against the Panther pack!
Chilli
Roar Rookie
Mate it was his first game back for a month and was playing behind a pack that was getting recycled and pumped. Give the young man a break mate. The only player I’ve seen in the last however long come back and have a blinder was Tommy and if you really wanted to, you could smack him down for his effort against the knights. Humans mate, every now and then they can play heads down footy.
Phil
Roar Rookie
Chilli, a very recent example of Mitchell's laziness is when they played Penrith last week. Have a look at the replay of Kikau's try. A wide shot will show Mitchell ambling across in cover only to put the foot down all too late. The second example in that game is the second of Burton's tries. The bomb goes up, comes down with Mitchell just standing there not contesting the bomb. When Burton scores, Mitchell does a silly arm movement as if it's not his fault. The evidence is there mate, Mitchell has the wrong attitude, not a team player.
Chilli
Roar Rookie
Tend to agree with you 100% mate. Freddys head is in club land.. he keeps trying to build a team for the future and I reckon this is why origin is starting to lose its shine in my opinion. Rep footy is about putting the best players on show as a reward for their club form period! Instead we have these decisions made around developing combinations blah blah blah. Half the fun is seeing how the best play with each other and watching them gel over the 4 or so weeks, not just another NRL match with the plays we’ve seen already. Cody Walker (class, tough and deserves his spot) Pangai Jnr (tough, ill disciplined, talented, I want to watch) Api Korasou (cmorn really, hasn’t blown a candle out since he came back) Liam Martin (like you said, sits behind Capewell and well he is pretty plain but one has to admire the effort he puts in.. keep him in club land) Bring back the old days please, stop trying to build a club and start building a 3 game exhibition of the best and the badass and let it fly!
Chilli
Roar Rookie
Haha so all the great minds of league are wrong… except you and your little mate over there that you’ve just found. Maybe you’re wrong :laughing: :shocked: :thumbup:
The Sporacle
Roar Rookie
They peppered him against the Broncs and he still made 270 odd as Souvalis pointed out before, I'm not to concerned :thumbup:
Joey
Guest
At least Luai is ready to go. How’s Qld’s 5/8 travelling ?
Joey
Guest
Over the years, Kerry Boustead, Les Kiss. What about Slater, did he need to be 6’4 under a high ball?
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
Yeah let’s not get ahead of ourselves, it’s not the worst worst Qld side I’ve seen.