Overview
- Mitchell Moses felt left hamstring tightness after Monday’s opposed session on the Central Coast and will have scans on Tuesday to assess the injury.
- NSW declared Moses doubtful and, subject to Australian Rugby League Commission approval, called Matt Burton into the 20-player squad as a standby option.
- Canberra youngster Ethan Strange, who is already in camp and was named on the interchange, is the leading candidate to start at five-eighth if Moses is ruled out.
- Burton has prior Origin experience and strong recent club form that make him a logical late addition while Strange’s Kangaroos exposure and form explain why he would be thrust into a starting role.
- A confirmed hamstring strain could sideline Moses for weeks, which would alter NSW’s on-field structure and increase playmaking responsibility on Nathan Cleary for Game One and beyond.