Isaah Yeo will captain the Westpac NSW Blues in Origin I, while Mitchell Moses has won the five-eighth spot and prop Max King was named for his representative debut.
Laurie Daley has named his first Blues side since returning to the coaching role this season and has stuck closely to the team which won last year’s series for the Origin opener at Suncorp Stadium on May 28.
Yeo takes over the captaincy from Jake Trbojevic, who was unavailable after suffering a head knock in Townsville on Saturday night and will start at lock in place of the injured Cameron Murray after being on the bench last season.
Moses edged out his 2024 Origin II and III halves partner Jarome Luai to play alongside superstar playmaker Nathan Cleary.
However, the biggest selection surprise was King, 28, on the bench for his Origin debut – joining his grandfather Johnny King, an NRL Hall of Fame inductee, as an NSW representative.
Dylan Edwards retains the fullback jersey ahead of James Tedesco, while Daley has shown faith in wingers Brian To’o and Zac Lomax, who have both played one match since returning from injury.
As a result, there was no room for Sea Eagles star Tom Trbojevic.
Latrell Mitchell and Stephen Crichton are the centres, as they were in last year’s emphatic Origin II win at the MCG, while Cleary returns after missing the second and third match of the 2024 series through injury.
Moses was his replacement, and he will now play alongside the superstar playmaker at five-eighth.
The forward pack of Yeo at lock, second-rowers Liam Martin and Angus Crichton, props Payne Haas and Mitchell Barnett, and hooker Reece Robson all played in Origin III as NSW regained the Shield.
Interchange prop Spencer Leniu and utility Connor Watson were also members of the winning Blues side, while second-rower Hudson Young returns after being dropped for the series decider.
Murray, Trbojevic and Bradman Best were all unavailable from the team that played in Origin III at Suncorp Stadium, while Luai was overlooked.
With injury concerns over Haas (quad) and Stephen Crichton (groin), Daley has named forwards Stefano Utoikamanu and Haumole Olakau’atu and centre Campbell Graham in an extended 20-man squad.
The Maroons team will be announced on Monday morning, but Canterbury officials have confirmed that veteran utility Kurt Mann, who plays as a middle forward for the Bulldogs, would be the club’s second Origin debutant.
The Maroons have lost secondrower Tom Gilbert (pec muscle) and winger Murray Taulagi (calf), while fellow outside back Selwyn Cobbo is in doubt with a wrist injury.
WESTPAC NSW BLUES SQUAD
1. Dylan Edwards (Penrith Panthers)
2. Brian To’o (Penrith Panthers)
3. Stephen Crichton (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)
4. Latrell Mitchell (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
5. Zac Lomax (Parramatta Eels)
6. Mitchell Moses (Parramatta Eels)
7. Nathan Cleary (Penrith Panthers)
8. Mitchell Barnett (Warriors)
9. Reece Robson (North Queensland Cowboys)
10. Payne Haas (Brisbane Broncos)
11. Liam Martin (Penrith Panthers)
12. Angus Crichton (Sydney Roosters)
13. Isaah Yeo (c) (Penrith Panthers)
14. Connor Watson (Sydney Roosters)
15. Spencer Leniu (Sydney Roosters)
16. Hudson Young (Canberra Raiders)
17. Max King (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)
18. Campbell Graham (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
19. Stefano Utoikamanu (Melbourne Storm)
20. Haumole Olakau’atu (Manly Warringah Sea Eagles)
Source: NRL.com