Dylan Edwards has been left out of Laurie Daley’s side for State of Origin Game 1, with James Tedesco chosen at fullback instead as the Blues reshaped their lineup for Wednesday’s series opener.
The call ends Edwards’ run as the incumbent option in the No. 1 jersey after he played all three games in last year’s State of Origin series loss. It is also a sharp turn for a player who has scored nine tries in 11 games for Penrith this season and has been one of the club’s most reliable performers.
Penrith coach Ivan Cleary did not hide how tight the decision was. He said it was “a contentious selection and obviously a close one” and added that Edwards has been “playing awesome.” Cleary also said Edwards could use the snub as motivation, saying everyone knows how well he is going and that the omission might give him “a little bit more fire.”
The context around the decision is familiar. Edwards has long been viewed as a serious contender for the Blues fullback role, while his combination with Nathan Cleary has helped Penrith win four NRL premierships. Daley, though, opted for experience in Tedesco as he named his squad for Game 1, which will be played in Sydney on Wednesday.
The timing matters for Penrith as much as it does for NSW. Brian To’o, Isaah Yeo, Nathan Cleary and Casey McLean are also in the Blues squad, and the Panthers face the Warriors on Sunday at CommBank Stadium before a Sunday night match after the Origin game. The club’s immediate challenge is obvious: work out how many of those Origin players can back up and how much is left in their legs.
Cleary said the setup is different from the usual Origin week because the match is in Sydney and Penrith have a Sunday night game, making it “probably the best chance” for the Origin players to back up. Even then, he said the club would need to be flexible. “As usual we will have a bunch of different plans,” he said. “The game will be played on Wednesday and we will work out what we are going to do after that.”
For Edwards, the decision is a setback, but not a verdict. He remains one of the most in-form fullbacks in the competition, and the Blues have chosen to go another way for now. The bigger test comes on the field in Sydney on Wednesday, where Tedesco gets the start and Edwards is left to answer the omission the hard way.
