Spoiled for choice with middle forwards, the NSW Blues team selectors are facing arguably their biggest selection headache to date.
To be more specific, these are the players that are eligible and have a good chance to be named for the 2026 State of Origin Series:
- Payne Haas
- Addin Fonua-Blake
- Mitch Barnett
- Isaah Yeo
- Cameron Murray
- Stefano Utoikamanu
- Keaon Koloamatangi
- Lindsay Smith
- Terrell May
- Spencer Leniu
- Max King
- Jackson Ford
- Toby Couchman
Naturally, one lock and two props will be selected to start, but with the new six-man bench, it means there will be more forwards selected.
Over the first two rounds of the season, it appears teams are opting for three middle forwards on the bench, either one specialist lock and two props, or three of the latter.
If the NSW Blues were to follow suit, it means six out of those thirteen players would be selected.
Payne Haas is the only true incumbent with injury or suspension being the only two reasons he would miss out.
Isaah Yeo and Cameron Murray should both be selected, although who gets the nod to start is a different question.
That leaves three more selections, a second starting prop and two for the bench.
In previous years, Addin Fonua-Blake wouldn't have even be in contention, but with the new Origin eligibility rules, he has been thrown well into the mix and rightfully so seeing as he has won the Dally M Prop of the Year award for the last two seasons.
Last year, Barnett was named to start with Haas, with King and Leniu on the bench.
But when the former ruptured his ACL, King was moved to the starting side with Utoikamanu promoted to the bench.
Regardless, the most likely path forward will be to start Fonua-Blake in the front row alongside Haas, but is it the correct path?
There have been questions surrounding whether Fonua-Blake has been as impactful for the Sharks as he was for the New Zealand Warriors.
In 2025, compared to 2024, almost all of his numbers were down including run metres, offloads and tackle breaks, even with an extra four regular season games under his belt.
Looking at this season too, while he boasted some impressive numbers against the Gold Coast Titans, who have one of the worst defences in the league, he was completely nullified against the Penrith Panthers, who have the best defence in the league.
If you had to pick, you would think the QLD Maroons defence would be more like the Panthers than the Titans, and if Fonua-Blake was ultimately ineffective against Penrith, he may very well be ineffective in the Origin arena.
In the preliminary finals against the Melbourne Storm last season, while he ran the most metres of any Sharks forward, an ineffective tackle early on led directly to a Jarome Hughes try, and with only 10 minutes to go, a loose carry right in front of the Storm try line sealed Cronulla's fate.
Simply put, is Fonua-Blake the right man at this stage of his career for Origin?
By selecting him, you close the door on someone like Barnett who ran for 110 metres in under 40 minutes in Game 1 last year.
Or you close the door on rewarding form players in the competition, like Jackson Ford or Keaon Kolomotangi.
Although in fairness, Daley clearly isn't one to reward form, evident in the snubbing of Terrell May for the 2025 State of Origin series despite his red-hot start to last season, so it is silly to assume these players would even get a look in the first place.
But in all seriousness, there is no denying Fonua-Blake's talent.
He is a two-time Dally M Prop of the Year and on a contract worth one million dollars a season for that very reason.
But, is selecting a 30-year-old, who is unproven in the Origin arena, the right decision considering there are younger players in better form that the Blues could build an Origin dynasty around?
You could easily lean the other way.
