‘This is not unusual’: Stats show Maroons can’t complain about Blues bringing in James Tedesco

Queensland fans might not be happy with the Blues bringing back James Tedesco, but they must have short memories.

Graham Annesley says the Blues have done nothing wrong by bringing in James Tedesco to replace Dylan Edwards. Picture: Jonathan Ng

NRL head of football Graham Annesley revealed there have been six approved applications since 2018 for late State of Origin call ups from outside a team’s original 20 man squad and there was “nothing unusual” about the NSW request to parachute in James Tedesco.

The clarification comes amid claims from Queensland the Blues shouldn’t have been allowed to rush back their former skipper to replace the injured Dylan Edwards, with suggestions they could have tinkered with other players in the squad as cover.

Those wearing Maroon coloured glasses questioning the move could also have short memories, with Annesley pointing out that there have been similar cases in recent years, with Queensland adding three players from outside the original squad in the 2021 series alone.

Ben Hunt, Xavier Coates and Coen Hess all joined the Queensland squad that year, with Annesley revealing there have been over 130 team list applications in the NRL since 2021, most of which have been approved after clubs sent requests in writing asking to make a late change to cover for a player who was injured, sick or had a family emergency.

James Tedesco isn’t the first player to be brought in from outside a State of Origin squad

“It’s been suggested in some publications that this is an unfair move and that Tedesco should not have been allowed to come into the team after the withdrawal of Edwards,” he said.

“There is nothing unusual about what took place.

“We want to see both State of Origin teams at maximum strength, not because someone has changed their mind, but because of an injury or an illness that requires a specialist position to be filled.

“In the NRL competition, we allow 22 players to be named each week. In that, we generally require them to cover for injuries in their 22 and we will generally ask them to cover the first injury unless there’s a specific reason they can’t.

“If they lose someone then we’ll usually allow a replacement player to come in.

“The difference in Origin is that we only allow them to select 20 players so they’re already two short of what an NRL team is any given week.”

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Annesley also backed the officials out of Saturday’s golden point game between the Dolphins and Raiders which saw the Green Machine win thanks to a Jordan Rapana field goal.

The Dolphins claimed there had been interference, but replays showed Jeremy Marshall-King initiated contact and that no one had been impeded.

It came after the Dolphins thought they’d won it, only for the referee to penalise Max Plath for blocking the markers, with Annesley also revealing Jamayne Isaako’s attempt had sailed wide when most people thought it went over.

“The chasers have to step and divert around Plath who then extends his right arm. The contact is inconsequential, but what does slow the chase down is the need to divert around the blocker in order to try to get to the ball,” he said.

“For this to be a goal, the ball has to go inside the right upright. The ball is actually casting a shadow underneath as the ball passes the right hand upright, so that was not ever going to be the winning field goal because it misses.

“It was irrelevant because we didn’t get to that point. We had a decision made by the referee, and I believe the decision in relation to the blocker was correct.”

Originally published as ‘This is not unusual’: Stats show Maroons can’t complain about Blues bringing in James Tedesco