State of Origin: Gilbert to debut as Maroons name squad for decider

3 years ago - Sportingbase

Queensland head coach Billy Slater has named his 22-man Origin squad for a deciding Game III at Suncorp Stadium next Wednesday night, with North Queensland firebrand Tom Gilbert set to debut in place of the absent Felise Kaufusi.

Kaufusi has flown to the US to be with his ill father, opening the door for the 21-year-old Gilbert to make his representative debut.

Gilbert will come onto the bench with Cowboys teammate Jeremiah Nanai promoted to the starting lineup.

Gilbert hails from Brisbane and played his junior football with the Norths Devils before making a name for himself as a schoolboy rugby standout at Brisbane Grammar School.

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He co-captained Queensland’s under-20s side in 2019 before making his NRL debut for the Cowboys in early-2020.

He has gone onto make 38 appearances and has developed into a hard-running edge back-rower for a Cowboys side that has surpassed all expectations this season.

Outside of the one forced change, Slater has named the same side that was beaten comprehensively by a clinical NSW side in Perth.

Halves Cameron Munster and Daly Cherry-Evans will be eager to ensure their performance in a deciding final game is more replicative of their Game I triumph rather than their subpar outings in Perth, whilst veterans Dane Gagai and Josh Papali’i will be looking for bounce back games after being floated as potential omissions.

Suncorp Stadium has historically been a fortress for the Maroons, having won 38 of 59 matches there and 12 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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The Blues will open the game as favourites, despite possessing a poor record both in Brisbane and in deciding games.