NSW will fight fire with fire in a bid to get back into this year’s State of Origin series with debutant Tim Grant and Manly hard man Anthony Watmough called in to bulk up an imposing Blues pack for game two in Sydney.
Blues coach Ricky Stuart left little to the imagination as he tinkered with the side which narrowly went down to Queensland in the series opener – with Penrith prop Grant to pack down alongside James Tamou in a hulking front row combination.
Long touted as an Origin player in waiting, Grant’s selection is somewhat of a surprise in a season restricted to just six games because of a calf injury.
His inclusion at the expense of utility Jamie Buhrer signals an obvious change in tack for Stuart, Grant’s 194cm frame matching that of game one debutant Tamou with the Blues attempting to bash the Maroons into a series decider in Brisbane.
“He certainly won’t be intimidated,” Stuart said of Grant, whose addition allows skipper Paul Gallen to be moved back to his preferred position of lock.
“He’s a big lump of a kid.
“The way he’s playing for his club, to be able to come through and have the chance to start and put Paul back is a real (testament) to his quality of form.”
While his selection might surprise some, one of them isn’t Queensland veteran and former Penrith teammate Petero Civoniceva.
“I’ve seen him progress during my four years (at Penrith),” Civoniceva said.
“You could tell straight away that he had State of Origin written all over him.
“That combination of him and Tamou are going to be very tough … that’s where it will be won.”
A controversial omission from the game one squad, Watmough comes in for Sea Eagles teammate Tony Williams – whose series is over due to a back injury suffered in game one.
However Watmough has some injury concerns of his own to overcome before he makes it onto ANZ Stadium on Wednesday week, with the shoulder injury which played a part in his being overlooked for Origin I set to be needled on Monday in a bid to ensure his fitness.
“He’s got a couple of vertebrae that are inflamed … this will be a chance to really speed up the recovery part of the neural problem that he’s got,” Stuart said.
“He’ll miss some sessions early in the piece … talking to Choc, he’s got no dramas about being right for the game.”
Stuart admitted the loss of Williams would hurt, but backed Watmough to cover the role off the bench.
“I don’t think Queensland wanted to play against him,” Stuart said of Williams.
“That’s got to be fulfilled now by Tim Grant’s input and Choc’s input.
“I know they don’t like playing against blokes like Choc. He’s in your face, he’s got great footwork, he’s an aggressive style of player.”
The Blues will gather in camp on Monday with Stuart keeping his fingers crossed star trio Gallen, Todd Carney and Jarryd Hayne all emerge from Monday night’s NRL clash between Cronulla and Parramatta unscathed.