Queensland has named a 20-man squad for the State of Origin decider at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday, July 4.
North Queensland's Matt Bowen will cover for Billy Slater who is under an injury cloud, while Brisbane's Ben Te’o and Melbourne's Dane Nielsen have also been added for the Maroons.
Queensland coach Mal Meninga said he was in no rush to make a decision on Billy Slater, but is confident any of the 20 players named would play well on the night.
In-form Bulldogs fullback Ben Barba can consider himself a little unlucky to miss out on selection, with the Maroons opting for the experience of Bowen and his combination with Johnathan Thurston.
The selection of Nielson also gives Meninga the option of playing Greg Inglis at fullback, with the Rabbitohs star in breath-taking form since making the switch at South Sydney.
Both Queensland and New South Wales named their squads in alphabetical order, deciding to play ducks-and-drapes with their line-ups ahead of the most anticipated Origin game in recent memory.
The Queensland 20-man squad to take on New South Wales is:
Matt Bowen
Darius Boyd
Petero Civoniceva
Cooper Cronk
Matt Gillett
Ben Hannant
Justin Hodges
Greg Inglis
Nate Myles
Dane Neilsen
Corey Parker
Matt Scott
David Shillington
Billy Slater
Cameron Smith
Brent Tate
David Taylor
Ben Te’o
Sam Thaiday
Johnathan Thurston
