The news no NSW Blues fan wanted to hear, that Mitch Moses would be ruled out of game one just 24 hours before the series kicked off.

The side needed to decide on a replacement, and on Tuesday morning, coach Laurie Daley revealed he didn't want to risk playing the Eels' halfback 48 hours after he sustained the injury.

He confirmed young Canberra Raiders half Ethan Srange, who is in his third season playing NRL, would be promoted to play five-eighth ahead of his debut in the Origin arena.

"He's strained a hammy. Nothing major. He had a tweak and won't miss a lot of football,” Daley said.

"Ethan Strange will start, and Matt Burton will come onto the bench."

Burton last played in the Origin arena in 2022 and has earned multiple selections as the 18th man before joining the extended squad ahead of Wednesday's series opener.

NSW Blues performance manager Frank Ponissi revealed on NRL 360 Tuesday night that they initially had other plans before selecting Matt Burton, revealing that they wanted to select Isaiya Katoa from the Dolphins.

“It happened so quickly after training,” he said.

"Obviously, there are processes you have to go through. You have to contact the NRL for approval, and we needed to see who was available.

"Definitely, Katoa was a strong candidate, but once we found out he was concussed from last Thursday night, that ruled him out and even with Matt Burton, he was just about to take the field for the Bulldogs yesterday afternoon for a tough session, so we had to put that on hold until we were sure Burto was the man.

"They were the only two players discussed. Burto is experienced; he's been around these players for a while now, he's played Origin, so it was just a natural selection to pick Burto."

When Laurie Daley found out about Moses' injury, training had finished, and it was Isaah Yeo who told him that something had happened.

"Training had finished, he was doing extras, and Isaah alerted me that something had happened with Mitch," Daley said.

"All the good players put in extra reps after training, and that's when it occurred."

Daley stated his confidence in Ethan Strange and believes he will do the job needed when he pairs with Nathan Cleary in the halves. 

"I've always loved Ethan as a player," Daley said.

“I probably watch more Canberra games than any other team, so I've got a fair idea on Ethan as a player, and I like the way he plays.

"At this level, if you've got a strong running game, you want to challenge the defence. There's a lot of fatigue in Origin, so if he just backs his instincts, he'll play well.

"I'm not worried about Ethan; he'll play well."