New South Wales coach Brad Fittler has explained the thinking behind the selections of Kotoni Staggs and Ryan Matterson in the Blues’ Game I squad.
With both players currently uncapped, Fittler detailed how Staggs in particular won his place at starting centre, with his starring game against Cronulla and Siosifa Talakai in Round 8 proving crucial.
“Obviously the Kotoni (Staggs) v Siosifa Talakai was a great moment for both of them,” Fittler said on SEN 1170 The Run Home.
“I thought Siosifa handled himself really well, I know he went into that game crook.
“Kotoni put his hand up, he didn’t dodge the challenge and he said, ‘If it’s about Origin, I’m going to give it as good as I get’.
“He started a little bit slow, he just came back from an ACL injury.
“I was really impressed with the way he handled that and the way he continues to play.”
With every player the selection panel went with, Fittler says one key attribute that all 22 hold is that they wanted options that coped best under heavy fatigue and pressure.
“We’ve watched pretty much every player,” Fittler said.
“A lot of it is about their game and what they do off the ball.
“The ones we chose were the ones we thought would do it the best under pressure and under fatigue.
“There’s a few newbies and we made sure we didn’t want to put too many newbies together.
“But at the end of the day, the ones we picked have been showing it week in, week out.”
With Matterson’s inclusion effectively coming from the clouds, Fittler says the Eel was picked off the back of strong performances against the competition’s best sides.
“Ryan Matterson is another one, he’s had a couple of big games against good teams,” Fittler said.
“They beat Melbourne, they beat Penrith, they went good against the Roosters where he played well.
“We particularly pay attention when they’re in those big games when we know there’s pressure and attention on the games.”
State of Origin Game I is set for Sydney’s Accor Stadium on Wednesday June 8.
Check out Fittler’s 22-man NSW squad here!