State of Origin: Queensland vs New South Wales talking points and team news
New South Wales and Queensland kick off the first match of this year's State of Origin Series at 9.10am on Wednesday; watch live on Sky Sports Arena and Main Event, and follow all of the action from the Adelaide Oval with our blog
By Sky Sports Rugby League
Last Updated: 04/11/20 9:16am
New South Wales and Queensland renew their rivalry on Wednesday when this year's State of Origin series gets underway in Adelaide and we take a look at what is being said ahead of the first game of the annual three-match series…
Origin breaks new ground
After taking a match to Perth last year, State of Origin returns to another Aussie Rules football heartland of Adelaide for the opening match of the 2020 series.
The Adelaide Oval, South Australia's home of international cricket and the AFL, will see New South Wales take on Queensland in front of an expected socially-distanced capacity crowd of 27,750.
It will be the first time an Origin match has been played in South Australia, although not the only occasion first-grade rugby has been played at the venue.
St George-Illawarra Dragons, Canterbury Bulldogs and Sydney Roosters have all played one-off matches there in the past, while the Adelaide Rams called the Oval their home during their short-lived existence in 1997 and 1998.
It is all part of the recent trend of playing one match of this historic rivalry outside of the Blues and Maroons' home states and NRL CEO Andrew Abdo expects that to continue.
"In recent years Origin has captivated Melbourne and Perth and we cannot wait to see how the people of Adelaide respond," Abdo said.
State of Origin 2020 fixtures
November 4 | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide |
November 11 | ANZ Stadium, Sydney |
November 18 | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane |
"The interest from states, outside NSW and Queensland, to host our showpiece event is extraordinary."
Blues aim for three in a row
New South Wales go into this year's Origin series aiming to become only the third Blues team in history to win it three years running.
Head coach Brad Fittler was a member of the first team to do that between 1992 and 1994, playing at centre in those days, so it would be a memorable achievement to do so as a coach as well.
One of the key men for NSW could be someone who was born in Queensland though, with Ipswich native Luke Keary lining up at stand-off for the team.
There has been some grumbling from Queensland Rugby League chairman Bruce Hatcher over Keary's selection for their rivals, but the Sydney Roosters half who has played pretty much all of his rugby league since childhood in New South Wales definitely considers himself a Blue.
"I knew they would bring it up," Keary told the Sydney Morning Herald. "It's for them to write about and create a bit of theatre.
"I'm pretty comfortable with where I'm at - I'm actually very comfortable. My family are here, my friends are here, I've lived here, and I've grown up here - I've been here since I was eight."
Fittler has been boosted by the news Roosters star full-back James Tedesco has recovered from injury in time to line up in the No. 1 shirt on Wednesday, particularly with Melbourne Storm's Ryan Papenhuyzen out as well.
Clint Gutherson was on standby to play there if Tedesco has not been fit and will now line up at centre instead. It is a position the Parramatta Eels man has not started in since 2018, but he is happy to play wherever he is asked.
"I played a lot of it throughout my career," Gutherson told NRL.com. "A lot of it a few years ago, junior footy, school footy - I played all centres.
"You're a chance of playing Origin - if you can't get up for that, if you're not prepping for that, you shouldn't be here."
Can Queensland's new boys make an impact?
The Maroons will be fielding a new-look team when they take to the field on Wednesday with head coach Wayne Bennett, who has taken over from Kevin Walters after he was put in charge of Brisbane Broncos, handing six players their first starts.
AJ Brimson, Xavier Coates, Brenko Lee, Phillip Sami, Jake Friend and Tino Fa'asuamaleaui all get the nod for this clash as Queensland aim to defy the naysayers in 2020.
Friend will be making his Origin bow at the age of 30 and Bennett, a long-time admirer of the Sydney Roosters hooker, is surprised it has taken until now for him to earn a call-up.
"I thought [Friend] had already played for Queensland for some reason but he hasn't," Bennett said. "We tried to get him to the Broncos when he was a kid, but he decided to go to the Roosters.
"He is part of the forward pack we feel we can get some confidence out of because he is a very good pro and he will be doing his absolute best. His best has been good enough to put the Roosters in two Grand Final wins, so he is a quality player."
Also set to make his first Queensland appearance off the interchange bench is Linsday Collins, whose grandfather Lionel Williamson played on the wing for both his home state and Australia.
Roosters prop Collins' call-up is reward for the breakout season he has enjoyed in the NRL for Trent Robinson's side and the 24-year-old's grandfather has provided invaluable support at times.
"I rang him and my nanna, and it doesn't take much for my nanna to cry," Collins told NRL.com. "She was very, very happy and so was he.
"He doesn't get elated too much but you can tell he is proud. He is always thinking 'next job' and has been calling me a lot this year after games. He is a good person to bounce things off because he has been there and done that."
Teams
Queensland: Alexander Brimson; Xavier Coates, Brenko Lee, Dane Gagai, Phillip Sami; Cameron Munster, Daly Cherry-Evans; Christian Welch, Jake Friend, Josh Papalii, Felise Kaufusi, Coen Hess, Tino Faasuamaleaui.
Interchange: Ben Hunt, Lindsay Collins, Jai Arrow, Jaydn Su'A.
New South Wales: James Tedesco; Daniel Tupou, Clint Gutherson, Jack Wighton, Josh Addo-Carr; Luke Keary, Nathan Cleary; Daniel Saifiti, Damien Cook, Junior Paulo, Boyd Cordner, Tyson Frizell, Jake Trbojevic.
Interchange: Cody Walker, Payne Haas, Cameron Murray, Angus Crichton.