3 minute read

The last time State of Origin visited Melbourne, Brad Fittler ushered in a new era of Blues with 11 NSW debutants. Very few will return for another MCG bout.

They were meant to be Brad Fittler's new generation of Blues, and NSW's answer to 11 long years of Queensland State of Origin dominance.

But six years on from NSW's last trip to the MCG, precious few of Fittler's rookies will be back in Melbourne with the Blues for game two on Wednesday.

The 2018 series may feel like a lifetime ago for NSW, but Game I that year heralded a new era for the state under a rookie coach in Fittler.

There were 11 debutants at the MCG, as NSW fielded their least-experienced Origin team since way back in 1983 and won 22-12 before clinching the series in game two.

Among them were a generational halfback in Nathan Cleary, fallen flyer James Roberts and now-veteran hooker Damien Cook.

But in the new world of Michael Maguire as coach, there's little trace of those rookies.

Of the 11 men who played their first Origin in Melbourne on June 6, 2018, only Angus Crichton and Latrell Mitchell will be playing on Wednesday night.

Jake Trbojevic is the only other player from Fittler's first team who features in Maguire's side, named captain of a Blues team picked on grunt and work ethic.

Others would likely be there if not for injury.

Cleary has been NSW's first-choice halfback since his debut in 2018, while Tom Trbojevic remains a staple of the NSW side whenever he is fit.

The majority, though, have fallen by the wayside.

Roberts is playing in the Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League, Paul Vaughan is in the Super League and others are no longer first-choice options for Blues selectors.

James Tedesco was the only man to played every game of Fittler's tenure, and became captain in 2020.

He was axed in the first side Maguire picked this year, and while Dylan Edwards' injury gave him a reprieve for game one, his Origin career could now be over.

Damien Cook was the next most-capped under Fittler, playing all but one game. South Sydney's struggles meant he wasn't even in the conversation this year.

Tedesco and Cook were among the stars of the Fittler era, particularly in the early years when the Blues won back-to-back series in 2018 and 2019.

Players sense this again is very much a new NSW side with Maguire in charge.

Almost none of Fittler's coaching and back-room staff remain in the camp, while Maguire has put his stamp on things by taking the side to the Blue Mountains.

"It is a new era," prop Payne Haas, who played in every series for Fittler after 2019, said.

"I'm not taking anything away from Freddy. It's just different.

"Madge is doing it his way. I'm really enjoying it, and being out in the Blue Mountains is good. It's been pretty relaxed.

"We've connected with the old boys a lot, and I think that has been one of the main (differences)."