State of Origin Game I is looming large and with team announcements just around the corner, Queensland Maroons coach Billy Slater has a massive decision to make, and it involves two of his superstar players.
So big the call, it could immediately shift the mentalities of both the Maroons and the New South Wales Blues in the lead-up to the Suncorp Stadium blockbuster.
With Reece Walsh unavailable due to injury, the safe bet is to pick Newcastle skipper Kalyn Ponga and play excitement machine Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow in the centres.
Nice and safe.
But that’s exactly what the Blues would want.
Leaving the struggling, injured Ponga out of the 17 or to the bench and moving the enigmatic Tabuai-Fidow would be an aggressive move.
A challenge to the Blues who have a long list of dangerous outside backs in career-best form.
When Walsh left the field in Game I last year, Tabuai-Fidow was shifted to fullback and scored two tries in the first-up victory.
The Dolphin is on record about wanting to wear the number 1 jersey in Origin.
“The Origin arena is different to club footy, but I’m playing fullback week in, week out here at the Dolphins,” he told NewsWire last week.
“The pressure that comes with it, I can live with that.
“Whatever Billy wants me to do, I’ll do. I don’t mind if it’s fullback or centre. I’m just concentrating on playing good footy and getting some wins here.
“That challenge gets me excited.
“Last year when Reece went off for the HIA, I ended up back there and I didn’t feel out of place at all. I just went out there and did my job.
“With me playing fullback here every week, I know the role and I’m pretty comfortable out there.”
It would be an inspired, gutsy call by Slater.
Reality is, the coach has watched the same Knights side as we have in 2025 and it is very, very ugly.
Newcastle sit 17th in the premiership for points scored, tries scored, set completions and try assists.
Ponga, who has been playing with a rib cartilage injury, has had little impact in recent times for the 14th placed Novocastrians who gave up a 20-0 lead last week against fellow cellar-dwellers Gold Coast Titans to lose in front of shocked home fans, 24-20.
Prior to their win over Souths at Magic Round, the Knights had spluttered their way through a five-game losing streak.
According to NRL.com, the 2023 Dally M Medal winner is missing from several telling statistics too.
The Western Australian-born star is currently outside the top 50 in tries, line breaks, tackle breaks, half breaks and offloads.
Ponga also leads the entire premiership for handling errors [20].
Not only is the 27-year-old in the worst form of his career but by Slater taking the safe option and picking him at fullback, it puts a big target on his back, chest and most importantly his ribs.
There’s nowhere to hide in State of Origin and especially so at fullback.
The Blues are coming.
Queensland needs to fight fire with fire.
Dropping Ponga to drop ‘The Hammer’ is a good start.
