The sister of NSW Blues five-eighth Ethan Strange has revealed the chaotic 24-hours leading up to his State of Origin debut.
Strange was parachuted into the starting five-eighth jersey following an injury to Mitchell Moses yesterday. His sister Jasmin, who is a star in the NRLW, admitted the last few days have been a "spin out" for the family.
She appeared on NOVA'S Star 104.5's Gina & Matty, saying her little brother will do whatever the team needs him to, and it will be a full-circle moment when he runs out on Accor Stadium.
"Yeah...it's just absolutely wild. It's going to be really weird," Strange said on her brother's late call-up.
"I'm going to the game tonight, and I would be going anyway, because I love watching Origin...but I'm going to be like, 'Oh, I know that guy out there'.
"People ask if it's normal or how it feels. It actually doesn't feel normal at all, it's such a spin-out, but I'm very excited for him."
Jasmin always knew Ethan was destined for great things in the 13-man code, and he has been a superstar since they were both children.
"Yeah, it was definitely under sixes and under sevens when he would just pick kids up and dump them, and the ref would penalise him for dangerous tackles," Strange said when asked when she knew he was destined for NRL greatness.
"But there was nothing dangerous about it; it was just whacking kids at that young age."
Ethan's debut will add to the strong list of accolades the Strange family holds in rugby league. Jasmin has played 36 games in the NRLW, winning the 2024 premiership with the Sydney Roosters.
Followed by their father, John, who coached the premiership-winning Roosters side and is the current Women's NSW Blues coach, recently wrapping up the 2026 series with two straight wins.
Origin is a different beast from clubland football, and individual moments of brilliance are so crucial to decide the difference between the two champion sides.
However, Jasmin has no doubt the 21-year-old will rise to the occasion, and revealed an uncanny similarity with a situation that occurred in Ethan's junior days representing the Under 19s Blues.
"He's just that clutch player that it doesn't matter what game it is, he's so aggressive and competitive that he'll just do whatever the team needs...he'll step up in those big moments," she added.
"But history is actually repeating itself. So, in the Under 19s State of Origin, he was 18th man as well, and then he was called into the actual team a couple days prior, just like this, but he was actually playing in the centres, which he's never played before, and then he scored a hat-trick!"
If history is anything to go by, Strange is locked in for a big performance against a formidable Queensland Maroons outfit on Wednesday night.
