Laurie Daley Faces Crucial Decision on NSW Spine
Laurie Daley is facing a tough decision regarding the composition of his New South Wales (NSW) spine as Mitchell Moses remains sidelined due to a hamstring injury that kept him out of the State of Origin series opener. Moses will not be available for any games before Daley finalizes his squad for Origin II, which is set to take place in Melbourne on June 17. This comes after he was omitted from the Parramatta team list for their King’s Birthday clash with Canterbury on Monday.
Moses suffered a minor hamstring strain during the Blues’ penultimate training session, which ultimately ruled him out of the NSW’s 22-20 victory over Queensland in Sydney. Despite this setback, Daley has expressed confidence in Moses’ long kicking game and has indicated that, if fit, the Parramatta captain would be included in the squad for the second game.
However, whether Daley takes the risk of selecting Moses without a lead-in game remains uncertain. Moses was replaced by Canberra’s promising talent, Ethan Strange, in the first match, and his absence raises questions about the team’s strategy moving forward.
The impact of Moses’ absence is somewhat balanced by the return of several key players in Daley’s squad. Tolu Koula, who received NRL clearance to play after suffering a concussion in the first Origin game, and Haumole Olakau’atu are back for Manly’s match against South Sydney on Thursday. Souths also welcome back David Fifita, hooker Brandon Smith, and centre Campbell Graham.
In Friday’s games, Daine Laurie moves to the centre for Canberra as the Raiders face a Sydney Roosters team that has named acrobatic winger Mark Nawaqanitawase on the reserves following his recovery from an ankle injury.
The absence of Nick Meaney, who is dealing with a calf injury, has created an opportunity for Manaia Waitere to start in the centres for Melbourne against a Newcastle side that has deployed Fletcher Sharpe at five-eighth. Meanwhile, centre Herbie Farnworth and five-eighth Kodi Nikorima return from hamstring injuries for the Dolphins as they take on North Queensland.
In Saturday’s later game, Ezra Mam has been benched by Brisbane as they face Gold Coast. After resting Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, and Brian To’o in the previous week, Penrith has named their trio of Blues stars for Sunday’s clash with Wests Tigers.
Elsewhere, Jayden Berrell starts at hooker for Cronulla following Blayke Brailey’s arm break, as St George Illawarra travel to Shark Park. Hooker Jacob Liddle is named on the bench for the Dragons, who ended their losing streak with a win over Brisbane last Sunday.
