Laurie Daley will name his NSW State of Origin team for Game 1 at 7.30am Monday, with the biggest call still hanging over fullback. Daley has already said only one of James Tedesco and Dylan Edwards will be picked in the starting side.
The choice leaves NSW with a straight fight between two in-form fullbacks for the opening match of the series. Daley could still keep the other on the extended bench as cover, which would give the Blues experience if a late change is needed.
The fullback call is the one drawing the most attention, but it is not the only vacancy Daley has to fill. Zac Lomax has an open spot on the wing, while Stephen Crichton, the Bulldogs skipper, is part of the selection picture alongside Brisbane’s Kotoni Staggs.
That mix leaves Daley with a side that still needs final shape before Monday morning, even if the broad frame is already clear. NSW’s opening-game team will be judged not just on who starts, but on how much strike power and cover Daley decides to carry into a contest that often turns on one injured body or one wrong read.
The unresolved fullback duel between Tedesco and Edwards has become the headline because both have done enough to make the call difficult, and because Daley’s answer will signal how he wants NSW to play from the first kick of Game 1. If he backs one in the run-on side and leaves the other on the extended bench, it would be a clear sign he wants insurance without giving up experience.
By 7.30am Monday, the debate will be over and the Blues will have their starting team. Until then, the last big question in NSW selection is whether Daley prizes one proven No. 1, or keeps a second fullback close enough to call on if the series opener starts to go sideways.
