Don't look now Tigers fans, but the Spoon Off awaits. That dreaded clash still two months from the end of the regular season where the winner has a better chance of avoiding the inanimate wooden utensil the butt of many a sporting joke. And they can thank Jarryd Hayne for that.
Johnathan Thurston feared he would compromise his health after football if he delayed shoulder surgery and tried to nurse his battered body through to a State of Origin farewell next month.
Andrew Fifita, one of the NRL's most damaging forwards, has resisted the lure of testing his value on the open market and signed a four-year extension at the Sharks.
Johnathan Thurston will be robbed of his State of Origin farewell with a shoulder injury set to rule the Maroons No.6 out of next month's decider and potentially the rest of the season.
"Dumbest half of football NSW has played"? Really? When the eighth Immortal speaks, it usually pays to listen. But what were the key moments in a second half in which NSW possibly let State of Origin supremacy slip?
Kevin Walters hopes a scathing pre-game critique of NSW's attempt to influence the State of Origin referees won't stifle his friendship with Laurie Daley, who has found an unlikely ally with his coaching career to hinge on the result of next month's decider.
Johnathan Thurston denied there was further structural damage to his suspect shoulder and won't feel the pressure to play his 300th NRL game in Townsville on Saturday night after carrying a limp arm - and the entire to state of Queensland - to a series decider next month.
There's an innocence about Jake Trbojevic - not only in his football - that's hard not to like.
Laurie Daley has given Jarryd Hayne a licence to roam on the opposite side of the field and shadow James Tedesco as a second fullback in attack as the NSW coach prepares to play his trump card in a bid for a series-clinching win.
Billy Slater's suspect shoulder is set to be given its sternest test since his return to the NRL with NSW intent on harassing Queensland's No.1 at every opportunity in his State of Origin return.
Search pagination
Save articles for later.
Subscribe for unlimited access to news. Login to save articles.
Return to the homepage by clicking on the site logo.