Origin teams named

THE NSW Blues have thrown down a marker in their recent history by picking a side reeking of freshness and form heading into Game One of the 2018 State of Origin series.
Queensland on the other hand, have gone down the well-trodden path in light of the loss of three of the state’s greatest players – Jonathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith – over the last 12 months.
They have kept loyalty and familiarity as the values that have guided their selections.
Greg Inglis will captain the Maroons for Game One which will be on neutral territory — the Melbourne Cricket Ground — on June 6. He assumes the leadership role from Cameron Smith, who announced his retirement from representative football earlier this month following 42 Origins for Queensland and 56 test matches for Australia.
Inglis has 30 Origin appearances to his name and a record 18 tries.
Broncos hooker Andrew McCullough has won the race for the vacant No. 9 jersey, with the Dalby junior to start at hooker as one of three debutants in the Queensland line-up for the series opener in the Victorian capital.
Playing alongside McCullough for the first time at Origin level will be Felise Kaufusi (Melbourne) and Jai Arrow (Gold Coast).
In contrast, NSW coach Brad Fittler has rolled the dice and will blood a record number of debutants in the series opener.
A total of 11 rookies have been named in what has become the biggest changing of the guard in Origin history following 12 years of mostly despair for NSW.
No team has ever picked more than 10 debutants — which Queensland did in Game I, 2001 — while NSW’s record number of rookies is eight, most recently in the corresponding 2002 game.
The only six players to survive from last year’s series loss are fullback James Tedesco, five-eighth James Maloney, prop Dave Klemmer, skipper Boyd Cordner, edge forward Tyson Frizell and Trbojevic.
Following the team announcement, Blues coach Brad Fitter said the team picked itself.
“We needed combinations and balance. We picked our best 17 and put reputations aside,” Fittler said.
“The team comes first, we have picked an exciting group of footballers who play exciting footy.”
Blues regulars Aaron Woods, Josh Dugan, Blake Ferguson, Wade Graham and Josh Jackson were all left out.
Queensland Maroons:
1. Billy Slater
2. Valentine Holmes
3. Greg Inglis (c)
4. Will Chambers
5. Dane Gagai
6. Cameron Munster
7. Ben Hunt
8. Dylan Napa
9. Andrew McCullough
10. Jarrod Wallace
11. Gavin Cooper
12. Felise Kaufusi
13. Josh McGuire
14. Michael Morgan
15. Josh Papalii
16. Coen Hess
17. Jai Arrow

NSW Blues:
1. James Tedesco
2. Tom Trbojevic
3. Latrell Mitchell
4. James Roberts
5. Josh Addo-Carr
6. James Maloney
7. Nathan Cleary
8. David Klemmer
9. Damien Cook
10. Reagan Campbell-Gillard
11. Boyd Cordner (c)
12. Tyson Frizell
13. Jack De Belin
14. Paul Vaughan
15. Jake Trbojevic
16. Angus Crichton
17. Tyrone Peachey
18. Tariq Sims
19. Nick Cotric