Queensland name 2023 emerging under-19 Origin squad

Queensland Rugby League have named their emerging under-19 Origin squad ahead of this year's annual fixture against New South Wales, with new coach Matt Ballin to guide the training camp.

Ballin takes over from Kurt Richards, who will remain as selector after years in the Queensland pathways system. He has taken up a job at the Dolphins for 2023, but will remain on board as a selector.

Ballin, on the other hand, currently has a role at the Brisbane Broncos under Kevin Walters, but will also coach the Queensland under-19s side.

The junior Origin concept, which was played as under-16, under-18 and under-20 before the pandemic, returned for the first time since 2019 last season with an under-19 match for both men and women at Leichhardt.

It was a match won by the Blues 32 points to 4, with the likes of Terrell Kalo Kalo, Paul Alamoti, Brad Morkos, Jack Bostock, Thomas Weaver, Jonah Pezet, Max Bradbury, Brandon Tumeth, Jack Cole, Jye Gray, Jack Howarth, Xavier Va'a, Blake Mozer, Thomas Duffy and Robert Toia all likely to push for a first-grade debut this year out of last year's contest.

Sosefo (Jojo) Fifita, Trey Mooney and Justin Matamua have all made their NRL debuts and were included in the clash.

The emerging Queensland side will again feature Mozer, who is rated as one of the best young dummy halves in the game and Gray, who led Souths Logan to the Mal Meninga Cup grand final last season before making the switch to the South Sydney Rabbitohs this year. Last year's squad also featured Robert Toia, who is at the Sydney Roosters.

The brother of Xavier Va'a, De La Salle, who is also at the Sydney Roosters, also features in the camp for the Maroons, while recent Bulldogs signing Karl Oloapu will be expected to wear the number six jumper in the game.

Others to watch out for in the young Maroons squad include Ryan Jackson, with the young prop signed to a development deal at the Dolphins, while all of Stanley Huen, Mitchell Jennings, Mason Kira and Gabriel Satrick are in the Melbourne Storm system and have big raps.

Ballin is assisted in the coaching department by Nathan Cross and Antonio Kaufusi.