NSW Blues State of Origin team 2020: Final 17 all but confirmed for opener
It’s easily the most contentious position in the NSW squad and one Brad Fittler has agonised over. Two players with justifiable claims to partner Nathan Cleary in the halves for Origin 1 next week.
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Sydney Roosters champion Luke Keary has overtaken South Sydney star Cody Walker at the eleventh hour and is expected to make his NSW debut when a 21-man Blues squad is named on Thursday.
And News Corp understands another NSW debutant, Parramatta prop Junior Paulo, will steamroll his way into the Blues squad for State of Origin I in Adelaide next Wednesday.
A late-season form surge had Walker as the Blues five-eighth frontrunner but it now appears the plucky Keary has claimed the mantle as NSW’s premier No. 6 for game one.
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Keary and Panthers star Nathan Cleary will form the NSW halves. Unbelievably, through horribly-timed injuries, the ever-consistent Keary has never played a match for NSW.
Walker, as close as he was to selection, may also miss out on a bench position.
Paulo is ready to bulldoze into the NSW front-row after a powerful season at Parramatta where his footwork and offload grabbed the attention of NSW’s coaching staff.
Newcastle’s Daniel Saifiti and Parramatta’s Reagan Campbell-Gillard are in fierce competition for the other starting prop spot. Saifiti may be narrowly in front.
The Roosters’ Daniel Tupou may be ever-so-slightly ahead of Canberra’s Nick Cotric for a wing spot with NSW’s centres to be Canberra’s Jack Wighton and Parramatta’s Clint Gutherson.
The bench remains open with Campbell-Gillard, Ryan Papenhuyzen, Cam McInnes, Payne Haas, Cam Murray, Isaah Yeo and Angus Crichton lining up for spots.
Despite carrying a knee injury, NSW will name James Tedesco on Thursday before putting the Roosters superstar through a rigorous fitness test on Saturday. Those close to Tedesco believe he will play although Papenhuyzen is on standby.
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Papenhuyzen is battling with McInnes for a bench spot. Damien Cook, Boyd Cordner, Jake Trbojevic and Tyson Frizell will comprise the bulk of NSW’s starting pack.
Fittler is expected to announce his side at 3pm on Thursday ahead of next week’s series opener in South Australia. Three Origin games in 14 days have NSW officials closely monitoring each player’s physical and mental wellbeing.
NSW will fly in and out of Adelaide on Wednesday to avoid any COVID complications. The Blues will leave Bankstown Airport on a charter flight mid-morning next Wednesday.
The team has been granted approval to check into an Adelaide CBD hotel on arrival for some lunch, massages and afternoon sleep. Team officials are calling the hotel stop over a ‘day camp’. After just a few hours at the hotel, the team will board the team bus for Adelaide Oval.
After the match, players will head straight back to the airport for a return flight, the team to stay at Sydney Olympic Park that night before heading back to their Central Coast base on Thursday.
Players will undergo recovery at the nearby NSWRL Centre of Excellence. NSW will set up in Sydney two days before each of the three games. All 27 squad members will travel.
It is unlikely NSW will be permitted a pre-game ‘day camp’ before Origin III in Queensland.
Likely NSW side: James Tedesco, Daniel Tupou, Jack Wighton, Clint Gutherson, Josh Addo-Carr, Luke Keary, Nathan Cleary, Daniel Saifiti, Damien Cook, Junior Paulo, Boyd Cordner (capt), Tyson Frizell, Jake Trbojevic. Possible bench: Cam Murray, Isaah Yeo/Angus Crichton, Ryan Papenhuyzen/Cam McInnes, Reagan Campbell-Gillard/Payne Hass
HALVES AT WAR: WHEN NSW HOPEFULS SLUGGED IT OUT
Nick Walshaw
Cody Walker has no issue with the bloke who branded him disrespectful.
“Nah,” he laughs. “That’s just banter.
“It’s normal.”
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Which is just as well, right?
Especially given the fella who delivered said sledge — Roosters No.6 Luke Keary — is now with him in the ‘Blues Bubble’ for almost all of November.
Indeed, with all respect to James Tedesco’s left knee, the bigger question facing NSW Origin coach Brad Fittler is who wears that coveted No.6 jersey — Walker or Keary?
While Fittler will name the Blues side for Origin I on Thursday, the shortened nature of this year’s event — coupled with it being played at the end of a torrid NRL season — has many convinced those who start the three-game series may not necessarily finish it.
Yet while the Blues No.6 issue has divided rugby league greats — with no less than Andrew Johns and Laurie Daley arguing opposing views — Walker stresses there is no ongoing beef between the two contenders themselves.
Back in 2016, the pair actually partnered up in the South Sydney halves.
A bond which seemed gone last year, however, when Keary slammed Walker as “disrespectful” following their heated season-opener at the SCG, eventually won by Souths 26-16.
During the match, it was alleged Walker threw a “traitor” sledge at Angus Crichton — who like Keary quit South Sydney for their neighbouring arch rivals — before then getting involved in a scuffle with Roosters No.7 Cooper Cronk.
Afterwards Keary was quoted saying of his old halves partner: “One bloke wants to carry on and be a bit disrespectful.
“Everyone who plays the game knows that’s how he plays it.
“It’s fine if he wants to go around doing that, it will come back to him.”
Yet when reminded of said incident in NSW camp this week, Walker laughed and said there were no lingering problems between the pair.
So no need to hug it out then?
“Not at all,” he said. “We speak a fair bit.
“We’re not together every single second of the day (in camp) but we have a good group here and spend a fair bit of time together. Everything is normal.”
Walker then suggested he actually had Keary to thank for his first NRL jersey — “I debuted when he was suspended” — before adding the pair also played “five or six weeks together” that same year after Adam Reynolds busted his jaw.
“So I understand the situation I’m in,” Walker continued of his battle to retain the Blues No.6 jersey.
“Luke’s won competitions, is an awesome competitor and has probably been the number one five-eighth in the game for the last couple of years.
“He’s proved he shows up in the big games, too.
“So he certainly deserves a shot.
“And I know where I stand. I’m quite comfortable with that, too.
“If I get an opportunity, I’ll be ready.”
Elsewhere, Walker stressed he would be a far different Origin player this year compared to the one whose 2019 debut saw him hooked in the second half, and then dumped for the rest of the series.
While the Souths star also made headlines after staying silent through Advance Australia Fair with other indigenous players, he stressed this week the issue had no impact on his performance.
“That other stuff didn’t effect how I played,” he said.
So what did?
“Wish I knew,” he shrugged.
“But once you’ve been in a situation before, you can handle it differently.
“I had a lot of disappointment last year but that builds a bit of resilience. So I will definitely do things differently if the chance comes around again.”
Originally published as NSW Blues State of Origin team 2020: Final 17 all but confirmed for opener
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