New South Wales Blues head coach Laurie Daley has suggested Mitchell Moses is a strong chance of returning to the state's set up for Origin 2, despite Ethan Strange's barnstorming debut performance on Wednesday evening.

Strange, who was among the best for the Blues, who required an enormous comeback against the Maroons, who were reduced to 12 men in the final 20 minutes, appeared to be made for Origin.

But he has no guarantee of retaining his spot.

Mitchell Moses had originally been picked in the number six jumper, only to be kept out of the side by a minor hamstring injury, with Strange promoted to start, and Matt Burton added to the pine.

The Eels' halfback has played one previous game alongside Cleary, which was a win in the opener of the 2025 series, but could be back alongside the Penrith star for Games 2 and 3.

"I think Mitch, he is a big part of our team. It's not a bad hammy either, so we expect him to play [in Game 2], and if he plays, he will be part of the squad for sure," Daley said during his post-match press conference on Moses' potential return.

The Blues were also forced to bring Casey McLean into the contest late on after Tolutau Koula was hit high by Kalyn Ponga.

The Penrith outside back had a tremendous 20 or so minutes, but Daley was blunt when asked if he had a chance to start in Game 2.

"No is the short answer. He was great, but I think this group can be a lot better, and I was happy with everyone, the way they fought. They are talented players, so we felt like we picked the right team, so I haven't lost faith in anyone," Daley said on whether McLean would come into the starting side.

New South Wales will also likely welcome back Payne Haas for Game 2, with the game's best prop to return on Sunday against the St George Illawarra Dragons.

The Broncos enforcer could well be a straight swap for Warriors' forward Mitch Barnett, who had a difficult night at the office against the Maroons after almost 12 months out of the game with an ACL injury before just a handful of club games leading into Origin 1.

The Blues won Game 1 last year, but Daley suggested it would be easier to shape their camp for Game 2 with whatever make-up the team may be, purely because they didn't play that well on Wednesday night.

"It will be easier given our performance. I thought last year in Game 1 we played really good, but tonight I don't think we played anywhere near what we are capable of doing, so that probably puts us in a better frame of mind when we waltz back into camp for Game 2," Daley said.

Game 2 will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in three weeks on June 17, while a potential decider would be played in Brisbane on July 8.