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.

3. Kotoni Staggs (Brisbane Broncos)

What the Blues get out of Kotoni Staggs, should they hand him a sky blue jumper, is experience, consistency and talent at both ends of the park.

He is about to tick past 150 games for the Broncos, has six Tests for Australia under his belt, and played for the Blues in 2022.

While that was a single performance, it would take a brave critic to suggest he is done in the Origin set up for New South Wales.

He has started the season in excellent form for the Broncos, was a Dally M centre of the year in 2025, and makes his presence felt each and every week at NRL level.

Maybe the 'safest' option on the list for Daley. Whether he wants that or not remains to be seen, but if you're replacing the defensively sound Crichton, Staggs could appeal.

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