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Bradman Best has been trusted with the crucial left centre spot by Michael Maguire in State of Origin III after Latrell Mitchell was ruled out with a foot injury.
And Warriors forward Mitchell Barnett will make his debut on the interchange after being part of the extended squad for the first two matches with Manly second-rower Haumole Olakau’atu left out after getting limited game time in the first two matches.
The Blues opted to send Best for scans on the way in to camp on Monday morning but the centre is confident the injury is not serious. Bulldogs five-eighth Matt Burton has been added to the extended bench as cover for Best if his hamstring is not up to scratch.
>> CHECK OUT THE ORIGIN III TEAMS
Best scored a double for NSW on debut last year, before injury ruled him out of Origin I last month.
Bradman Best celebrates scoring a try. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
Maguire has unveiled his team for Origin III at Suncorp Stadium with Best’s recall after a storming debut in the corresponding match last year the only change from the team which thrashed Queensland at the MCG last month.
“Bradman has been on fire the last month so it’s nice to bring him in and replace the big fella Latrell,” Maguire told reporters on Monday morning.
“He’s been there before. He was one of the best players in the last game last year and he’s shown he can definitely play at that level but also just the way he plays.
“I had a lot of thoughts about him before the start of the series but he was out injured so it’s nice to see him running around and playing really well.”
Mitchell will miss the July 17 decider and will be out of action for South Sydney for at least a month and potentially the rest of the season in a major blow to the Blues and the Bunnies.
He will meet with a specialist on Tuesday, who will determine whether the injury requires surgery, which would rule him out for the remainder of 2024.
Joseph Suaalii was also an option after serving his ban for hitting Reece Walsh high in Origin I, with his four-game suspension now served while Manly star Tom Trbojevic and was also in the mix.
Trbojevic made a solid return from a hamstring tear in the Sea Eagles’ dramatic road win over the Cowboys on Saturday night but is short of game time this season and subjecting his hamstring to the greater intensity of Origin after just one match was not worth the risk for Maguire.
“I’m sure that we’ll see him back at his best,” Maguire said when asked whether he considered picking Trbojevic ahead of Best.
Best put in a strong performance for the Knights in Sunday afternoon’s narrow win over Canberra, tallying 196 running metres and a line break assist.
“If the opportunity comes, I’ll take it with both hands,” he said after the four-point triumph when asked about the prospect of a second Origin appearance.
Barnett’s elevation to the run-on side is well deserved for a late bloomer who has been in career-best form since switching to the Warriors last year.
The former Knights stalwart is the second 30-year-old to debut for the Blues this series after Cameron McInnes in game one.
He is slightly younger than McInnes with Tony Butterfield, Max Krilich, Hazem El Masri, Matt Prior and John Ferguson the only other Blues who were older when they made their Origin debut.
Barnett started his career with a season at the Raiders in 2015 and has racked up 159 NRL appearances over the past decade.
1 Dylan Edwards (Panthers)
2 Brian To’o (Panthers)
3 Stephen Crichton (Bulldogs)
4 Bradman Best (Knights)
5 Zac Lomax (Dragons)
6 Jarome Luai (Panthers)
7 Mitchell Moses (Eels)
8 Jake Trbojevic (c) (Sea Eagles)
9 Reece Robson (Cowboys)
10 Payne Haas (Broncos)
11 Liam Martin (Panthers)
12 Angus Crichton (Roosters)
13 Cameron Murray (Rabbitohs)
14 Connor Watson (Roosters)
15 Isaah Yeo (Panthers)
16 Mitch Barnett (Warriors)
17 Spencer Leniu (Roosters)
18 Matt Burton (Bulldogs)
19 Haumole Olakua’atu (Sea Eagles)
20 Luke Keary (Roosters)
with AAP