The NSW Blues will try to save lots of face on house soil, whereas ruthless Queensland can full a uncommon 3-0 whitewash in Game 3 of the 2023 State of Origin at Sydney’s Accor Stadium on Wednesday evening.
The warmth is on the Blues — particularly their coach Brad Fittler and captain James Tedesco — as NSW goal to keep away from the primary Origin sequence sweep in 13 years. The Maroons, in the meantime, proceed to thrive beneath Billy Slater and could also be sending off skipper Daly Cherry-Evans who, at 34, has admitted he’s weighing up his worldwide future.
Follow under for all the most recent news and build-up all through the day, and dwell protection of the match tonight, starting at 8.05pm AEST.
Watch each recreation of each spherical of the 2023 NRL Telstra Premiership Season LIVE on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >>>
ULTIMATE GUIDE: Everything it’s good to find out about Origin Game III
TEAMS: State of Origin crew lists for each NSW and Queensland
KICK-OFF: What time will State of Origin Game II truly begin?
ENTERTAINMENT: Who is the pre-game leisure forward of Origin III
Get all the most recent NRL news, highlights and evaluation delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!
BLUES LATE SWITCH ‘WON’T HAPPEN’
There had been rising hypothesis the Blues would pull a late choice shock by selling Panthers prop Spencer Leniu from nineteenth man into the 17, probably on the expense of both Damien Cook or Clint Gutherson.
Fittler bluntly shut down the likelihood on Tuesday and Daily Telegraph reporter David Riccio reported on NRL 360 the Blues coach was not foxing.
“It won’t happen. The Blues will be 1-17,” Riccio mentioned. “… there was certainly some suggestions that (Leniu) could be a late inclusion but all my discussions today with Blues officials indicate that he will miss out and it will be that same side that they named.”
Fellow Daily Telegraph reporter Paul Crawley mentioned it will have been “shameful” for the Blues to drop a participant who had missed a membership recreation and been named to play, whereas former NSW hooker Michael Ennis agreed it was the suitable resolution to stay with the present crew.
“I felt like Spencer is not far away, I think we all agree. That interchange impact role I think he is probably the best in the game,” Ennis mentioned.
“But when I heard the noise about him coming in to the side I thought ‘I hope not’. I felt like when they named that 17 that those blokes deserve to play on Wednesday night.“We probably didn’t need any disruptions close to the game.”
Freddy all smiles forward of huge problem | 08:18
UNDER-PRESSURE TEDDY ’HAS TO PLAY WELL’
Ennis, in the meantime, has admitted NSW Blues skipper Tedesco in all probability must make a press release if he’s to retain the No.1 jersey subsequent yr.
The 30-year-old Sydney Roosters star has been off his finest this sequence and there have been requires NSW to offer the job to the likes of Latrell Mitchell, Tom Trbojevic or Clive Churchill medallist Dylan Edwards.
“He has got to play well, there’s no doubt about that and jeez you’d be brave to write him off,” Ennis mentioned.
“What he’s been able to do in this game, particularly at this level, particularly in front of his home fans at Accor (Stadium).”
“He has to play well, it has been a year we didn’t expect from James Tedesco even at the Roosters.
“He has just been uncharacteristically quiet, and I feel like the Roosters form has somewhat seeped into his game at representative level.
“I still have no doubt he plays well tomorrow night, I think he has a big game.”
Maroons eyeing off Origin clear sweep | 04:06
QLD GREAT TELLS BLUES HALVES THE PRESSURE IS OFF
The Blues’ new halves mixture of Mitch Moses and Cody Walker has an enormous job forward to salvage a win out of this sequence — however QLD nice Corey Parker believes the duo ought to let it go and simply have enjoyable.
Moses changed the injured Nathan Cleary in Game 2 whereas South Sydney veteran Walker will play his first recreation of the sequence. Parker mentioned there was each likelihood neither participant would determine for the Blues subsequent yr, and the gamers ought to method Wednesday evening with nothing to lose.”
“I look at it a bit differently,” Parker mentioned. “Cody Walker is 33 years of age, he’s at the back-end of his career, he’s not going to be in a Blues jersey for a long period of time. Go out there and have a bit of fun, which is what we see him do for Souths.
“.. and Mitch Moses. To be fair, if Nathan Cleary is fit, Mitch Moses doesn’t get to play No.7 again so same thing — go out there and have some fun. Mitch can be the best player on the park and brain it, but he’s not playing 7 next year, that’s the cold, hard reality of it.
“So he’s on a hiding to nothing — go out there and have some fun. That would be my message to them.”
Source: www.foxsports.com.au