Laurie Daley has confirmed his side for Game 1 of the 2026 State of Origin series, with several surprise selections and debutants littered across the side.
The team certainly has produced its fair share of talking points, so let's get into them.
See the Blues' full squad for Game 1 here
Jacob Saifiti and Victor Radley. Wait. What? Say that again
I don't like to write in the first person very often, but there is no other way to express this.
Laurie Daley announcing the names Victor Radley and Jacob Saifiti back-to-back on the NSWRL live stream on Monday morning made me pause, go "sorry, what," and then rewind the stream to check I wasn't hearing things.
In a world where the likes of Keaon Koloamatangi, Terrell May, and the competition's most in-form forward Jackson Ford exist, Daley has decided to go with Victor Radley and Jacob Saifiti on the bench, leading all three to miss selection completely.
Many of Daley's selections were questioned and scrutinised in last year's losing effort against the Maroons, but none may come under the microscope more than these two if they don't work out.
Let's just take a look at some numbers.
Jacob Saifiti: 11 games, 115 metres per game, 43.5 post contact metres per game, 35.1 tackles per game at 92 per cent efficiency, 3 offloads, 13 tackle breaks, 0 line breaks
Victor Radley: 5 games, 75 metres per game, 26.6 post contact metres per game, 28 tackles per game at 94 per cent efficiency, 0 offloads, 4 tackle breaks, 0 line breaks
Keaon Koloamatangi: 10 games, 169 metres per game, 55.9 post contact metres per game, 27.5 tackles per game at 92.9 per cent efficiency, 4 offloads, 11 tackle breaks, 1 line break
Jackson Ford: 10 games, 178 metres per game, 74.4 post contact metres per game, 41.5 tackles per game at 95 per cent efficiency, 7 offloads, 22 tackle breaks, 6 line breaks
Terrell May: 9 games, 157 metres per game, 58.1 post contact metres per game, 36.7 tackles per game at 98.8 per cent efficiency, 22 offloads, 35 tackle breaks, 3 line breaks
Even if you wanted to break it down by productivity per minute, the numbers still don't quite stack up.
Jacob Saifiti: 616 minutes, 0.51 tackles per minute, 2 metres per minute
Victor Radley: 251 minutes, 0.56 tackles per minute, 1.5 metres per minute
Keaon Koloamatangi: 659 minutes, 0.42 tackles per minute, 2.58 metres per minute
Jackson Ford: 730 minutes, 0.57 tackles per minute, 2.45 metres per minute
Terrell May: 553 minutes, 0.6 tackles per minute, 2.57 metres per minute
You could even argue Mitch Barnett shouldn't be there, given his limited game time to start the season, but he, at the very least, has runs on the board.
In a game that will be dominated by the ability of the forwards to dominate, Daley's rotation in the middle third is going to leave the Blues very short of what could have been possible.
I'm well aware that rugby league isn't played on a piece of paper dominated by numbers, but in this instance, the numbers simply confirm the theory - that Radley and Saifiti should not be in this team.
In fairness, at least Daley got it right, naming Casey McLean and Ethan Strange on the pine.
James Tedesco unseats Dylan Edwards
Dylan Edwards might have been the incumbent, but Laurie Daley clearly thought a change was needed at the back after last year's series, with James Tedesco winning his spot back.
The difference in play style between the two is an easy one to explain, and ultimately is why the decision has been made.
Edwards is a great ball runner and gets through a mountain of work, but he simply doesn't have the creativity of Tedesco, who comes up with try involvements for fun.
His form, except Saturday night's loss to the Cowboys, as well as his extremely strong history in sky blue, means he was a demanding selection.
It's really as simple as that.
Cameron Murray's role from the bench
One selection that is going to be a head scratcher for the Blues is to bring Cameron Murray off the bench for the Blues.
The best lock in the game, not starting at lock, simply doesn't make sense.
Yes, the Rabbitohs star missed last year's series with injury, but that only adds to the argument - the Blues look their best and have looked their best in recent times with Murray at lock.
Isaah Yeo certainly has a role to play at Origin level, but it should be as a prop, whether that be starting or from the bench.
The Blues need Murray at lock for as long as possible in each game if they are going to reclaim the shield.
Tolutau Koula to play from the wing
Tolutau Koula on the wing for the Blues is either going to go down as one of the more inspired selections this year or one of the biggest failures this year.
There is no doubt Koula deserves a spot somewhere in the side.
He is one of the most dangerous ball runners in the competition and has put his best foot forward for Manly, being a big part of the reason they are going so well under Kieran Foran.
But he also isn't a winger.
There is a real chance he is going to get caught out in defence.
Maybe the result will be whether he adds more points than he lets in, although he is certainly strong enough and smart enough to work it out on the run.
Brailey picked, but should he be starting?
The Blues have unsurprisingly called Blayke Brailey into their side for the series opener, with the Cronulla Sharks star able to capitalise on form that has quickly turned him into the game's best rake.
The Sharks star, however, will not start.
Instead, he will be expected to provide spark off the bench, and you can't help but feel the order should be flipped. Maybe, by the end of camp, it will be.
Reece Robson, who has clung onto his spot with some pretty solid games for the Roosters, probably brings more spark to the duo, while Brailey is certainly the better defender.
That's not to say Brailey can't run and kick, but you feel him taking the sting out of the game early would be the better policy here.
Moses wins the race for six.
Maybe this selection was never truly in doubt, but there were certainly question marks around who was going to partner Penrith Panthers star Nathan Cleary.
In the end, Daley has gone with Mitchell Moses to wear the number six jumper.
That does put two halfbacks in the side who have very similar game sets, and given Moses' form, there were certainly other suggestions raised.
Ethan Strange on the bench means there is cover if the combination isn't working or Daley at some point feels as if the Blues need a spark, while Jarome Luai being overlooked will remain a talking point certainly up to kick-off, and afterwards if the Blues fail in their quest to get off to a good start.
