James Tedesco is back in the frame for NSW’s State of Origin 2026 Game I side as coach Laurie Daley weighs a reshaped team for the series opener. Daley said the Blues will not lock anything in until Sunday night, with the first game under a new six-man bench format pushing selection toward balance as much as reputation.
“I think the way we want to play won’t change, but the way we select might,” Daley said during the week, making clear the new bench rules are already changing the way NSW is building its squad. He said the Blues will have several new faces because Payne Haas, Liam Martin and Tom Trbojevic are unavailable through injury, and added that “all things are still on the table” as players try to force their way in.
The fullback spot is one of the most watched calls. Tedesco, who was dumped as NSW captain and fullback at the start of the 2024 series, has kept the form that earned him last year’s Dally M medal and is again being considered for the No. 1 jersey. Dylan Edwards is also in contention, and the two are closely matched statistically, leaving NSW with a choice that goes well beyond recent history or name value.
Daley’s comments suggest the bench will be just as important as the spine. He said the Blues are weighing “big players versus small mobile players” and asked how many big men to carry, how many lighter players to include, and whether covering the ground better might matter more than loading the bench with size. He also made plain that NSW has discussed whether to carry four front-rowers or three, along with extra lighter players who can play longer minutes.
That is a major shift for a series that has traditionally leaned on power and repetition in the middle. The six-man bench gives selectors fewer places to hide and makes every pick count twice: once for the player on the field and once for the role he can cover if the game changes. Daley said he wants two hookers, with Reece Robson the favourite for the role and Blayke Brailey and Apisai Koroisau among the contenders.
For Tedesco, the timing matters because his form has brought him back into the conversation just as NSW is rethinking what it wants from its bench and backline. For Daley, the challenge is to fit together a side that can handle the opening battle of Game I without the injured stars who would normally shape the plan. The final call is due Sunday night, but the shape of the team is already starting to show.
