Mitchell Moses and Nathan Cleary will both be able to play on their non-usual side of the field.
That's the message from coach Laurie Daley, who this morning confirmed one of the game's worst-kept secrets - that Cleary would return to the side at halfback, Mitchell Moses will play five-eighth, and Jarome Luai is dropped for the series opener in Brisbane on May 28.
Despite both players typically playing on the right at club level, Daley said he was confident that either could handle the shift to the left.
"I think some of Nathan's best football is played on the left. His last 20 minutes of the grand final was on the left. Magic Round when they beat the Broncos he drifted to the left. Mitch can play both sides, so it'll be a wait and see," Daley said at a press conference on Monday morning after the team was announced.
Mitchell Moses' selection means Jarome Luai misses out despite being the first-choice five-eighth in recent times, and Daley said that Luai was unlucky, while an extra kicking game would help the Blues.
RELATED: State of Origin Game 1 team list reaction
"Another tough decision. I just feel like Mitch is in great form. I think that he and Nathan can combine really well. Kicking games in Origin are so important, and we have two of the best kickers in the game. You can have a poor set but get away with it if your kick is strong," he said.
"So, I think that having that extra kicker in the team. Mitch is great with his communication, has a great running game and has all the qualities that he needs to to be great at six.
"There were a lot of players who were unlucky. Jarome is another one, James Tedesco. There are a lot of players who could have made it."
The Blues have also left out Tom Trbojevic and Terrell May for Game 1.
Daley said leaving out Trbojevic was a tricky decision.
"There has been a few positions that we have been unsure of, only because there is a dearth of talent. We wanted to take our time to pick the best available, the best team that was fit and the best team that can win Game 1. There were some positions that we thought long and hard about, made the decision yesterday and we are confident we have the right balance,' he said.
"Everyone agrees that Tom, if he is fit, he is one of the best players in the game, so that was a tough decision. But we are comfortable with everyone we have selected in the outside backs. Tom needs to go back and play some good football, be confident, and I have no doubt Tommy will be back in this arena at some point. It's always a tough decision.
"It's a bit of everything [his injury and form]. Tom is a wonderful player, but we just felt going into Queensland for Game 1, Latrell and Critta have been outstanding, and the two wingers, while Lomax has only had one game back, we just felt at this particular point in time, that was the best option to go with."
“There has been a few positions that we have been unsure of, only because there is a dearth of talent.”
I suspect he thinks “dearth” is another word for “excess”.
“Tom needs to go back and play some good football, be confident, and I have no doubt Tommy will be back in this arena at some point. ”
Another patronising comment from Mr Daley. If he had just said “I’m worried about Tom’s frequent injuries, and I want someone who is more physically robust” then everyone would have accepted that as a sensible reason for not picking him.