Dylan Edwards axed, Latrell rules himself out, Tolu Koula gets nod

Dylan Edwards looks set to lose his NSW No.1 jersey to James Tedesco for Origin I.

Latrell Mitchell has also ruled himself out of the first game against Queensland with a back injury, while Manly speedster Tolu Koula’s name will be read out by Blues coach Laurie Daley at the official team announcement on Monday morning.

Sources with knowledge of the situation not authorised to speak publicly confirmed that Daley broke the news to Edwards as he sat in the sheds following Penrith’s win over St George Illawarra on Sunday night.

There had been plenty of debate about whether the Blues needed to stick with Edwards, or revert to reigning Dally M winner Tedesco.

Tedesco, who had a rare off night during the Roosters’ loss to North Queensland in Magic Round, last donned the sky blue in game one of the 2024 series. At 33, Tedesco has never been in better form.

Edwards had plenty of support from within Penrith, with coach Ivan Cleary going as far as to declare last weekend: “You know what, if we’re talking about taking ‘Dyl’ Edwards out of the Origin team, we must be going well.”

The news would have been tough for Edwards given several other Panthers received good news from Daley.

Captain Isaah Yeo, Nathan Cleary and Brian To’o are in the team, while there is an outside chance that Casey McLean and Tom Jenkins, who bagged a double against the Dragons to take his season tally to 18, are included.

“It’s a surprise for tomorrow morning – there are obviously some very happy boys in there,” Yeo said on Sunday night.

“We’re sitting on top of the ladder, so you’d like to think that puts players in the position to be looked at [by selectors].”

Canberra will be represented by Hudson Young and Ethan Strange, Parramatta’s Mitchell Moses will partner Cleary in the halves, while South Sydney’s Cameron Murray is back after missing last year’s series with an Achilles injury.

Manly’s resurgence under coach Kieran Foran helped Koula and Haumole Olakau’atu make the cut.

“He’s incredibly fast, he has great balance, and he’s a game-breaker,” Yeo said of Koula.

“He has X-factor, and when he gets in the clear, there are not many people stopping him.”

Canterbury captain Stephen Crichton is also expected to retain his place at right centre, despite featuring in a misfiring Bulldogs team that has lost five games in a row.

Crichton had been in danger of losing his NSW spot amid Canterbury’s drastic slide, but the Blues are poised to keep the faith in the three-time Penrith premiership winner. The 25-year-old has played in the past 12 State of Origin games for NSW.

Reece Robson, who has been the Blues hooker for the past eight State of Origin games, is in, while Cronulla’s Blayke Brailey, like Koula, is in line to make his Blues debut.

Daley will pick a 20-man squad, with the 20th player for NSW and Queensland to return to their clubs and play next week.

However, the 20th player in the NSW squad will come from a team that has the bye, meaning they can remain in camp on the Central Coast the whole time.

There was drama on Sunday afternoon when Mitchell made the call to rule himself out of Origin I after failing to finish Friday’s game against the Dolphins with a back injury.

Coach Wayne Bennett and Souths officials were confident on Saturday that Mitchell would be fine to play, but the 28-year-old was still feeling sore on Sunday.

Yeo praised Mitchell for being so selfless and said: “It’s disappointing for him because he’s been in outstanding form. He’s one of those players who gives everyone confidence on the field, particularly when he’s in a mood.

“It was really selfless. If you ask him, nobody wants to play for his state more, particularly what he has done on that arena.”

Newcastle captain Kalyn Ponga was expected to play in the halves alongside Cameron Munster, but reports emerged late on Sunday that Roosters playmaker Sam Walker had been given the nod by coach Billy Slater.

Walker’s Roosters teammate and centre Rob Toia was being monitored over a head knock.

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