North Queensland second-rower Jeremiah Nanai has been recalled to the Maroons side while star winger Brian To’o and second-rower Dylan Lucas are among four players dropped by NSW for the State of Origin decider.
Nanai returns for Maroons
Aerial specialist Nanai has been superb in 11 Origin games for the Maroons and is fresh from a stunning two-try man of the match display for the Cowboys in the 26-12 win over Penrith on Saturday. This season Nanai, who missed the opening two Origin games, has played just four club matches due to a shoulder injury but showed against the Panthers that he is back to his best.
Carrigan recalled, Collins ruled out
Brisbane lock Pat Carrigan has also been recalled for the Origin decider at Suncorp Stadium on 8 July after missing the 44-24 win over NSW in game two at the MCG with an ankle injury. Carrigan has not played since 31 May but coach Billy Slater has done his due diligence and is confident he will be fit and firing for the match. The 28-year-old has been a feature in Maroons teams since Slater became coach in 2022. Queensland will be without Sydney Roosters prop Lindsay Collins, who has been ruled out after failing an HIA in the 24-18 club win over Brisbane on Friday night. The Maroons will field an unchanged backline from game two, the same starting one-to-seven they have selected throughout the series.
Blues axe To’o, Staggs, Lucas, Koroisau
NSW coach Laurie Daley has wielded the axe on his team, with Blues mainstay To’o and Brisbane star Kotoni Staggs among four players dropped. Needing to defy history to reclaim the shield, Daley also left Newcastle back-rower Lucas and Wests Tigers hooker Api Koroisau out of the squad for game three. But what will steal the headlines ahead of the do-or-die clash will be Daley’s decision to parachute Jack Bostock into starting 13, giving him his Origin debut. The 22-year-old was left on the extended bench for game two, but has been instrumental in helping the Dolphins charge towards a top-four finals berth.
Bostock’s naming comes at the expense of To’o, who has featured in every Origin game since his first appearance in 2021, and won the Brad Fittler Medal as NSW’s best player in 2023 and 2025. “Jack was a part of the 19 down there in Melbourne. He’s a big body, he’s an aerial threat, and he’s someone that we think will do well in game three,” Daley said on Sunday. “Biz [To’o] has been one of my personal favourites, and someone who has been a Brad Fittler medal winner. He’s given great service to New South Wales, and I’m sure he’ll be back, but just for this game, we just feel like we just needed to make that change.”
Other changes for NSW
Canterbury’s Stephen Crichton missed game two with a shoulder injury but will return to the centres in place of Staggs after he had a tough night in the Blues’ capitulation in game two. Penrith second-rower Liam Martin comes in for Lucas, who also had a quiet night in Melbourne. Martin has played an integral role in the Panthers’ dynasty and was a regular in the Blues’ squad between 2021 and 2025, but was overlooked for the opening two matches. Newcastle’s Bradman Best will play in the Blues centres for the first time since 2024 after Daley opted to move Manly’s Tolutau Koula from the starting side to the interchange. After scoring two tries for the Sea Eagles on Saturday, second-rower Haumole Olakau’atu has been called up from 20th man to the bench, swapping places with Sydney Roosters livewire Victor Radley. Cronulla hooker Blayke Brailey has also been named on the interchange instead of Koroisau, after missing game two with a broken arm.
Daley stuck to his guns in the halves, keeping the experienced duo of Mitchell Moses and Nathan Cleary, while game one hero Ethan Strange remains on the bench. He also kept South Sydney’s Cameron Murray on the interchange, resisting calls for him to move into the starting line-up. NSW’s hopes of winning the decider were already dealt a blow as star centre Latrell Mitchell was ruled out with a calf issue. The Blues can become only the second NSW team in the last 20 years to clinch a series at Suncorp Stadium in Origin III.
State of Origin Game 3 teams
Queensland: Kalyn Ponga, Selwyn Cobbo, Robert Toia, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Jojo Fifita, Cameron Munster (c), Sam Walker, Thomas Flegler, Harry Grant, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Briton Nikora, Kurt Capewell, Reuben Cotter, Max Plath, Pat Carrigan, Jeremiah Nanai, Trent Loiero, Reece Walsh, Murray Taulagi, Corey Horsburgh.
New South Wales: James Tedesco, Jack Bostock, Bradman Best, Stephen Crichton, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Mitchell Moses, Nathan Cleary, Payne Haas, Reece Robson, Mitchell Barnett, Hudson Young, Liam Martin, Isaah Yeo (c), Cameron Murray, Addin Fonua-Blake, Haumole Olakau’atu, Blayke Braley, Ethan Strange, Tolutau Koula, Victor Radley.
