Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans has dismissed suggestions of underhanded tactics or team division within the Queensland camp ahead of Wednesday night's State of Origin opener, calling recent NSW-driven narratives around referee influence and Selwyn Cobbo's omission 'ridiculous' and 'content creation at its finest'.
He took the opportunity to swat away the rumour circulating in recent days that Broncos winger Selwyn Cobbo had been overlooked due to a lack of support from within the Maroons playing group.
โHave you guys made it a thing that we don't like Selwyn?โ he asked at a media conferencs.
โIt's so ridiculous sometimes that we have to justify our relationship with people, especially someone as good natured as Selwyn Cobbo."
Cherry-Evans said Cobbo remained highly respected in the camp and that selection decisions were made solely by coach Billy Slater and the selectors.
โWe always back them to make the right decision,โ he added.
Cobbo was under an injury cloud for a wrist injury in the lead up to selection, but was ultimately cleared by Broncos medical staff.
Instead of being picked though, even with Queensland missing Murray Taulagi, Slater and his selection staff elected to move Valentine Holmes onto the wing and hahd Roosters youngster Robert Toia a debut.
It comes after the Maroons skipper was spotted in casual conversation with referee Ashley Klein following a Manly training session, prompting some pretty wild rumours and whispers ahead of Origin 1.
Cherry-Evans was quick to laugh off the din, stating that the conversation had nothing to do with the match and everything to do with life outside the game.
โIf you come down to Manly training on any given week you will snap me with the referees,โ he said, speaking with Newscorp.
โWe're just talking about our kids and how they are misbehaving. They (the refs) are humans and so are we.โ
Klein has reportedly confirmed the explanation, arguing that the chat was social in nature and mostly centred on parenting.
