New South Wales Blues' State of Origin coach Michael Maguire has revealed Nicho Hynes should be fit to play in Game 1 of the 2024 State of Origin series, while also revealing some of the reasons behind his selection of Dylan Edwards.
Hynes suffered a calf injury some weeks ago and has been battling it ever since.
Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon revealed after Saturday's loss to the Penrith Panthers - which Hynes only played half of before not returning from a HIA that he passed - that the star halfback has been on a modified training program in recent weeks as he attempts to overcome the issue.
Fitzgibbon revealed his calf cooling down and tightening up while being off for the HIA was behind the decision to not put Hynes back into the game, with scan results then showing on Sunday that there was no significant aggravation of the injury.
Maguire told the media on Monday morning that Hynes was "excited" to be in the squad, having previously played for the Blues as a utility.
“He's extremely excited about being in the team. He's ready to go,” Maguire said.
“I'm super confident with how Nicho's been. I'm really looking forward to how he comes into camp. He's a leader.”
Hynes' selection became a must for the Blues following injuries to Nathan Cleary, Mitchell Moses and the experienced Adam Reynolds, although many had Hynes in their predicted Origin side at five-eighth in a halves combination alongside Cleary prior to injuries.
Meanwhile, Maguire made the difficult call to drop James Tedesco from the side, replacing him at fullback with Dylan Edwards, and as captain with Jake Trbojevic.
He said it was the right time for Edwards to take the step into the Origin arena.
“He's ready, I think we all believe he's been ready for a long time,” he added.
“I've got the utmost respect for Teddy, he's done everything in the game and I'll hold what he said to me but I can understand why he's going to go down as one of the champions of the game.
“He's one of the most consistent players I've seen in a long time.”
Game 1 will be played on Wednesday, June 5 in Sydney.
