Kurt Capewell: Daley to name NSW Game 1 side at 7.30am Monday
kurt capewell headlines Monday morning NSW Blues selection coverage as Laurie Daley names his State of Origin Game 1 team at 7.30am. The main call still hanging over the side is fullback, where James Tedesco and Dylan Edwards have both started the year in fine form.
Daley’s 7.30am call
Daley will settle the full NSW lineup early on Monday, and he has already narrowed the biggest decision to one starting fullback. Only one of Tedesco and Edwards will be picked in the run-on side, even though the other could still be named on the extended bench as cover.
That leaves the Blues with a direct choice at the back before Game 1, with the coach able to keep his other fullback option in reserve if he wants extra insurance. The timing is clear too: the team will be named at 7.30am on Monday, giving the squad its first formal shape of the series build-up.
Tedesco and Edwards
Tedesco and Edwards have both been in fine form to start the year, which is why the call has stayed open this long. Daley has only committed to one of them in the starting team, so the other is fighting not just for a jersey but for a bench role if he misses out on the opening side.
For NSW, that is the sharpest selection squeeze in the squad. One player starts at fullback, one may sit on the extended bench, and the order Daley chooses will shape the rest of the backline decisions around Game 1.
Crichton and Staggs
Zac Lomax has a vacant spot on the wing, and that opens another selection lane that has to be filled alongside the fullback call. Stephen Crichton, the Bulldogs skipper, is part of that discussion, while Kotoni Staggs, who plays for Brisbane, remains in the frame as the Blues sort out the final pieces.
Those are the moving parts that matter most going into Monday morning: the starting fullback, the wing vacancy left by Lomax, and whether Crichton keeps his place ahead of Staggs. Once Daley names the side at 7.30am, the first NSW State of Origin puzzle for Game 1 will finally be set.
