Just over an hour since Laurie Daley named his NSW Blues squad, the coach is set to make a change with revelations Stephen Crichton won’t be fit enough to play.
Nine’s Danny Weidler revealed the news, stating “his shoulder isn’t deemed to be good enough to train during the week”.
Stephen Crichton and the NSW Blues celebrate a try. Getty
Mark Nawaqanitawase could be added to the squad but Weidler said that element was “unconfirmed”.
Crichton scored a try for the Bulldogs and played 80 minutes on Monday against the Eels but it appears his shoulder injury is not good enough for the Origin arena.
Meanwhile, Daley is not overly concerned by the injury cloud hanging over Mitchell Moses ahead of game two, naming the playmaker to return to the halves.
Moses will link up with Penrith star Nathan Cleary, a partnership which Daley expected to take to the field in game one but had to change due to injury.
Mitchell Moses is under an injury cloud. Getty
Moses has been recovering from a hamstring injury since the first Blues camp last month, working with Parramatta trainers to get him back to almost full fitness.
Nine’s cameras spotted Moses undergoing his final fitness preparations before checking into the team hotel earlier on Monday. The Eels shared with NSW staffers that the 31-year-old was progressing well in his recovery.
The training session went for roughly an hour on Monday, and while Daley is confident Moses will start next week, he has called in Isaiya Katoa as a backup.
Ethan Strange, who stood in for Moses in game one, will likely revert to the bench, with Daley electing to name a squad instead of the starting 13 and bench.
“We will be in a position (to name the starting 17) in the next couple of hours,” he said after announcing the teams.
“There are some guys we need a report from. Some have been carrying some niggles and injuries that we need to be on top of.”
Payne Haas takes a carry during the 2025 State of Origin series. Getty
Payne Haas has also returned to the Blues team list after missing out on selection game one due to injury. Daley was excited to have him back.
“Everyone has watched Payne over the last couple of years and seen how important he is for the Broncos,” the Blues coach said.
“He is quite remarkable actually, I don’t think I’ve seen a front-rower move as well as him. To have him back in our team is great.”
Api Koroisau is another familiar face returning to the Blues camp, with Blayke Brailey unavailable to retain his spot due to breaking his arm.
Daley made clear he did not want to take any player in who was “underdone” and expects all players to be training by Wednesday.
As for his reflections on game one, Daley admitted that performance wasn’t good enough.
“When we are at our best, we don’t look anything like that,” he said.
“For us, we need to make sure that we start better than we did – I know that we will. When we did play the way we wanted to, we played well. That excites me.”
NSW won the series opener 22-20, meaning they have a 1-0 lead over the Maroons.
The second game of the series will kick off on Wednesday, June 17.
NSW BLUES SQUAD FOR GAME TWO
Mitchell Barnett, Nathan Cleary, Stephen Crichton/Mark Nawaqanitawase, Addin Fonua-Blake, Payne Haas, Isaiya Katoa, Apisai Koroisau, Tolu Koula, Dylan Lucas, Casey McLean, Mitchell Moses, Cameron Murray, Haumole Olakau’atu, Victor Radley, Reece Robson, Kotoni Staggs, Ethan Strange, James Tedesco, Brian To’o, Isaah Yeo (C), Hudson Young
Coach: Laurie Daley