Axe falls on Cecchin
REFEREE Matt Cecchin has been dumped for State of Origin II in Sydney.
State Of Origin
Blue belief to the better end
THE drums of war are beating within the Blues camp, even just 24 hours in.
Gal’s disappearing act just a scare
INSPIRATIONAL skipper Paul Gallen assured Blues fans last night that a twinge in his knee would not be enough to keep him out State of Origin II.
Panther’s gamble pays off
FOR NSW fans, Tim Grant’s Origin selection was a surprise. For no less than half a dozen doctors and physiotherapists, it’s a medical marvel.
Family illness puts Scott in Origin doubt
QUEENSLAND are understood to have plans in place to cover Matt Scott should a family illness prevent him from tackling NSW in State of Origin II.
Choc shock as Blues recall Watmough
NSW coach Ricky Stuart has taken one of the biggest gambles of his career by naming Anthony Watmough for Origin II despite injury.
Time to replay the faith
MITCHELL Pearce will be playing his eighth Origin on June 13, and he now needs to be dominating, argues Paul Kent:
Farah’s fine form punts Buhrer
RICKY Stuart did his best to soften the blow for dumped Manly utility Jamie Buhrer.
Choc vows: I’ll be ready for war
ANTHONY Watmough won’t know until the weekend if he is fit for Origin II, but has declared he would never allow himself to be a liability for the Blues.
Panther Grant answers call
PANTHER Tim Grant has been named in the NSW side for State of Origin II and in doing so has pushed captain Paul Gallen to lock.
Farah forced to play the 80
THREE weeks after being slammed as not being good enough for Origin, hooker Robbie Farah will be asked to play the full 80 minutes in Origin II.
Don’t sell out Test footy for $50K
NIGEL Vagana fears all international footy sides are set to be killed off unless Test jerseys are made more “valuable” to Polynesian players.
Kiwis can’t compete with Origin cash
KIWI coaching great Graham Lowe fears $50,000 Origin match payments could destroy New Zealand’s rugby league competitiveness.
Just plane absurd, claim Cowboys
NSW prop James Tamou is in the thick of an unprecedented itinerary that allows just four nights in his own bed in Townsville over 34 days.
Why I said no to NSW: Lyon
MANLY skipper Jamie Lyon has revealed the reason behind his long-standing reluctance to play representative rugby league.
Best way to lift rep stars’ pay
THE NRL could easily solve the State of Origin player payment row by reducing the size of the salary cap increases for next season.
Harrigan and Raper safe for now
NRL referees boss Bill Harrigan and his assistant Stuart Raper will retain their jobs for now, but the ARL Commission have confirmed they are under scrutiny.
Pressure mounts over Origin pay
BEN Hannant pocketed just $14,000 from last year’s Origin series and pressure is mounting on the ARL Commission to do something about it.
Referees have lost faith in Harrigan
REFEREES coach Bill Harrigan is fighting to save his job after losing the support of the game’s top whistleblowers.
Boyd not frustrated at Knights
DARIUS Boyd says he is happy in Newcastle, but the Knights’ $1.6 million recruit has made just one linebreak in 885 minutes this season.
Stars unite in Origin pay fight
SPORTS-Editor-at-large Phil Rothfield reveals that player anger over their $2m share of the $30m Origin pie could lead to strike action.
Referee benched over blunders
THE video referee who allowed Maroons superstar Greg Inglis to score the most controversial try in Origin history has been stood down by the NRL.
Tamou dodges judiciary date
JAMES Tamou is free to play in Origin II after the Match Review Panel cleared him of a late hit on Benji Marshall.
Song lampoons Maroons recruiting
QUEENSLAND’S exploitation of Origin representative criteria has been well documented but a line in the sand has been drawn.
TEST ORIGIN STORY – Ricky ready to take Origin risks
TEST ORIGIN STORY – NSW coach Ricky Stuart admits he’ll have to take risks at the selection table if the Blues are to end Queensland’s State of Origin dominance.
Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/state-of-origin/page/123