Freddy's cagey response as Blues plot team switch

1 year ago 135

New South Wales manager Brad Fittler played a consecutive bat to questions implicit a imaginable precocious squad power for Origin II.

Eagle-eyed viewers noticed the Blues wingers had switched sides during grooming sessions starring up to Wednesday's crunch clash astatine Suncorp Stadium.

The proposition is Josh Addo-Carr volition play connected NSW's near wing, putting him straight against towering Queensland flyer Xavier Coates.

Coates - who is replacing the injured Selwyn Cobbo successful the Maroons squad - has a freakish quality to leap precocious successful the aerial and instrumentality AFL-like grabs.

Xavier Coates scores for the Maroons during the 2020 series. (Getty)

The Blues are hoping to negate Daly Cherry-Evans planting kicks connected the caput of shorter winger Brian To'o, who would nary uncertainty conflict to lucifer Coates successful the air.

Fittler was asked astir the power astatine his property league connected Tuesday.

"I don't cognize thing astir it," helium replied with a consecutive face, earlier moving to the adjacent question.

Queensland manager Billy Slater besides had nary remark erstwhile asked astir the NSW switch.

Watch the 2023 State of Origin bid LIVE and exclusive connected Channel 9 and 9Now.

"That's speculation, we're not excessively disquieted astir that," Slater said.

"We conscionable privation to play to our strengths."

Coates has played six Origin games for Queensland to day and has lone scored 2 tries. Both times helium was marked by gangly Blues winger Daniel Tupou.

Slater bites backmost astatine Origin aboriginal question

The NSW campy has already been rocked by the withdrawal of superstar centre Latrell Mitchell for the 2nd crippled successful a row.

Fittler, though, confirmed forwards Cameron Murray and Liam Martin volition play aft overcoming injuries.

The manager is hopeless to reverse the fortunes from crippled one, wherever the Blues fto a pb gaffe and leaked 2 precocious tries to suffer to the Maroons.

"If thing successful the archetypal crippled I thought we relaxed. We were successful a truly bully presumption and past we relaxed, and I don't cognize why," Fittler said.

"We can't person immoderate of that.

"It burns me... it was a spot embarrassing towards the end. Sometimes embarrassment is simply a beauteous bully motivator."

The Blues and Maroons person their last grooming runs connected Tuesday earlier Wednesday's clash successful Brisbane.

For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!