Queensland have taken a huge gamble in selection for Wednesday night's Origin decider, with Wayne Bennett axing star utility Ben Hunt to give young gun hooker Harry Grant his Maroons debut.
MORE: NSW PICK SQUAD FOR ORIGIN DECIDER
Hunt played most of the game in Queensland's heavy Game Two loss in Sydney after Cameron Munster copped a heavy head knock in the second minute and was ruled out of the rest of the match despite passing his HIA (head injury assessment).
Yet, despite his experience, Hunt struggled to gel with halfback and captain Daly Cherry-Evans, and he has paid the ultimate price.
Hunt has been named in the 21-man squad but not in his customary No.14 jersey, with Grant taking that spot on the team sheet in a sure sign that he'll suit up for his debut in the Suncorp Stadium cauldron.
Bennett also made two other changes.
Rabbitohs fullback Corey Allan was brought in to replace Phillip Sami on the wing after the Titans flyer had a torrid night marking Josh Addo-Carr in Game Two. Sami was dropped from the squad altogether.
Meanwhile Sami's club teammate Moeaki Fotuaika also lost his place in the 17, with Storm prop Christian Welch returning from injury to take his place in the decider.
Welch was one of Queensland's best players in their Game One victory but missed the Sydney catastrophe due to concussion. The Queensland Rugby League said Welch had been cleared by Maroons team doctor Matt Hislop, who is also monitoring Munster's fitness in line with the NRL's return to play concussion protocols.
Dr. Hislop made the hard call to sit Munster out of the majority of the Maroons' Game Two defeat despite his successful HIA, and that position has since been vindicated after NSW copped an official warning from the NRL for their call to allow Boyd Cordner back on the field in Game One, when the skipper passed his HIA but had shown visible signs of concussion on the field.
In a statement released by the NRL this afternoon, CEO Andrew Abdo said: "In our view Boyd should not have been allowed to return to the field. Our Chief Medical Officer spoke directly with both NSW and Queensland medical staff prior to Wednesday night's game and reminded them of our high expectations in this area."
Cordner left the Blues squad following Game One, ruling himself out of the remainder of the series.
FULL MAROONS 21-MAN SQUAD
1. Valentine Holmes
2. Xavier Coates
3. Kurt Capewell
4. Dane Gagai
5. Corey Allan
6. Cameron Munster
7. Daly Cherry-Evans (c)
8. Christian Welch
9. Jake Friend
10. Josh Papalii
11. Felise Kaufusi
12. Jaydn Su'A
13. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui
14. Harry Grant
15. Lindsay Collins
16. Jai Arrow
17. Dunamis Lui
18. Ben Hunt
19. Edrick Lee
20. Moeaki Fotuaika
21. Brenko Lee
Queensland have taken a huge gamble in selection for Wednesday night's Origin decider, with Wayne Bennett axing star utility Ben Hunt to give young gun hooker Harry Grant his Maroons debut.
MORE: NSW PICK SQUAD FOR ORIGIN DECIDER
Hunt played most of the game in Queensland's heavy Game Two loss in Sydney after Cameron Munster copped a heavy head knock in the second minute and was ruled out of the rest of the match despite passing his HIA (head injury assessment).
Yet, despite his experience, Hunt struggled to gel with halfback and captain Daly Cherry-Evans, and he has paid the ultimate price.
Hunt has been named in the 21-man squad but not in his customary No.14 jersey, with Grant taking that spot on the team sheet in a sure sign that he'll suit up for his debut in the Suncorp Stadium cauldron.
Bennett also made two other changes.
Rabbitohs fullback Corey Allan was brought in to replace Phillip Sami on the wing after the Titans flyer had a torrid night marking Josh Addo-Carr in Game Two. Sami was dropped from the squad altogether.
Meanwhile Sami's club teammate Moeaki Fotuaika also lost his place in the 17, with Storm prop Christian Welch returning from injury to take his place in the decider.
Welch was one of Queensland's best players in their Game One victory but missed the Sydney catastrophe due to concussion. The Queensland Rugby League said Welch had been cleared by Maroons team doctor Matt Hislop, who is also monitoring Munster's fitness in line with the NRL's return to play concussion protocols.
Dr. Hislop made the hard call to sit Munster out of the majority of the Maroons' Game Two defeat despite his successful HIA, and that position has since been vindicated after NSW copped an official warning from the NRL for their call to allow Boyd Cordner back on the field in Game One, when the skipper passed his HIA but had shown visible signs of concussion on the field.
In a statement released by the NRL this afternoon, CEO Andrew Abdo said: "In our view Boyd should not have been allowed to return to the field. Our Chief Medical Officer spoke directly with both NSW and Queensland medical staff prior to Wednesday night's game and reminded them of our high expectations in this area."
Cordner left the Blues squad following Game One, ruling himself out of the remainder of the series.
FULL MAROONS 21-MAN SQUAD
1. Valentine Holmes
2. Xavier Coates
3. Kurt Capewell
4. Dane Gagai
5. Corey Allan
6. Cameron Munster
7. Daly Cherry-Evans (c)
8. Christian Welch
9. Jake Friend
10. Josh Papalii
11. Felise Kaufusi
12. Jaydn Su'A
13. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui
14. Harry Grant
15. Lindsay Collins
16. Jai Arrow
17. Dunamis Lui
18. Ben Hunt
19. Edrick Lee
20. Moeaki Fotuaika
21. Brenko Lee
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