On the back of Nathan Cleary’s latest hamstring injury, the battered Blues will be forced to call on their fourth different halves combination in as many matches when they open the Origin series at home on June 5.
With Cleary sidelined for the entire series, Parramatta halfback Mitch Moses is firming to wear the No.7 jersey, as he did in Game 3 last year when the Blues saved face with a 24-10 victory in Sydney.
Moses hasn’t played since fracturing his foot in Round 3 but is in contention for the Eels’ clash with the Storm this weekend before a Round 12 showdown with Cody Walker, the man he partnered in the halves in Origin 3 last year.
After starting last year’s series with Penrith’s premiership-winning duo of Cleary and Jarome Luai, the Blues turned to Moses for Game Two with Cleary sidelined by a hamstring injury.
With Walker battling for form in a struggling Rabbitohs outfit, the Blues No.6 jersey could come down to a race between Luai, Nicho Hynes and Luke Keary, who has been in great touch for the rampaging Roosters.
Cleary suffers recurrence of hamstring injury
Keary and Blues coach Michael Maguire shared premiership glory with the Rabbitohs in 2014, and with eight try assists in nine games this season the 32-year-old is one of the NRL’s form playmakers.
Hynes produced nine try assists and 13 tackle breaks to steer the Sharks to five wins on the trot before calf tightness forced him out of the Round 10 win over Melbourne, hardly the ideal scenario with Origin One looming large.
A horror weekend for Blues Origin aspirants started on Thursday night with Tom Trbojevic suffering a hamstring injury against the Dolphins.
Tedesco gets brilliant offload to Tom Trbojevic for his hat-trick
Since dominating the 2019 series playing at centre, ‘Turbo’ has played just five of a possible 12 Origins, leaving a gaping hole in the Blues backline.
He missed the 2022 series with a shoulder injury before returning for Game One in 2023 and running for 137 metres in a narrow loss in Adelaide.
His wretched run continued in Game Two when he lasted just three minutes before suffering a torn pectoral muscle and his latest hamstring injury has ruled him out for at least seven weeks.
Also among the Blues’ walking wounded are Cameron Murray (hip), Ryan Papenhuyzen (ankle), Clint Gutherson (knee), Campbell Graham (sternum) and Adam Reynolds (biceps), while first-choice hooker Api Koroisau is battling a back injury, although he did return to action for Wests Tigers in Tamworth after missing Round 9.
As Maguire weighs his options with two rounds to go before he names his side, it may well be the table topping Sharks who loom as the saviours, with a number of their stars making undeniable cases for a Blues jersey.
80 minutes, 50 tackles, 9 hitups
Apart from Hynes, who seems certain to figure in the squad provided his calf comes good, workhorse lock Cameron McInnes and centre Jesse Ramien are also in the frame, while Siosifa Talakai looks to be back to the form that won him two Blues caps off the bench in 2022.
Shifted to hooker as part of the reshuffle after Hynes’ late withdrawal from the Storm game, McInnes came up with 50 tackles and nine runs in a stirring 80-minute performance that earned rave reviews from coach Craig Fitzgibbon.
“As far as Origin qualities go, what more do you want in a player there? Cam can actually play a number of different roles there at that level too,” said Fitzgibbon, a veteran of 11 Origins for NSW.
“I think he’s displayed Origin-like qualities for a long time now, so I’d love to see him get a crack, but ultimately the selection process – you’ve got to respect the fact there’s a number of candidates there.
“The way some of them are going they wouldn’t let anyone down, put it that way.
“The experience they gain, obviously playing at the elite level, I think it’s beneficial for your team by the time they come back.
Blues v Maroons – Game 3, 2023
“Yeah, there’s a bit of work to do in and around the period when you lose players but it’s worth it because they get better from the experience.
"Who doesn’t want to have the privilege of coaching someone who ends up playing Origin? I think it would be awesome for them.”
With the Sharks sitting pretty at 8-1 heading into Magic Round there's little doubt Fitzgibbon will be packing some of his stars off to Origin camp in a fortnight - just how many will depend on Hynes coming through two tough games against the Roosters and Panthers unscathed and the Blues casualty ward not filling up any further.
