New South Wales will be without Stephen Crichton for State of Origin II after the Canterbury centre was ruled out with a shoulder injury.
Crichton has carried the AC joint problem for several weeks and got through 80 minutes in the Bulldogs’ win over Parramatta on Monday but will not be part of Laurie Daley’s side’s preparation for the MCG.
Sydney Roosters winger Mark Nawaqanitawase has been added to the squad with Tolu Koula and Casey McLean in line to replace Crichton at left centre.
Daley will confirm his exact line up on Tuesday morning but will almost certainly roll the dice on the fitness of Mitchell Moses after recalling the Parramatta captain.
Moses was named in Daley’s squad on Monday despite having failed to play for the Eels since he was ruled out of the May 27 series opener in Sydney less than 48 hours before kick-off.
The Parramatta playmaker suffered a minor hamstring strain in the lead-up to game one and was replaced at five-eighth by Canberra’s Ethan Strange.
Strange played a key role in the Blues’ 22-20 victory but Moses’s inclusion is expected to force the Canberra youngster to the bench for next Wednesday’s clash at the MCG.
Dolphins halfback Isaiya Katoa has been called into the NSW squad as a reserve and will be on stand-by should Moses fail to prove his fitness.
Provided he encounters no further issues, Moses is likely to partner halfback Nathan Cleary as NSW look to clinch the series with a game to spare.
“If he finishes all his protocol for his hamstring, he’ll be fine to play,” said Eels coach Jason Ryles after his side’s 14-12 loss to Canterbury on Monday.
“He didn’t make it this week but had we been playing on Saturday or Sunday this week, I’m pretty confident he’d be playing for us.”
Despite the Blues’ struggling through the series opener until Kalyn Ponga’s second-half send-off, Daley has resisted wholesale changes.
Daley released his team in alphabetical order on Monday evening and has brought just three fresh faces into his 20-man squad, with Origin rookie Katoa joined in the NSW set-up by Brisbane prop Payne Haas.
Broncos front-rower Haas will vie with Mitch Barnett and Addin Fonua-Blake for the two starting prop berths, with Newcastle’s Jacob Saifiti dropping out of Daley’s squad as a result of Haas’s return.
Wests Tigers’ Api Koroisau replaces injured Cronulla hooker Blayke Brailey and is in line for his first Origin appearance since 2023.
Earlier, it was Crichton’s goal following a controversial penalty in the 76th minute that delivered Canterbury their victory over Parramatta.
Eels hooker Tallyn Da Silva was penalised for a high tackle on Bulldogs five-eighth Matt Burton as the blue and whites pushed for an equaliser.
The tackle initially escaped the notice of referee Todd Smith but after Burton failed to rise to play the ball the Bunker intervened, Da Silva was penalised and placed on report before Crichton made no mistake with the long-range penalty.
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