NSW coach Michael Maguire and Queensland counterpart Billy Slater both will run out with their selected line-ups with no late changes for game one of the State of Origin series at Accor Stadium on Wednesday night. The match starts at 8.05pm and teams have officially been announced an hour before kick-off.
Maguire’s Blues will be 1-17 as selected after he had shot down suggestions he would bring standby player Matt Burton onto his interchange to give his team more versatility after naming four forwards on his bench. Burton and Warriors forward Mitch Barnett were the final two players culled from the NSW line-up with the Canterbury five-eighth remaining on the bench for game night. Felise Kaufusi will be Queensland’s 18th player with Broncos playmaker Ezra Mam the final player omitted.
Slater was agitated about questions surrounding his decision to play Broncos centre Selwyn Cobbo on the bench in case injuries strike his team out wide. The only change to either side after the squads were originally named is James Tedesco lining up at fullback after his late recall on the weekend when Dylan Edwards was ruled out with a thigh injury. More League How they’ll line up Blues 1.
James Tedesco Age: 31 Origins: 22 Origin tries: 7 Who saw this coming? After a quad injury struck his would-be replacement Dylan Edwards, Tedesco heeded NSW’s distress call and will reprise his role as fullback. An out-and-out Blues champion, he only entered camp on Sunday but knows exactly what it mea.
