Cowboys hooker Reece Robson is set to win his first NSW jersey after receiving a late call from Blues boss Brad Fittler ahead of the crunch clash at Suncorp Stadium.
The news comes as injured South Sydney trio Latrell Mitchell, Cameron Murray and Cody Walker all passed fitness tests, making them available for selection when the team is announced on Tuesday morning.
Robson was in camp last year as part of the extended bench in Game 3 but was not used, but has been one of the bright lights of a middling season in Townsville. Robson and South Sydney veteran Damien Cook are both expected to be named on the team sheet after incumbent hooker Api Koroisau suffered a broken jaw playing for Wests Tigers on Thursday.
Robson will be likely named as the bench utility option while Fittler looks set to roll the dice on the concussion status of Liam Martin leading into next Wednesday’s Suncorp Stadium showdown.
Cowboys coach Todd Payten confirmed to AAP that Robson was told during his team’s bye weekend that he had been given the nod to play. “It’s great news, it’s awesome for Reece,” he said.
Nicho Hynes. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Nicho Hynes is still set to get the No.7 jersey despite a poor outing against Melbourne on Sunday for Cronulla.
“Nicho has had a great 18 months,” Blues selector Greg Alexander said on SEN. “I don’t know if one performance rules you out of the side.
“It’s certainly worth talking about. Many would say, ‘That’s it’ … but he’s got a fair bit of credit in the bank.”
Martin is firming for selection despite the Penrith star being taken from the field with category-one concussion symptoms in Saturday’s win over the Sydney Roosters.
Martin has not yet been diagnosed with concussion but will need to undergo assessment to permit him to play.
Mitchell (calf), Murray (groin) and Walker (quad) passed late fitness tests on Monday. “There are still some bridges to cross through the week but they got through today’s work,” Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou told AAP on Monday.
Brad Fittler. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Fittler was fuming over the Koroisau incident at the start of Round 15 which left his NSW hooker with a badly broken jaw and took aim at Maroons forward Tino Fa’asuamaleaui for his reckless style, saying he “flies very close to the line” while pointing to a similar recent clash with Reed Mahoney.
But the match review committee has cleared the Titans skipper of any wrongdoing with no charges laid on Friday morning despite Koroisau reeling out of the tackle and then being taken to hospital. He will not play again for at least six weeks.
Fittler was incensed by the Fa’asuamaleaui incident. “It’s interesting Tino talking about it’s a contact game and he got the better of Api there but also there’s due diligence. It’s a contact game but if it was just contact then it could get very dangerous out there and there’d be a lot of injuries,” he said on Nine after the Titans skipper levelled out Koroisau. “It’s the second time he’s done it to a hooker, he knocked out Reed Mahoney a couple of weeks ago.
“He flies very close to the line with his tackling as well. It’s spectacular at times so you don’t want to take it completely out of the game but there’s plenty of times where he doesn’t wrap his arm around either.
“It’s a contact game, but there’s also a duty of care as well.”
He had been placed on report for making contact with his ball-carrying arm in the tackle.
“It is a contact sport. I am running as hard as I can. He is getting up to try and stop me and came off second best. I am hoping he is alright and I am hoping I am alright too,” he said after the game, while also claiming journalists were making too much of the hit.
“I think it is the media making me more worried than anything just building it up.”
Maroons assistant coach Cameron Smith added he was “trying to find what is illegal about the action” as he viewed the replays in his role as Nine analyst.
“If you actually see the bump which he makes on Api Koroisau, it is with his ball-carrying arm … his right arm. Whereas you look at the last time he was charged, a few weeks ago, and it was when he led with his left arm into Reed Mahoney.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
“I don’t know what he is meant to do with that ball-carrying arm. Is he meant to make it disappear?”
The match review committee cleared Fa’asuamaleaui, who had already been found guilty of two offences this season – paying a $1500 fine for a shoulder charge in Round 3 and $1800 for the Mahoney dangerous contact in Round 12.
Here’s how the Blues are shaping up heading into the June 21 showdown at Suncorp Stadium.
1 James Tedesco
2 Brian To’o
3 Stephen Crichton
4 Tom Trbojevic
5 Josh Addo-Carr
6 Jarome Luai
7 Nathan Cleary
8 Tevita Pangai jnr
9 Api Koroisau
10 Payne Haas
11 Tyson Frizell
12 Hudson Young
13 Isaah Yeo
Interchange
14 Junior Paulo
15 Cameron Murray
16 Liam Martin
17 Nicho Hynes
18 Matt Burton
19 Stefano Utoikamanu
Blues spine: Hynes is the frontrunner to replace Cleary in the No.7 jersey although Eels playmaker Mitchell Moses and Broncos veteran Adam Reynolds have greater experience at Origin level than the Dally M player of the year.
The Cronulla star was only given 12 minutes in his Origin debut at the end of the match at right centre when Trbojevic was rubbed out by a Tom Flegler high shot and came up with a missed tackle on Cameron Munster which led to Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow’s match-winning try.
Hynes is undoubtedly the form halfback in the NRL after Cleary but it will be a huge ask for him to lead the Blues to victory in the Suncorp cauldron in his starting debut.
Nicho Hynes. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Cody Walker was shaping as an option at five-eighth if Luai is not viewed as the ideal halves partner with Cleary out but Fittler has continually been loyal to the Penrith pivot. He came up with two try assists for the Blues in Adelaide but his kicking game was again almost non-existent. Luai was strong for Penrith in Saturday night’s win over the Roosters despite not having Cleary running the show.
Walker missing his Origin audition against the Dragons on Saturday at Kogarah will hurt his chances of a recall.
Fittler will bring Cook back in at hooker to replace Koroisau after the Wests Tigers rake suffered a badly broken jaw against the Titans. Robson could also start at hooker or be on the interchange. Matt Burton is a chance to become the bench utility after he was a late inclusion in the Adelaide extended squad.
Cronulla’s Blayke Brailey was in the extended squad for game one but as a way of getting him used to Blues camp.
Outside backs: Trbojevic was given a dispensation to play for Manly after the head knock he copped in Origin and looked untroubled in the huge win over the Dolphins.
Mitchell is still yet to make a return from the calf problem which forced him out of NSW duty so if the Blues pick him, it will be on the back of no matches for three weeks.
Tom Trbojevic. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Rabbitohs centre Campbell Graham again stands as the most likely candidate to fill the breach for either player after he was initially in the extended squad for game one but had to withdraw due to a minor sternum problem.
Stephen Crichton, who filled in for Mitchell in Adelaide, is unlikely to get another start.
Forward pack: The Pangai and Young experiment backfired with the starting forwards each giving away penalties that handed momentum to Queensland.
Junior Paulo should be elevated into the starting side, along with Martin, who also gave the Blues plenty of impact off the bench, if he is available.
The Blues can’t afford to lose Murray (groin) as well with Martin now under a cloud.
Parramatta veteran Reagan Campbell-Gillard (groin injury) and Penrith’s Spencer Leniu (ruptured testicle) were unavailable for selection in game one but could be in line for a recall after making their comebacks at club level this weekend along with Roosters veteran Angus Crichton or younger options like Wests Tigers prop Stefano Utoikamanu and Souths second-rower Keaon Koloamatangi.
1 James Tedesco
2 Brian To’o
3 Latrell Mitchell
4 Tom Trbojevic
5 Josh Addo-Carr
6 Jarome Luai
7 Nicho Hynes
8 Junior Paulo
9 Damien Cook
10 Payne Haas
11 Tyson Frizell
12 Liam Martin
13 Isaah Yeo
Interchange
14 Reece Robson
15 Cameron Murray
16 Hudson Young
17 Spencer Leniu
18 Matt Burton
19 Stefano Utoikamanu
with AAP
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