Overview

• Slater confirmed his 20-man Maroons squad for Game II, omitting skipper Daly Cherry-Evans and second-rower Beau Fermor.
• Tom Dearden secured the No.7 jersey, marking the first mid-series captaincy drop of a Maroons skipper since 1996.
• Kurt Capewell returns to the starting pack and utility Kurt Mann joins the bench in a reshaped forward unit.
• Ezra Mam earned a spot in the extended reserves after three NRL games back from a drug-driving ban alongside Corey Horsburgh and Jack Howarth.
• NSW coach Laurie Daley is expected to name an unchanged Game I Blues lineup for Origin II, with Stefano Utoikamanu set to replace injured Mitchell Barnett.