NSW Blues advisor and SEN’s Greg Alexander has put an end to the speculation and confirmed that Jack Wighton will start at centre ahead of debutant Stephen Crichton in Wednesday's Origin series opener.
Blues head coach Brad Fittler raised eyebrows by selecting the Raiders utility ahead of the Panthers centre with many believing NSW were playing mind games with Queensland.
Alexander said that barring any major catastrophe hours before kick-off of Game I, the NSW Blues would run unchanged from fullback to number 17.
“Jack Wighton will start in the centres,” Alexander said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“Unless there is a hiccup, in terms of COVID, there will be no change.
“That’s the only hiccup or possible hiccup in front of us at the moment.
“Everything else is done.”
Alexander further added that he isn’t concerned if Queensland pulls a late change as a tactic.
“Whatever they want to throw out onto the field at the start of the game, that’s what they do,” Alexander said.
“Whoever starts, we’ll have to be on guard.
“Our defenders will have to be ready to combat that.”
The build-up to the 2022 Origin series has been muted compared to other years with neither side participating in a war of words prior to the game.
Brandy responded by saying he enjoyed the ‘low-key’ build-up to the series and didn’t want to engage in any rhetoric that could come back to haunt the Blues.
“Call it a low-key build up instead of boring,” he said.
“(The war of words) is for everyone else to come up with.
“It wasn’t (us) who came out with, ‘The worst Queensland team in 40 years (in 2020)’.
“In the end, it really doesn’t affect the team.”
Game I will begin at 8:10 pm on June 8 in Sydney.
Listen to your choice of three calls for Origin I with Blues Radio, Maroons Radio and SEN Origin Live broadcasting the big game! Download the SEN app for Apple or Android to tune in.