Whilst the men and women have dominated the Origin arena in 2026, the next generation of players get their chance to strut their talents in the U-19 Origin arena at North Sydney Oval on Thursday night.
Since the fixture was introduced in 2022, the concept has produced Origin stars such as Ethan Strange, Casey McLean, Robert Toia, Kulikefu Finefeuiaki and Jojo Fifita, who are already representing their state on the biggest stage.
Also, the likes of Paul Alamoti, Jack Bostock, Toby Couchman, Jack Howarth, Jaxon Purdue and Jye Gray have become established first-graders in the NRL level after representing their respective states in the U/19 Origin arena since the fixture was introduced in 2022.
In preparation for the contest, we are looking at five prospects per state to keep a close eye on in the contest.
9. Bishop Neal (Warriors)
The MUST-see talent in this game is undoubtedly Bishop Neal. The young man has the most hype surrounding him heading into this contest, bar none.
In the space of two seasons, Neal has gone from Harold Matthews Grand Final Player of the Match, to the NSW Cup. The young gun has had as much hype as any forward prospect to come from across the Tasman that we've seen in recent memory.
The QLD-born prospect is a very physical edge backrower who has speed to burn in the open field. He can also do the physical work, carrying from his own end, busting tackles for fun, even against grown men. He's already scored six tries in ten NSW Cup games and averaged just under 100 metres.
The 18-year-old has been found out a little defensively in the open age level, but he has dominated every age-limited competition he's been in and is a clear favourite for Player of the Match.
