Canterbury Bulldogs and New South Wales Blues star Stephen Crichton has suffered a potentially serious shoulder injury and is in significant doubt for the opening game of this year's State of Origin series.

The star centre, who suffered the injury during a Good Friday loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs, will need scans to confirm the extent of the injury, but coach Cameron Ciraldo admitted it wasn't looking good.

If he needs surgery, Origin 1 is a pipe dream, and the rest of the series could be gone too. If he can rehabilitate the injury, he may be a chance of returning before Origin 1, but whether he would be thrown into that fire, lacking match fitness, is a decision for Laurie Daley to answer.

While there are plenty of candidates to assume the vacant spot in the centres, there is a clear favourite.

Assuming incumbents Brian To'o and Latrell Mitchell will be picked, and either Thomas Jenkins or Jacob Kiraz will win the race for the other wing spot, here are the players in the mix to line up in the centres if Crichton is unavailable for the opening game of the series when New South Wales will attempt to recapture the shield from Queensland after the dramatic failure of 2025.

6. Matt Burton (Canterbury Bulldogs)

Burton and his big bombs have played in the Origin arena before, but 2026 seems as if he is further away from selection than he has been at any point in his career if we are talking exclusively about the halves.

His form at the Bulldogs, who have failed to register too many shots in attack, just hasn't been good enough.

But Burton is a former Dally M centre of the year, and looked every bit an excellent centre after he was moved there during the second half last weekend against the Newcastle Knights.

It may not be likely, but if the Blues were considering Strange, the argument could be made that Burton is ahead of him in all facets, experience at all levels included.

What Ciraldo does with his team in the coming weeks is also up in the air. If Burton is moved to the centres, then certainly, watch this space. His rank on this list could improve rapidly.

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