Source : ABC NEWS
It was arguably the hardest selection decision NSW Blues coach Laurie Daley had to make when choosing his squad for State of Origin I.
Should he keep Dylan Edwards at fullback or recall ex-captain James Tedesco for his first Origin appearance since Game 1 in 2024?
Both had presented compelling cases this NRL season, but Tedesco was given the nod for Wednesday’s series opener against the Queensland Maroons at Stadium Australia.
Not surprisingly, Daley described Edwards’s omission as a “tough call”.
In the rival rugby code, Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt is facing a similar question asked of Daley when he picks his squad for July’s Nations Championship Tests.
Who is his best option at fullback?
Tom Wright was Schmidt’s preferred choice until he suffered an ACL injury in the Wallabies’ 30-22 loss to the Springboks in Cape Town last August.
The injury ended his 2025 season, and he only returned to the playing field for the ACT Brumbies in Super Rugby Pacific last month.
It is not surprising Wright is yet to recapture his best form as it takes time to recover from ACL injuries, both physically and emotionally.
Tom Wright was the Wallabies’ first-choice fullback until injuring his knee last year. (Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)
He was solid in the Brumbies’ 21-14 win over the NSW Waratahs in Sydney but was outshone by his opposite number, Max Jorgensen.
Jorgensen described fullback as his “natural position” in the lead-up to Friday night’s match.
He beat Wright in a one-on-one contest late in the second half, using minimal room down the left edge to find his way to the goal line for a brilliant try.
The moment surely would have given Schmidt food for thought, especially as he started Jorgensen at fullback in four of the nine Tests that followed Wright’s injury last year.
If fully fit, Jorgensen will be one of the first picked in Schmidt’s squad, but it remains to be seen whether he will play wing or fullback.
Max Jorgensen scored an individual try for the Waratahs against the Brumbies. (AAP: Dean Lewins)
Jock Campbell’s form for the Queensland Reds has added further intrigue to the debate over who wears the number 15 jersey for the Wallabies.
Campbell, who made his Test debut in 2022, showed he is elusive in attack when he scored the match-winning try for the Reds in their nervous 33-31 defeat of the last-placed Moana Pasifika in Auckland on Saturday.
He also had two try assists, helping set up wingers Tim Ryan and Treyvon Pritchard for five-pointers.
Just as Daley was forced to make a difficult call when he named his Blues squad, Schmidt has a selection headache, albeit one he will welcome.
Brumbies clinch finals berth
The Brumbies were in no mood to celebrate qualifying for the finals following their win over the Waratahs.
Coach Stephen Larkham’s demeanour in the post-match media conference did not hide the fact he expected his squad to have already secured a finals berth ahead of round 15.
The Brumbies were sitting inside the top three on the Super Rugby Pacific standings earlier this season.
But their finals hopes were dealt a blow when they posted a 1-4 (win-loss) return across a five-match stretch, before consecutive victories over the Western Force and Waratahs meant they were guaranteed to advance to the play-offs.
“There’s a number of games that could have put us in a different situation coming into this game,” Larkham said after the Waratahs match.
Brumbies inside centre David Feliuai (right) helped his side get past the Waratahs. (Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)
The Brumbies are fifth on the standings, but where they finish will be decided following this weekend’s final round of the regular season.
A bonus-point win over Moana in Canberra on Saturday night gives them a slim chance of snatching third and securing a home qualifying final, however they will also need other results to go their way.
Sixth place, though, is still a possibility if the Brumbies lose and the Reds defeat Fijian Drua in Brisbane on Friday.
The Reds need a win over the Drua to have any chance of finishing as high as fourth.
Reds welcome back key personnel
The Reds’ win over Moana was unconvincing, but it did help them reach the finals.
It also gave Tate McDermott and Josh Canham the opportunity to gain much-needed match fitness after lengthy spells on the sideline due to injury.
McDermott had hamstring surgery late last year and was not considered for selection until the Moana match.
The Reds had been well served at scrum half through Kalani Thomas and Louis Werchon during McDermott’s absence.
But McDermott’s leadership ability had been missed.
Coach Les Kiss must feel reassured having McDermott, Fraser McReight and Harry Wilson on the field at the same time, given their experience in captaining the Reds and Wallabies.
The trio have a crucial role to play when the Reds contest their second straight finals series under the top-six format.
Tate McDermott made his long-awaited return for the Reds. (Getty Images: Masanori Udagawa)
Canham’s availability is timely as the Reds’ attacking line-out has struggled this season.
The Reds won 74 per cent of their line-out throws in the five matches before Canham’s return.
Canham was second in Super Rugby Pacific last season for most line-out wins with 76.
He was the Reds’ main target against Moana, with the visitors’ line-out showing improvement despite losing three of their throws.
Force, Tahs lick their wounds
The Force host the Waratahs in Perth on Saturday night, with the result to decide which team finishes higher than the other on the standings.
This will be cold comfort to whoever comes out on top, as both the Force and Waratahs had ambitions of making the finals.
The Force defeated the Drua 19-15 at home last Saturday, but the failure to secure a bonus point meant they were no longer in play-offs contention.
“It’s on us. We’ve got to put ourselves in better positions at the end of the year to do things on our own terms,” Force skipper Jeremy Williams said after the Drua match.
“It’s really disappointing.”
Jeremy Williams (left) reflected on the Force’s failure to make the finals. (Getty Images: Paul Kane)
Williams was highlighting the fact the eighth-placed Force left themselves too much work to do in the second half of the regular season.
They reached the midway point of the competition with a 2-5 record.
Winning four of their past six matches gave them a glimmer of hope, however they are left to reflect on what might have been.
The Waratahs are in the same boat, with their finals chances evaporating over the weekend.
They are seventh with a 5-8 return through 13 matches.
Following the loss to the Brumbies, Waratahs coach Dan McKellar was adamant his squad had made progress during his two seasons in charge.
But McKellar acknowledged the Waratahs’ on-field results did not support his claim they were moving forward.
The 2027 season shapes as a make-or-break scenario for McKellar, who will be in the final year of his contract.
