Canberra Raiders star Ethan Strange has come under an injury cloud in NSW's camp in Kingscliff ahead of the State of Origin decider.
Stange suffered his rolled ankle when the Blues trained at CBUS Super Stadium on Thursday, according to fresh reports from Nine.
Strange was a standout player in the Blues Game 1 side, scoring one try with three tackle busts and well over 100 metres gained in his debut appearance in the sky blue.
Strange has emerged as one of the game's best talents in the last 18 months, but was relegated to the bench in the second Origin fixture in favour of Mitchell Moses.
Moses came into the camp with an injury concern, but Laurie Daley has opted for the Parramatta halfback for the final match of the series.
The Blues camp is expecting Strange to recover from the scare, but have plenty of options to send an S.O.S out to stars such as Matt Burton or Jarome Luai to claim his bench spot.
The Blues continue their horror run of injuries in their NSW camps for the 2026 series, with previous injuries to Moses and Casey McLean de-railing their campaigns in the prior two matches.
Despite racing the clock to be fit, Strange wasn't expected to have a major role in the clash, and has been selected from the interchange bench for the decider.
The Blues just came away with victory in Game 1 courtesy of a James Tedesco try at the death. Meanwhile, the Maroons got their revenge in the second encounter with a 44-24 shellacking at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
It will mark the first time the Blues will return to Queensland after stealing the shield off those north of the border in 2024 with a 14-4 win.
The Blues will make the formidable trip to Brisbane to face the Maroons at Suncorp Stadium on July 8.
