NSW captain Paul Gallen and fullback Brett Stewart miss Blues training session
SKIPPER Paul Gallen and fullback Brett Stewart sat out NSW training as coach Ricky Stuart worked his men ahead of Origin II.
SKIPPER Paul Gallen and fullback Brett Stewart sat out NSW team training as coach Ricky Stuart worked his players ahead of the second State of Origin game on Wednesday.
Gallen stood on the sidelines at Kogarah Oval with his left leg heavily strapped after tweaking his knee in Cronulla's 29-20 NRL loss to Parramatta.
However, the 30-year-old has said his knee is better than when he suffered the same problem in the build-up to the opening Origin game in Melbourne last month.
"It's definitely better than it felt in game one," Gallen told Sydney radio 2UE.
"At one stage, I thought I was in danger of missing that game but I played 80 minutes with no dramas.
Gallen sat out the last 25 minutes of Cronulla's game on Monday.
"I was ready to go back on against Parramatta, but [coach] Shane [Flanagan] kept me back so I probably owe him one," he said.
Gallen will join in with the rest of the squad in training on Friday as the Blues step up their preparations to prevent a seventh successive series defeat in the home match at ANZ Stadium.
Stewart has a modified training schedule with Manly due to a long-standing knee problem that has blighted his career, but Blues officials have no doubt he will also take his place in the starting line-up.
Stewart's Manly teammate Anthony Watmough joined in with the side for the first time since reporting into camp on Monday.
The 27-year-old, who had two cortisone injections for a neck issue earlier this week, was withdrawn from a contact session but, like Stewart and Gallen, is expected to take part in a full session before the weekend.
Meanwhile, Greg Bird has brushed aside Queensland coach Mal Meninga's claim on Wednesday that the Blues are whingers and do not have the mentality for Origin.
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Bird said the comments had not even been mentioned by the NSW players or staff.
"They're entitled to their own opinion and I don't really have a comment on it," Bird said.
"I'll go out and do my whingeing on the field. We've got a football game to win and we'll be focusing on us and not what they are saying up there."
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