Crawls backs 19-man NSW and Queensland squads for State Of Origin 2026
State of origin 2026 is already being shaped by selection calls, with Crawls naming predicted 19-man squads for NSW and Queensland before the teams are picked after this weekend's Magic Round. His most pointed choices split the usual debates at fullback, halfback and hooker, where the margins are tight and the omissions are likely to draw the most heat.
Moses and Cleary for NSW
For the Blues, Crawls went against the popular view and paired Mitchell Moses with Nathan Cleary in the halves, while giving Ethan Strange an Origin debut chance in the same squad. He also backed Blayke Brailey at dummy half ahead of Reece Robson, kept Tom Starling on the bench and left Robson off it.
Stephen Crichton did not make that NSW group. Dylan Edwards stayed at fullback ahead of James Tedesco, a call Crawls argued for directly: “This shouldn’t be a debate because dropping Edwards would be madness.”
He added another reason for keeping Edwards in the No 1 jersey. Edwards is ahead of Tedesco in the Dally M Medal count, and Crawls said the Penrith link with Cleary cannot be discounted. “These two have played so much footy together that they instinctively know each other’s next move,” he wrote, while noting Edwards was one of the Blues’ best in last year’s decider despite the result.
Ponga over Walsh for Queensland
Queensland’s projection was just as firm at the back. Crawls named Kalyn Ponga at No 1 ahead of Reece Walsh and Sam Walker at halfback ahead of Tom Dearden, then added a bolter in the centres.
His view on the Maroons’ spine was blunt. “Meanwhile for the Maroons, Kalyn Ponga is a must in the No 1 jersey ahead of Reece Walsh, and it’s a no brainer that Sam Walker takes over from Tom Dearden at halfback.” That leaves Queensland with a different look in two of the most watched positions before the teams are named.
The squad call also carried a clear edge on the NSW wing spots. Crawls said, “No winger in the game starts sets better than the Panthers’ little big man,” and added, “To’o is also a tremendous finisher, which is why I’d have him on the left side outside Latrell.”
Magic Round now sits as the final staging point before the official Origin sides are named, and that is where the selection pressure sharpens. The debate has already narrowed to who holds their place, who gets squeezed out, and which of these projected calls survives once the real teams are picked.
