The State of Origin period is officially underway, with New South Wales coach Laurie Daley making one of the biggest calls ahead of Game 1 by recalling James Tedesco and leaving out incumbent fullback Dylan Edwards.
After missing the entire 2025 Origin series following his axing in favour of Edwards the year prior, Tedesco is now back in the sky blue No.1 jersey, with Daley opting for experience and attacking spark over the Penrith Panthers premiership winner.
The decision marks a significant backflip from Daley, who coached the Blues throughout the 2025 campaign and previously backed Edwards as the state’s long-term fullback option.
However, Tedesco’s blistering start to the season, combined with his unpredictability in attack, appears to have convinced Daley that the veteran is better suited to the faster, evolving style of the modern game.
“Yeah, it was a tough call, obviously both those players deserve to be in the squad, but we could only find a place for one,” Daley said on choosing Tedesco over Edwards for Game 1.
“There was some discussion around whether one of them may have been on the bench, but we didn’t think that was the right fit.
“Just with what we want to do when we have the ball, I think we need to do a bit more.
“That’s not to say Dylan doesn’t do that, but we just feel the spine, with Teddy, the connection he has with Reece Robson, and (Mitch) Moses and (Nathan) Cleary on either side, this will give us a few more opportunities to create a few more points.
“We’re confident James will get the job done for us.”
Daley also revealed he personally informed Edwards that he would miss selection, praising the Panthers’ fullback for the way he handled the disappointing news.
“As you can imagine, a professional, he (Edwards) is such a well-liked player and person. I spoke to him after the game last night, (he was) obviously disappointed.
“But if anything happens down the track and we need to call on Dylan, we know we have a really good player coming into our squad.”
The selection signals a clear attacking mindset from the Blues coach, with Daley emphasizing combinations and creativity heading into one of the most anticipated Origin openers in recent years.
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