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David Fifita was the big omission when Billy Slater named his team for Origin I on Monday morning despite the Titans star rebounding to top form in recent weeks after sorting out his controversial contract negotiations.
Fifita was the Titans’ best in their victory over Brisbane on Sunday, but that did little to win over Slater and the Maroons selectors.
Slater and fellow selectors Gene Miles and Darren Lockyer picked their 20-man squad on Sunday night and Dragons forward Jaydn Su’A beat Fifita for a starting second-row spot. There was no room for the Gold Coast marquee on the bench either.
“Dave created a really high standard for his footy last year, he just hasn’t quite got to that standard this year,” Slater said.
“I spoke to Dave last night. He’s taken the disappointing news like a true Queenslander.
“I’ve no doubt that Dave will get back to the footy that he played last year and I’m sure he’ll wear a Maroon jersey in the future.”
Parramatta’s J’maine Hopgood will be Queensland’s sole debutant as an interchange forward.
Tom Dearden edged out Brisbane’s Ezra Mam for the No.6 jersey vacated by the injured Cameron Munster.
Dearden, 23, did a fabulous job on Origin debut in game three of the 2022 series where he got late notice that Munster was out of the game and helped guide the Maroons to a 22-12 win.
Mam has been in electric form for the Broncos and announced himself as a big-game player by scoring three tries in last year’s NRL grand final.
Tom Dearden runs the ball. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)[/caption]
Munster will miss the entire State of Origin series after scans revealed a tear in the Queensland five-eighth’s adductor tendon.
Munster has been battling groin pain since first suffering the injury slipping in the shower during Melbourne’s pre-season trip to Fiji, missing the first month of the NRL season.
He will need between eight and 10 more weeks on the sidelines after aggravating the issue in a tackle just before half-time in the Storm’s 48-16 defeat of Parramatta at Magic Round.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
1 Reece Walsh (Broncos)
2 Xavier Coates (Storm)
3 Valentine Holmes (Cowboys)
4 Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (Dolphins)
5 Murray Taulagi (Cowboys)
6 Tom Dearden (Cowboys)
7 Daly Cherry-Evans (Sea Eagles)
8 Reuben Cotter (Cowboys)
9 Ben Hunt (Dragons)
10 Lindsay Collins (Roosters)
11 Jaydn Su’A (Dragons)
12 Jeremiah Nanai (Cowboys)
13 Patrick Carrigan (Broncos)
14 Harry Grant (Storm)
15 Moeaki Fotuaika (Titans)
16 J’maine Hopgood (Eels)
17 Selwyn Cobbo (Broncos)
18 Felise Kaufusi (Dolphins)
19 Brendan Piakura (Broncos)
20 Ezra Mam (Broncos)
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