NSW has received a major boost with Ethan Strange cleared to take his place on the bench in Wednesday’s State of Origin decider.
Strange rolled his ankle last week and was told he needed to get through Monday’s session, with medical staff clearing him for game three at Suncorp Stadium.
It’s a great result for the Blues given how well he played on debut at five-eighth in Origin I, with standby player Matt Burton to return to Sydney where he can prepare for the Bulldogs’ game against Strange’s Raiders on Saturday.
Meanwhile, there’s positive news for the Wests Tigers after scans revealed skipper Api Koroisau will only miss four games with a pec strain.
There were fears that he’d torn it and would miss the rest of the season, but he is expected to return after the round 23 bye for their game against the Dragons.
Koroisau left the field in the second half during the loss to the Dragons on Saturday night, with the Tigers now four points outside the top eight and needing to go on a big run without their best player if they are to end their finals drought.
“Api Koroisau will be out for four weeks with a pectoral muscle strain,” the club posted on X.
“Scans taken on Sunday have revealed a low-grade strain of the muscle tendon junction following Saturday night’s game against the Dragons. Wishing our skip all the best in his recovery.”