Dylan Edwards secured the NSW No. 1 jersey in the 44th minute of Saturday’s Cronulla vs. Penrith match, and he also persuaded Michael Maguire to bench fullback and captain James Tedesco.
Tedesco has participated in 22 consecutive Origin games, including 11 as captain. However, for Maguire, who was present at PointsBet Stadium in a corporate box, a single play involving Edwards proved to be crucial.
The Panthers fullback nearly broke through the defensive line to score later in the set after stopping a Daniel Atkinson 40/20 effort.
A ball was kicked down the pitch. Edwards was on one side of the field when he made a kick that might have been a 40/20. Maguire noted that Edwards made an attempt to go to the other side of the field and then took the second carry after saving the 40/20.
“They [Penrith] move to the opposing end of the pitch and apply pressure.” That, in my opinion, strengthened my conviction that this is the right course of action.
When I called him, there was a little pause. “How you” said he going, Madge?’ and I said, ‘Congratulations’. Then there was silence. He thanked me.
“I’ve spoken with Dylan quite a bit. He’s prepared. We all think he’s been prepared for a while.
Edwards expressed his gratitude for receiving the call-up and mentioned that Tedesco was among the first to congratulate him.
As soon as Edwards arrived at the team hotel, he says, “He was one of the first guys to send me a message, which was all class; he said, ‘Congratulations, enjoy the week, and Origin footy is the best.'”
Upon being asked why he thought he was ready for Origin football, Edwards replied, “We’ll have to see.” We’ve participated in a number of major games at Clubland, so that should prepare you well for this kind of setting.
Speaking about his first Origin squad, Maguire discussed his thoughts on Monday at NSW Rugby League headquarters in Sydney Olympic Park. He talked about the eleven changes from last year’s Origin III squad, the six Blues rookies, the decision to bench Tedesco, and why Nicho Hynes’ Saturday calf setback was not a cause for concern.
Although Maguire claimed he would not discuss the specifics of his decision discussion with Tedesco, he had a “gut” feeling that Edwards was the best choice.
It was a big decision because Tedesco is a champion of the game and plays some excellent football, according to Maguire.
“Edwards is an accomplished player who has competed at the greatest level. We’re all aware of his statistics, but he’s been in four grand finals and won three of them. In my opinion, he’s also one of the most reliable players I’ve seen in a very long time. I had a gut feeling that Dylan was ready to play, and I’m enthusiastic and optimistic about his prospects of performing exceptionally well.
Despite Hynes’ calf injury going into the game on Saturday night, Maguire expressed confidence that the Sharks halfback would be ready for Origin I.
“I can make easy decisions because the information we got from the scan [is] that he’s healthy, so he’ll be fine. You just look at the information you have,” Maguire remarked.
“It’s exactly what I want, and they seem pretty confident that he will be out on the field day one. Some really experienced people who have worked in the game for years and years tell me that he’ll be fine, ready to go.”
Luke Keary was named in the expanded squad by Maguire, but he would not clarify if Jarome Luai would move to halfback or if the three-time premiership winner would replace Hynes in the event that he was sidelined.
The Blues coach claimed that choosing to choose Jake Trbojevic captain was a simple decision.
“I’ve been observing Jake for a very long time. He shows off how much he values himself. That speaks to the people of New South Wales,” he added.
Maguire further stated that there had never been a problem with Joseph Suaalii’s high-profile transfer to rugby while he was being considered for Origin.
