In a stunning shakeup of the New South Wales Blues side ahead of the upcoming State of Origin II in Melbourne, coach Laurie Daley has delivered a bombshell selection call, dropping one of the sport’s most in-form edge forwards, Haumole Olakau’atu, to clear the way for rookie Dylan Lucas to make his debut. As the Blues aim to close out the 2024 Origin series with a decisive win, the decision has quickly become one of the most talked-about talking points in rugby league this week.
The selection process unfolded over 24 hours that left fans and pundits speculating: the Blues first named an alphabetized 21-man extended squad on Monday night, with few expecting that Olakau’atu, widely ranked as the best edge forward in the global game right now, would be the one cut from the final 19-player match-day side revealed Tuesday morning. Olakau’atu’s recent form has been nothing short of dominant for his club, the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles: since Kieran Foran took over as head coach, the back-rower has stepped up his game to new heights, notching a match-winning performance in last week’s defeat of South Sydney Rabbitohs where he ran for a game-topping 250 meters. He also featured in the series opener, only coming off the pitch late in the game after suffering cramps — a minor issue that few expected would lead to his full omission from the squad.
Speaking to reporters after the team announcement, Daley defended the call as a difficult but necessary choice to balance the side for the must-win clash. “It’s always difficult to have those chats [about being dropped], but you’ve just got to make the decision on what you think is in the best interest of the team and what the team needs,” Daley said. “We tried to see whether we could put him on the bench, but just the balance of the side and the balance of the bench with another back-rower there, we felt like we needed a big man. So it’s just one of those hard calls that you’ve got to make. He’s a destructive back-rower, but unfortunately we want to give Dylan a run in this game and I’m sure that he’ll play really well.”
Lucas, who has enjoyed a breakout season as left edge forward for the Newcastle Knights, narrowly missed out on a match-day spot in Origin I despite being named in the initial squad, a snub that many observers called unfair at the time. Daley said the young forward’s consistent 2024 form earned him the starting spot this week. “I think he’s been in great form all year. His last few performances have been excellent,” Daley noted. “Like with all our young guys, they’re just keen to get out there and keen to play, keen to represent New South Wales. I think you saw how they all performed in game one, so there’s no reason to suggest that Dyl won’t handle it.”
Olakau’atu’s axing is not the only major change to the NSW side following Monday’s initial squad announcement. Canterbury Bulldogs captain Stephen Crichton has also been ruled out of the clash due to a persistent AC joint injury that has left him unfit for the high-contact intensity of Origin football. Daley explained that after speaking to Crichton following the Bulldogs’ most recent club match, it became clear the centre could not prepare adequately for the game. “He’s been carrying an AC joint injury and he’s a bit banged up,” Daley said. “So he wouldn’t have been able to do a lot of training and in particular contact which is always a concern. He was just in no shape to be ready for an Origin game.”
Replacing Crichton in the starting centres will be young gun Casey McLean, who already proved his mettle in Origin I when he was unexpectedly thrown into the game early after starting winger Tolu Koula suffered a head knock from a shoulder charge that saw Kalyn Ponga sent off. McLean, who was not expected to see any game time in the series opener, stepped up and delivered a steady performance that impressed the coaching staff. “What Casey did in game one was terrific coming off the bench, and someone that probably wasn’t going to get any game time but was thrust in and then to handle it as well as he did was pretty special,” Daley said. “So there was no hesitation in putting a guy like Casey in. He handled it, so that gives us great belief.” Sydney Roosters winger Mark Nawaqanitawase has been called up to the extended 21-man squad as injury cover for the upcoming match.