Queensland coach Billy Slater has been forced to make several changes to his squad for game two of the State of Origin series due to injuries.
The Maroons recorded a 26-18 win against the New South Wales Blues in game one in Adelaide last month.
Cowboys forward Jeremiah Nanai makes his return to the team after being ruled out with suspension for the first game.
The 2022 Dally M Rookie of the Year will replace Tom Gilbert who dislocated his shoulder in game one and has since had surgery – he won’t play for the rest of the season.
Melbourne winger Xavier Coates is back in the Queensland side to replace injured Brisbane winger Selwyn Cobbo, while Gold Coast prop Moeaki Fotuaika has also earned a recall for game two at Suncorp Stadium on 21 June.
Cobbo aggravated a hip injury, sustained in Adelaide, while playing in Brisbane’s 24-20 win over Newcastle on Saturday night.
Coates had a stellar game for the Storm in their 54-10 thrashing of Cronulla on Sunday. The 22-year-old, who has played six Origin games, featured in the game one side in 2022 but injured an ankle in the first half and missed the rest of the series.
The Maroons have also made two changes to their extended squad with Titans fullback AJ Brimson replacing Cowboys playmaker Tom Dearden as 18th man.
The Titans have a bye in round 16 and Brimson’s inclusion will allow Dearden to play for the Cowboys in their home clash with Penrith
Canberra forward Corey Horsburgh is the new 19th man, replacing Storm prop Christian Welch, who faces a one-game ban for dangerous contact on Sharks forward Royce Hunt on Sunday.
Fotuaika replaces injured Jai Arrow on the bench. The 23-year-old Tongan international played the last of his four Origin games for Queensland in 2021.
This season has been his best in the NRL, where he has averaged a career-high 157 running metres a match in 13 games. He also brings the defensive solidity needed in the Origin cauldron and has averaged 32 tackles a game in 2023 with an impressive efficiency rate of 95%.
The Maroons can wrap up the series with a win in Brisbane. If they do it will be the first time they have won consecutive Origin series since their treble from 2015 to 2017.
Queensland squad: Reece Walsh, Xavier Coates, Valentine Holmes, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Murray Taulagi, Cameron Munster, Daly Cherry-Evans (captain), Lindsay Collins, Ben Hunt, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, David Fifita, Jeremiah Nanai, Patrick Carrigan, Harry Grant, Thomas Flegler, Reuben Cotter, Moeaki Fotuaika, AJ Brimson, Corey Horsburgh.
