old who could partner Nathan Cleary in Origin halves for NSW

NSW coach Laurie Daley has floated Raiders young gun Ethan Strange as a potential bolter for his Blues Origin squad this year. And Daley said the NRL's new six-man benches will give him greater flexibility when picking his squad for the Origin series opener against the Maroons in Sydney on May 27.

Daley and Queensland coach Billy Slater both spoke during Monday's launch of the series alongside Blues captain Isaah Yeo and Maroons counterpart Cameron Munster. And the NSW coach conceded there could be quite a few new faces in this year's squad as they look to win back the Origin shield from Queensland.

Yeo and Penrith teammate Nathan Cleary will be two of the first picked for NSW. But Daley said there were a number of strong candidates to partner Cleary in the halves. He named Mitchell Moses and Jarome Luai as the obvious contenders after both featured in last year's series. But Daley said 21-year-old Strange was another compelling option.

Strange got a taste of rep footy as part of Kevin Walters' Kangaroos Test squad for last year's Ashes series. And Daley is also a big fan of the Canberra young gun, after mentioning his name in an unprompted admission about the battle for a halves spot.

“Ethan Strange is starting to play his best football and I thought he was terrific against Melbourne the other night,” Daley said. “He’s someone we think is going to be a future Origin player. Hopefully he’ll continue to play the way he is and put pressure on the incumbents.”

While Daley's comments suggest Strange might not make his starting Origin debut this year, his versatility would make him a valuable addition to the six-man NSW bench. The Blues coach has hinted he will carry a back-up hooker, with at least three other forwards likely as well. But Strange can cover numerous positions across the backline - similar to Bulldogs star Matt Burton.

“The game has got a lot quicker. You’re carrying six people on the bench so it gives us a bit of flexibility to include some of those young, powerful guys with a bit of speed," Daley said.

Blues coach comfortable with depth to replace Payne Haas

The biggest dilemma for the Blues coach will likely centre around how to replace Payne Haas. The Broncos prop is expected to be sidelined for at least six weeks with a knee injury, which all but rules him out of Game 1.

Warriors prop and Dally M leader Jackson Ford is an obvious candidate to replace Haas. While a change to Origin eligibility rules leaves Sharks enforcer Addin Fonua-Blake in the frame to make his NSW debut. Test star and two-time Panthers premiership winner Lindsay Smith is another option, alongside former Origin props Mitch Barnett and Keaon Koloamatangi, plus incumbent Stefano Stefano Utoikamanu and Tigers middle Terrell May.

"What it means for us if we give someone an opportunity - someone that may not have played Origin before - but we're confident that we've got the depth there to overcome Payne not being there," Daley said. "If we're just relying on one player to win State of Origin, we're not going to win. It's all about picking the right player and we'll do that."

Daley also suggested it was a two-way battle between incumbent Blues fullback Dylan Edwards and reigning Dally M Medallist James Tedesco for the No.1 jersey. Edwards replaced the former NSW skipper in last year's series but Tedesco has been in career-best form for the Roosters and Daley says it will come down to who's playing better footy when they pick the squad for Game 1.

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