Blues could lose Trent Hodkinson to injury ahead of Origin I

THE Blues halves debate has been thrown into more chaos with incumbent halfback Trent Hodkinson battling a knee injury.

Trent Hodkinson could be out of Origin I.

THE NSW Blues could be forced to name their 10th different halves pairing in seven years with incumbent halfback Trent Hodkinson sidelined with another knee injury.

Chosen in all six Origin matches for the Blues over the past two series, Hodkinson’s latest setback has left him in serious danger of being rubbed out of the race to be named in the NSW side for Origin I at ANZ Stadium on June 1.

NSW coach Laurie Daley will name his Blues squad for the series opener in just eight days - leaving Hodkinson little time to prove his fitness.

Hodkinson, whose matchwinning try sealed NSW the 2014 Origin series, has been ruled out of Newcastle’s clash with Cronulla at Hunter Stadium today.

Hodkinson’s knee issues throughout his career are well-documented having undergone stem cell therapy in 2014.

This latest setback, suffered as a result of a knock to his knee during training last week, catapults 2013-series halves pairing James Maloney and Mitchell Pearce into the box seat to be named in the Blues halves.

Canterbury five-eighth Josh Reynolds is also under consideration.

Renowned for his diligent and professional approach towards recovery, Hodkinson is refusing to concede the injury is long-term, telling Newcastle coach Nathan Brown he remains a shot at playing for the Knights against the Wests Tigers next Saturday.

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“It’s common knowledge Hokko has had some problems in the past in that area and it has just flared up a bit again after he took a knock on it at training,” Brown told The Sunday Telegraph.

“It has been a bit sore since then so there was no point risking him this week.

“No-one knows the injury better than Hokko does and he reckons with a bit of rest and management, he’ll be right to go next game. “We’ll monitor him closely early next week and see how it is. Hopefully, he’ll be right.”

Hodkinson has played the last six games for the Blues at halfback.

The halves aren’t the only question mark for the Blues, with a plethora of rising stars in the back row position, prompting the likelihood of a changing of the guard.

Reminiscent of former Test forward Luke Lewis’ shock omission ahead of last year’s series by Daley, long-serving NSW mainstays Ryan Hoffman and Beau Scott - who can escape suspension for a tripping charge on Friday night with an early plea - need to survive a push from within to see the promotion of the next generation Blues.

Josh Jackson, Bryce Cartwright, Wade Graham, Tyson Frizell and utility Jack Bird are all on the cusp of being named by Daley during the 2016 series.

Originally published as Blues could lose Trent Hodkinson to injury ahead of Origin I