{"id":489097,"date":"2026-02-19T01:51:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T01:51:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/489097\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T01:51:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T01:51:12","slug":"predicted-nsw-blues-qld-maroons-teams-amid-eligibility-changes-addin-fonua-blake-victor-radley-briton-nikora-aj-brimson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/489097\/","title":{"rendered":"Predicted NSW Blues, QLD Maroons teams amid eligibility changes, Addin Fonua-Blake, Victor Radley, Briton Nikora, AJ Brimson"},"content":{"rendered":"

The new eligibility changes will allow NSW and Queensland to pick some new stars<\/a> to bolster their Origin squads, but which players are a realistic chance of cracking the teams? <\/p>\n

Foxsports.com.au canvased the newly eligible players, injured players from last year and new and old contenders to pick some way too early Origin teams for 2026.<\/p>\n

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The Blues have six new players to choose from this season after the eligibility changes, while the Maroons have three.<\/p>\n

But which of the of the nine new faces Laurie Daley and Billy Slater can pick from will actually break into the teams? <\/p>\n

Read on for the predicted Blues and Maroons teams for Origin I. <\/p>\n

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Reece Robson out for two months | 00:32<\/p>\n

NSW BLUES <\/p>\n

Incumbents: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Brian To\u2019o 3. Stephen Crichton 4. Latrell Mitchell 5. Zac Lomax 6. Jarome Luai 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Max King 9. Reece Robson 10. Payne Haas 11. Liam Martin 12. Angus Crichton 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Connor Watson 15. Spencer Leniu 16. Hudson Young 17. Stefano Utoikamanu 18. Jacob Kiraz<\/p>\n

Contenders: James Tedesco, Tom Trbojevic, Josh Addo-Carr, Bradman Best, Campbell Graham, Matt Burton, Mitchell Moses, Isaiya Katoa, Terrell May, Keaon Koloamatangi, Mitch Barnett, Lindsay Smith, Blayke Brailey, Api Koroisau, Jacob Preston, Haumole Olakau\u2019atu, Cameron Murray<\/p>\n

Newly eligible: Victor Radley, Addin Fonua-Blake, Casey McLean, Phoenix Crossland, Jeremy Marshall-King, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak <\/p>\n

England star Victor Radley would be a chance to come into the Blues team.Source: Supplied<\/p>\n

Analysis: Of the newly eligible players Sharks star Addin Fonua-Blake would walk into the Blues team and partner Payne Haas up front, with incumbent Max King dropping out. Victor Radley has been a part of Blues squads in the past and would be a big chance to make the bench given his versatility and ferocious approach, which is tailor made for Origin. Casey McLean would be a chance to break into the centres in the coming years. Phoenix Crossland and Jeremy Marshall-King wouldn\u2019t let anyone down in a Blues jersey, but at this stage there are a number of hookers ahead of them in the pecking order and the same goes for Dallin Watene-Zelezniak on the wing. Dally M Medal winner James Tedesco replaces incumbent Dylan Edwards at fullback, with Tom Trbojevic replacing the in limbo Zac Lomax on the wing. Mitchell Moses returns from injury to replace incumbent Jarome Luai at five-eighth. Blayke Brailey starts at hooker, with incumbent Reece Robson shifting to the bench given his broken hand may deny him a chance to really push for re-selection in the starting team while Connor Watson drops out. Kangaroos star Keaon Koloamatangi and injured pair Mitch Barnett and Cameron Murray come onto the bench, with incumbents Spencer Leniu and Stefano Utoikamanu dropping out. <\/p>\n

MORE NRL NEWS<\/p>\n

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AFB EXCITED for new Origin Eligibility | 02:54<\/p>\n

PREDICTED NSW BLUES TEAM 2026 <\/p>\n

1. James Tedesco<\/p>\n

2. Brian To\u2019o <\/p>\n

3. Stephen Crichton <\/p>\n

4. Latrell Mitchell<\/p>\n

5. Tom Trbojevic <\/p>\n

6. Mitchell Moses <\/p>\n

7. Nathan Cleary<\/p>\n

8. Addin Fonua-Blake (New Zealand)<\/p>\n

9. Blayke Brailey <\/p>\n

10. Payne Haas<\/p>\n

11. Liam Martin<\/p>\n

12. Angus Crichton <\/p>\n

13. Isaah Yeo (c)<\/p>\n

14. Reece Robson <\/p>\n

15. Keaon Koloamatangi<\/p>\n

16. Hudson Young<\/p>\n

17. Mitch Barnett<\/p>\n

18. Victor Radley (England) <\/p>\n

19. Cameron Murray <\/p>\n

Former Kiwis star Addin Fonua-Blake would walk into the Blues side.Source: AAP<\/p>\n

Get all the latest news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports NRL Sportmail. Sign up now!!! <\/a><\/p>\n

QLD MAROONS<\/p>\n

Incumbents: 1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2. Xavier Coates 3. Robert Toia 4. Gehamat Shibasaki 5. Valentine Holmes 6. Cameron Munster 7. Tom Dearden 8. Josh Papalii 9. Harry Grant 10. Tino Fa\u2019asuamaleaui 11. Reuben Cotter 12. Kurt Capewell 13. Trent Loiero 14. Kurt Mann 15. Lindsay Collins 16. Patrick Carrigan 17. Jeremiah Nanai 18. Reece Walsh<\/p>\n

Contenders: Kalyn Ponga, Isaiah Iongi, Xavier Savage, Selwyn Cobbo, Dane Gagai, Jack Howarth, Ezra Mam, Sam Walker, Daly Cherry-Evans, Thomas Flegler, Felise Kaufusi, Moeaki Fotuaika, Jai Arrow, Coen Hess, Ben Hunt, Reed Mahoney, Tom Gilbert, Beau Fermor, David Fifita, Corey Horsburgh, Brendan Piakura, Jaydn Su\u2019A, Kobe Hetherington, J\u2019maine Hopgood <\/p>\n

Newly eligible: AJ Brimson, Jason Taumalolo, Briton Nikora <\/p>\n

England fullback AJ Brimson is back in contention for the Maroons.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n

Analysis: Of the newly eligible players New Zealand star Briton Nikora is the most likely to break into the back row for Queensland. Jason Taumalolo\u2019s time has passed unless injuries strike, while AJ Brimson is probably behind Ezra Mam, Kalyn Ponga and Ben Hunt as a bench utility. Reece Walsh comes into the team as the incumbent Kangaroos fullback after missing last year\u2019s series through injury, with incumbent No.1 Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow switching to the centres and Gehamat Shibasaki dropping out. Reuben Cotter shifts to prop for the retired Josh Papalii, who is unlikely to be called up again unless injuries strike. David Fifita joins Nikora in a brand new second row pairing, provided he can get back to his best under Wayne Bennett at Souths, with incumbent Kurt Capewell dropping out. Patrick Carrigan replaces Trent Loiero at lock, after he was surprisingly benched last year. Ezra Mam will be the new utility after his grand final heroics, with Kurt Mann the unlucky incumbent bench star to miss out. Corey Horsburgh and injured stars Tom Gilbert and Kalyn Ponga come onto the bench. <\/p>\n

2026 SEASON PREVIEWS<\/p>\n

DOLPHINS: They are the ultimate entertainers… but can\u2019t ignore darker reality<\/a><\/p>\n

EELS: Ruthless roster calls sent a clear message… now revolution faces its biggest test<\/a><\/p>\n

TITANS: Big roster question for new coach… and $12m mistake he can\u2019t afford to make<\/a><\/p>\n

New Zealand star Briton Nikora is a chance to come into the Queensland team.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n

PREDICTED QLD MAROONS TEAM 2026<\/p>\n

1. Reece Walsh<\/p>\n

2. Xavier Coates <\/p>\n

3. Robert Toia<\/p>\n

4. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow<\/p>\n

5. Valentine Holmes <\/p>\n

6. Cameron Munster (c)<\/p>\n

7. Tom Dearden<\/p>\n

8. Reuben Cotter<\/p>\n

9. Harry Grant <\/p>\n

10. Tino Fa\u2019asuamaleaui<\/p>\n

11. Briton Nikora (New Zealand)<\/p>\n

12. David Fifita <\/p>\n

13. Patrick Carrigan <\/p>\n

14. Ezra Mam <\/p>\n

15. Lindsay Collins <\/p>\n

16. Corey Horsburgh <\/p>\n

17. Jeremiah Nanai <\/p>\n

18. Tom Gilbert<\/p>\n

19. Kalyn Ponga <\/p>\n

AFB speaks on Origin Eligibility… | 01:31<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The new eligibility changes will allow NSW and Queensland to pick some new stars to bolster their Origin…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":489098,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[4614,64,63,689,21686,78637,11170,247203,247202,4567,5079,5084,4438,4568,4457,4430,4424,4509,4591,246529,175733,1208,2057,21683,18739,247205,653,140189,23622,247199,56528,5094,4449,4569,4555,4592,4575,4494,4415,4582,39262,28080,4451,17340,22334,4487,4470,1082,6406,4434,4601,4746,3502,10750,22326,761,762,1736,3583,158,677,247038,244781,22329,13390,247201,11739,13391,4542,217335,38794,247204,247200,4478,240012,85,4546,1080,11740,52510,776,15899,4535,4548,4412,4534,1651,247046],"class_list":{"0":"post-489097","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nrl","8":"tag-addin-fonua-blake","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-australia-and-new-zealand","12":"tag-ben-hunt","13":"tag-bench-utility","14":"tag-billy-slater","15":"tag-broken-hand","16":"tag-burton","17":"tag-cameron-munster","18":"tag-cameron-murray","19":"tag-campbell-graham","20":"tag-casey-mclean","21":"tag-connor-watson","22":"tag-corey-horsburgh","23":"tag-daly-cherry-evans","24":"tag-dane-gagai","25":"tag-david-fifita","26":"tag-dylan-edwards","27":"tag-eligibility-changes","28":"tag-eligible-players","29":"tag-england","30":"tag-europe","31":"tag-ezra-mam","32":"tag-felise-kaufusi","33":"tag-forgotten-enforcer","34":"tag-fox-sports-news","35":"tag-grand-final-heroics","36":"tag-grant","37":"tag-halves-bolter","38":"tag-injuries-strike","39":"tag-isaah-yeo","40":"tag-jmaine","41":"tag-jack-howarth","42":"tag-jacob-kiraz","43":"tag-jacob-preston","44":"tag-jahrome-hughes","45":"tag-jai-arrow","46":"tag-james-tedesco","47":"tag-jarome-luai","48":"tag-jason-taumalolo","49":"tag-jeremy-marshall-king","50":"tag-josh-addo-carr","51":"tag-josh-papalii","52":"tag-kobe-hetherington","53":"tag-kurt-capewell","54":"tag-kurt-mann","55":"tag-latrell-mitchell","56":"tag-laurie-daley","57":"tag-lindsay-smith","58":"tag-manly-sea-eagles","59":"tag-mark-st-john","60":"tag-max-king","61":"tag-mitch-barnett","62":"tag-mitchell-moses","63":"tag-national-rugby-league","64":"tag-nationalrugbyleague","65":"tag-new-zealand","66":"tag-northern-europe","67":"tag-nrl","68":"tag-oceania","69":"tag-origin-kieran-foran","70":"tag-origin-eligibility","71":"tag-patrick-carrigan","72":"tag-payne-haas","73":"tag-realistic-chance","74":"tag-reece-robson","75":"tag-reece-walsh","76":"tag-robert-toia","77":"tag-row-pairing","78":"tag-rule-change","79":"tag-ruthless-roster-calls","80":"tag-salary-cap-headache","81":"tag-sam-walker","82":"tag-season-previews","83":"tag-sports","84":"tag-stephen-crichton","85":"tag-sydney-roosters","86":"tag-team-news","87":"tag-thomas-flegler","88":"tag-tom-dearden","89":"tag-tom-gilbert","90":"tag-tom-trbojevic","91":"tag-trent-loiero","92":"tag-valentine-holmes","93":"tag-victor-radley","94":"tag-wayne-bennett","95":"tag-world-club-challenge-live"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=489097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489097\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/489098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=489097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=489097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=489097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}