State of Origin: Debutant McLean named to start for Blues in decider

3 years ago - Sportingbase

NSW head coach Brad Fittler has named his 22-man squad for next Wednesday night’s decider at Suncorp, with Cowboys veteran Jordan McLean set to make his Origin debut in the front-row.

With Payne Haas succumbing to an incessant shoulder injury, Fittler made the call to reward McLean with a debut jumper and make him the fifth-oldest debutant in Blues history.

The 30-year-old will line-up in the front-row alongside fellow veteran Jake Trbojevic in what is the only change made to a side fresh off a 44-12 Game II victory.

McLean played his juniors with the Young Cherrypickers in the Riverina before signing with Canberra as teenager and eventually making the move south to Melbourne.

He made his NRL debut with the Storm midway through 2013 and went on to play 86 games with Melbourne, coming off the bench in their 2017 Grand Final victory, before linking up with the Cowboys the following year.

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He has eight Kangaroos caps under his belt and was a part of their 2017 World Cup-winning side, however, it has taken a decade for him to receive a debut Origin jumper.

This season, McLean has appeared in all 16 of North Queensland’s games and is averaging 10.5 carries per game for 105.3 average metres and 19.9 tackles in what has been somewhat of a return to form for the big middle forward.

Matt Burton and Stephen Crichton have both retained their spots in the centres, despite pushes for Jack Wighton and Latrell Mitchell to be considered.

Wighton has been named 18th man whilst Mitchell withdrew from consideration after South Sydney’s win on Saturday night.

Suncorp Stadium has historically been an unhappy hunting ground for the Blues, having won 20 of 59 matches there and only three of their past 15.

Since Brad Fittler took over as NSW’s head coach in 2018, the Blues have won seven of their 10 matches away from Suncorp but just one of their four at Suncorp.

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They will enter the match as favourites, despite their lacklustre record in Brisbane, due in large part to their 44-12 Game II victory and their dominance over the past five series.