Laurie Daley sticks with his Game 1 winning Blues team, Haumole Olakau’atu pulls out of squad

NSW coach Laurie Daley has stuck solid with his victorious team for Game 2 of State of Origin, with prop Max King elevated to the starting 17 to cover for Mitch Barnett. SEE THE TEAM

NSW five-eighth Mitch Moses has avoided being charged and possibly suspended for State of Origin II after being placed on report for a high tackle during Parramatta’s loss to Canterbury on Monday.

The late drama came as Canterbury’s unsung hero, Max King, was named as a NSW starting prop.

Moses’ tackle, committed on Bulldogs forward Daniel Suluka-Fifita with just 95 seconds remaining of Monday’s game, was deemed by match officials to have “moderate force”.

The Blues star was placed on report by referee Gerard Sutton via intervention from senior bunker review official, Grant Atkins. A suspension for Moses would throw NSW’s preparation into disarray.

The Blues team for Game 2.

But a late-night NRL match review committee meeting on Monday cleared Moses, allowing him to play against Queensland in Perth on Wednesday week.

With Moses available, Daley only made one run-on side change, which was enforced, from Origin I in Brisbane with King named as a starting prop in place of injured Mitch Barnett.

Melbourne’s Stefano Utoikamanu, a reserve in Origin I, has been drafted into the top 17 with Canterbury’s Matt Burton, South Sydney’s Keaon Koloamatangi and Penrith’s Lindsay Smith named as reserves in a 20-man squad.

It is a remarkable rise for King, a player who came off the NSW bench for game one and was powerful and aggressive in Monday’s win over Parramatta. Smith made his Kangaroos debut last season.

Initially named in the extended NSW squad, Manly’s Haumole Olakau’atu was released from camp to attend the birth of his first child with partner Ana while Souths’ Campbell Graham was unavailable through injury.

Many claim Koloamatangi is the NRL’s form forward.

Max King. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

With Moses available, NSW can now assemble injury-free and start constructing plans to seal the series two-nil.

A nervous Daley watched as 14 Blues players contested games on Sunday and Monday in round 14 with nearly the entire Queensland squad having played either Thursday, Friday or Saturday.

The Blues side was released nine hours after the Queensland side, minus dumped halfback Daly Cherry-Evans, was named.

Daley seems to have employed Queensland’s once-famous ‘pick-and-stick’ mentality.

Koloamatangi, Moses, Hudson Young, Latrell Mitchell, Nathan Cleary, Liam Martin, Isaah Yeo, Brian To’o and Dylan Edwards managed to escape injury during Saturday NRL matches.

Moses, King, Burton, Zac Lomax and Stephen Crichton emerged unscathed from Monday’s game.

Young placed on report for a high shot Souths’ Bud Sullivan but wasn’t charged by the NRL match review committee.

NSW players started assembling at their Sydney Olympic Park hotel on Monday before heading to their Leura training camp on Tuesday.

The Blues will stay and train in the Blue Mountains for four days before returning to Sydney for a flight to Perth on Saturday. Queensland are $3.15 outsiders for the Optus Stadium game with NSW firm $1.37 favourites, according to TAB.

NSW forward pulls out of squad for Origin II

Haumole Olakau'atu will not be available for Game 2. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

Manly forward Haumole Olakau’atu has put the birth of his second child ahead of the opportunity to be part of the NSW squad for the second State of Origin game.

Olakau’atu, who was set to be named in the extended squad for Origin II, turned up at NSW headquarters on Monday morning after being told he would be part of the Blues preparations.

However, once he explained his situation to Blues staff, they agreed to release him from camp to attend the birth of his first child with his partner Ana.

Olakau’atu was part of the extended squad for the opening game of the series after making his Origin debut in last year’s series.

He was expected to be in the extended squad for game two and would likely have stayed with the side had the game been played in Sydney or Brisbane.

However, the trip to Perth meant it would have been too difficult for Olakau’atu to be on call for his partner’s pregnancy.

-Phil Rothfield, Brent Read

Originally published as Laurie Daley sticks with his Game 1 winning Blues team, Haumole Olakau’atu pulls out of squad