Kalyn Ponga is reportedly set to win the race for Queensland's number one jumper when teams for Game 1 are revealed on Monday morning.
The Maroons are expected to confirm their squad for the series opener - which will be played in Adelaide on May 31 - at 9am (AEST) on Monday morning.
It's believed Slater is set to stick and pick, with News Corp reporting Kalyn Ponga will play at fullback and Reece Walsh will miss out on the side.
That news comes despite Ponga spending his 2023 season to date in the halves, and missing a significant chunk of time after a Round 2 concussion.
His form has been strong since returning in recent weeks, while Walsh has tapered off after a hot start to the season, with the Broncos battling in recent weeks.
That call in the Maroons squad is likely to be joined by the recall of David Fifita, who could potentially start for the Maroons after Felise Kaufusi was slapped with a three-game ban by the judiciary. While he is unlikely to challenge, that will be confirmed on Monday morning and so coach Slater could still leave a spot open for the Origin stalwart if he were to win at the judiciary on Tuesday evening.
The other big calls come in the backline for Queensland with various media reporting that Murray Taulagi will edge out both Xavier Coates and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow for a spot on the wing despite his and the North Queensland Cowboys' struggles during the first half of the season.
That means the other wing spot, as predicted, will go to Selwyn Cobbo, while both Valentine Holmes and Dane Gagai will be retained in the centres - there had been some talk in recent weeks that Gagai could be dropped from Queensland's 17 altogether after a sub-standard start to the year for the Knights.
On the New South Wales front, it's believed Nicho Hynes will be handed a debut jumper, but not in the way most would have anticipated.
Fittler is set to make the shock call to leave Damien Cook out of his side and head to Adelaide with only one specialist hooker in the shape of Apisai Koroisau. It was believed Cook had the running on the jersey until Koroisau's performance against the Cowboys on Saturday.
That will mean Hynes plays in the 14 jersey that has at times been occupied by the representative retiree Jack Wighton in recent years, while Jarome Luai will continue his halves combination with Nathan Cleary after solid performances in the last month.
Josh Addo-Carr made it through Sunday's game with the Gold Coast Titans unscathed and it's believed he too will be picked on the wing, with some reports suggesting that, alongside Latrell Mitchell and Brian To'o, there is only a single spot left in the Blues' backline, with either Stephen Crichton or Campbell Graham to play in the centres.
It's unclear whether Tom Trbojevic is also still in the running for that spot - he scored a hat-trick against the Raiders on Sunday afternoon.
It's understood too that Jake Trbojevic will start at prop for the Blues.
The bigger surprises come on the bench, with Tyson Frizell reportedly set to be recalled, while Daniel Saifiti also remains in the mix.
The Knights' duo could both feature in Game 1, although it's believed Saifiti is only likely to play if Trbojevic can't, while Hudson Young is also set to debut according to various reports.
While Queensland's team is set to be revealed at 9am, the Blues are yet to put a timestamp on the announcement of their own side - an all in media egnagement is scheduled for 11am (AEST) however, so it's understood the team will be revealed prior to that.
