One month out from the opening of the 2023 Ampol State of Origin series and Maroons coach Billy Slater has a few headaches to solve before the first game at Adelaide Oval on May 31.
The four-match ban handed to Maroons incumbent Jeremiah Nanai has slammed the door shut on his aspirations of featuring in Game One with Slater now looking at his back-row options.
Nanai’s suspension opens the door for a select few players to put their hand up to start or make their return to the Origin arena altogether for the Maroons.
Incumbents
Maroons trio Kurt Capewell, Tom Gilbert and Jai Arrow all played in last year’s decider and in Gilbert and Arrow’s case, their versatility of being able to play in the middle or edge could be crucial again this year.
Capewell has been a mainstay since making his debut in the centres during Queensland’s miraculous 2020 series win but his permanent move to the forwards last year was more preferred.
He has played in all nine Origin matches and is all but locked in on the left edge with his performances for the Broncos to start the year consistent with how the NRL side has been travelling.
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Likewise, Gilbert has relished the opportunity to move to a new club in 2023 and put his hand up for Origin selection but he’s been playing more in the middle than an edge under Wayne Bennett.
Arrow is also only two games back from a hamstring injury and has been forced to move into the middle to help ease South Sydney’s injuries in the forward pack.
Contenders
There are three main contenders all pushing to get back into the Maroons line-up and none more so than Titans star David Fifita, who has shot out of the blocks in 2023 with scintillating form.
Fifita has had his fair share of knockers in the past 12 months at the Titans but appears to have put that all behind him and is firing on all levels after re-signing with the club in March.
The Titans powerhouse is averaging 169 metres in 2023 and has four try assists, 42 tackle busts, 13 offloads and three linebreaks to start the year – numbers on par with his career-best efforts in 2021.
Slater may need to look at whether Fifita, who has been playing on the left edge at the Titans, would suit the right side of the Maroons in both attack and defence if he recalled him into the side.
Fifita’s record at the Origin level is not great with one win and four losses. He has been relatively well-handled by the Blues in the past but could provide impact from the bench.
Another forward looking to get back into the fold is experienced Dolphins forward Felise Kaufusi after the 30-year-old missed last year's decider due to his father's passing.
Kaufusi, a 14-game veteran for the Maroons, won't find it easy to stroll back into Slater's squad but is reliable as ever on the right edge with Nanai's spot up for grabs. It was Nanai who coincidentally replaced Kaufusi in the decider last year.
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A final and unlikely candidate - a bolter at least this season - is Dragons back-rower Jaydn Su'A, who is due back from a shoulder injury in Round 12 and will have a week to stake his claims after a disruptive start to the year.
Su'A never featured in Slater's squads last season but should injuries strike in the next month he is among those next in line but down the pecking order.
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