We are five weeks into the 2026 NRL campaign, and plenty of talent are introducing their names in the State of Origin conversations.

With the introduction of the six-man bench, many players' chances of being selected in the squad have sky-rocketed.

The focus here will be on the players who haven't been made eligible because of the change in Tier 1 restrictions earlier this year. So players such as Addin Fonua-Blake, Jason Taumalolo and Briton Nikora will not feature. 

Here are some players who could make their Origin debut in this year's series.

4. Jack Howarth (QLD)

Representing under 19s Maroons in 2022, Howarth has gone strength-to-strength since his debut at the Melbourne Storm three years ago. Howarth displays great strength, agility, and footy IQ to out-skill his opponent for such a young talent. He is clearly in the sights of Maroons coach Billy Slater, who had Howarth in his reserves for Game 2 of the Origin series last year.

Howarth came through Storms's successful Sunshine Coast Falcons pathways, where he applied his trade in his early career until the opportunity surfaced for him to take a starting spot. Coming off a winning series, Slater will make minimal changes if he has to, however, Howarth should claim a centre spot if there are any injury concerns heading into this series.