‘Ripped it off QLD’: Daley’s plan for Blues half as backline switch revealed — Origin Daily

Laurie Daley has lifted the lid on how he plans to use young playmaker Ethan Strange in Game 2.

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Strange enjoyed a stunning debut against the Maroons in Sydney after being a late inclusion in the starting side following Mitchell Moses’ hamstring injury.

Moses looks set to reclaim his place for Wednesday’s clash with Strange moving to the bench.

Now the Blues coach has revealed what impact the Raiders star could have.

Speaking on Triple M, Daley said Strange would likely come on and “play in the middle’.

“He said that’s one avenue they are looking at to get Ethan Strange in the game,” CODE Sports reporter Brent Read said on Monday night.

“He was explaining the balance of his bench and he said Strange might play in the middle.

“He’s ripped that off Queensland,” Read then joked. “Queensland has been doing that for years.”

CODE Sports’ Dean Ritchie, meanwhile, revealed how the Blues will line up following Casey McLean’s omission due to injury.

Panthers flyer McLean had been named to start at centre in place of the injured Stephen Crichton before suffering an injury himself in Blues camp. Tolu Koula has been shifted to centre to replace him with Mark Nawaqanitawase named to make his Origin debut on the wing,

“Mark Nawaqanitawase will play on the right side alongside Kotoni Staggs and Mitch Moses. Kola has played a bit of both as has Brian To’o but I think they will go to the left-hand side,” Ritchie said on NORL 360.

TO’O’S BRUTAL ADMISSION

Brian To’o is looking to bounce back in Game II after having a game to forget in this year’s series-opener, where he made several uncharacteristic mistakes.

One of several underperforming players for the NSW Blues, To’o struggled to hold onto the ball coming out of his own end and made multiple simple handling errors.

This saw the powerhouse winger draw the attention of Andrew Johns, who was stunned by his display and admitted that he had never seen anything like it since his debut in 2019.

“I’ve hardly ever seen him make an error in a game,” Johns said of To’o on Nine during the 2026 State of Origin series-opener.

“He hasn’t made three errors in his whole career. There have been three (for the team) at the play of the ball. It is just simple attention to detail.”

Reflecting on his performance, To’o admitted that he was disappointed with his showing due to not being able to deliver for those around him, whom he calls “family”.

“When you think of your family, you’re more willing to do anything for your family and these boys are my family,” the Blues winger told foxsports.com.au.

“The last thing you want to do is to let your family down.

“That’s what I definitely look back on and reflect on, especially leading into the second half.

“I already know what I need to work on and I feel like I came out stronger in the second half

“It was a good win and was obviously a rough start, but we were able to push through in the second half and I’m glad that we got the win.”

KOULA READY FOR ROUND 2 AFTER UNIQUE DEBUT

He may have been knocked out in his State of Origin debut for the NSW Blues, but Tolu Koula is ready for round two as the Blues head to the MCG for Game II.

Although his first taste of Origin football was cut short due to a head knock, the Manly Sea Eagles speedster said the experience was one that he will never forget.

Still pinching himself when in the tunnel before running out on the field, the outside back admitted that the occasion lived up to everything he had imagined growing up.

“It was crazy, and I got to live out my childhood dream of running out, especially at home on my debut, being here in Sydney and kind of where my footy journey started,” Koula told foxsports.com.au, reflecting on the experience.

“When we first ran out of the tunnel before the anthems, I was looking around and was like ‘f*** I used to be in this crowd’ or ‘I used to be at home watching this game’ and to be actually running out there was crazy.

“There was a brief moment before the game (where I was pinching myself), but mostly afterwards, realising what an accomplishment it was.

“But at the same time, not settling on that just being a one-off thing and hopefully having multiple games under my belt.”

Leaving the field in his Origin debut, there were fears that he may have been overlooked for Game II due to not being able to feature in another match before the squad were announced.

However, the Sea Eagles were able to secure special clearance from the NRL, allowing Koula one final opportunity to prove his fitness and form before Laurie Daley named his Game II squad.

“I think the biggest thing for me was playing that game last week and getting another game under my belt before camp two,” Koula added.

“It not only gave myself confidence but also gave the coaching staff and Loz [Laurie Daley] the confidence that I was fully fit and ready to go.”

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HIDDEN TWIST TO FREAKISH CLEARY PLOY

Nathan Cleary has already set up 20 tries at club level this season, but it’s going to be tough to top the banana kick he put in for Brian To’o this month that made up for a similar play that the superstar winger dropped earlier this year.

The Panthers playmaker has produced countless highlight plays throughout his career, but the one against the Wests Tigers was on another level as he kicked it with the outside of his right boot and had the ball bounce up for To’o.

The nuggety winger still had a lot of work to do to score, with To’o spilling an even better Cleary kick that he bent perfectly when Penrith beat the Roosters back in round 3.

“It was all right,” Cleary said, with a similar banana kick attempt against the Eels landing a metre short of his intended target.

“I tried one earlier in the year and ‘Bizza’ (To’o) dropped it. He actually had a fair bit to do to score that try, so he did well.”

To’o has scored plenty of tries for the Panthers and Blues thanks to Cleary’s wizardry, but he said life would be a bit easier for everyone if he was a bit taller.

“If the winger was six foot, then he’d kick it normally, but because I’m short, he had to do a little banana kick for me,” he joked.

“Full credit to him for making it easier for me. That’s all natural for him. He can see the game, see where the other players are with his peripheral vision, and then he can execute.

“It’s pretty crazy just imagining all the fans watching from home or at the stadium, but being able to share the field with him is crazier.”

Blues skipper Isaah Yeo has won four premierships with Cleary and can’t remember him playing better than this as the champion halfback looks to lead the Blues to Origin glory after he was named man of the match in game one.

“If you look at the Dally M points, then you’d probably say this is the best he’s ever played, but I don’t know how you can compare,” Yeo said, with Cleary leading the Dally Ms when voting went behind closed doors after round 12.

“I just feel like he’s playing at the top of his game and is super confident. It’s not like he’s trying different things, but he’s practising things at training and he’s got the confidence to do it in games.

“The banana kick, I would’ve seen that a handful of times at training. It’s one thing to have confidence to do it at training, but it’s another thing to do it in a game and to then be able to pull it off.

“I’m very glad that he’s my teammate. We pulled a face at each other after we pulled off the banana kick and scored. We had a moment where we were like ‘that’s pretty cool’. I hope I’m not taking it for granted.”

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