NSW coach Laurie Daley has a selection conundrum on his hands trying to fit four of the Blues halves contenders into the City Origin team for what is shaping as an Origin shoot-out in Wagga Wagga next weekend.
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Daley and City coach Brad Fittler are undecided on the halves combination they will choose for the match against Country Origin on May 3, tossing up whether to use all or a combination of incumbents Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson, as well as contenders Mitchell Pearce and Luke Keary.
Daley has indicated he would prefer to stick with Reynolds and Hodkinson for game one, however the slow start to the season from the Bulldogs duo has cast a cloud over their positions in the NSW team for the clash at ANZ Stadium on May 27.
Fairfax Media understands Daley and Fittler are considering picking all four halves in the City team to be named this Sunday night, giving the Reynolds-Hodkinson combination 40 minutes and the Keary-Pearce combination the second half to prove they are ready for Origin I.
Keary and Pearce have been in good form to start the year, while Hodkinson and Reynolds have struggled after off-season surgery.
Daley's halves headache could have been a lot worse had South Sydney halfback Adam Reynolds not suffered a knee injury in the controversial Good Friday clash with the Bulldogs three weeks ago, while the Tigers' boom halfback Luke Brooks and in-form Titans playmaker Aidan Sezer aren't in the equation.
Roosters five-eighth James Maloney and Knights playmaker Jarrod Mullen will be the Country Origin halves barring injury this weekend, but it's likely the NSW halves for game one will come from the City team.
In other selection news, Dragons back-rower Tyson Frizell is set to be backed in the Country team and has been earmarked as an Origin bolter.
Frizell will head into camp having not played a game for two weeks after a high tackle on Tim Browne saw him suspended for two matches. But his dynamic start to the season for the Dragons has put him on the radar of Daley and Country coach Trent Barrett.
Country are also likely to hand Cronulla utility Jack Bird and Melbourne Storm prop Jordan McLean their representative debuts.
The make-up of the City back line will depend largely on the Australian team Tim Sheens picks for the Test match against New Zealand next Friday night.
If South Sydney duo Dylan Walker and Alex Johnston are overlooked for the Kangaroos, the pair will be selected in the City team, but inclusion in the Test team will likely see Gold Coast flyer James Roberts handed his first representative jersey.
It's likely one of Andrew Fifita, James Tamou and David Klemmer will be picked in the front row for the Test match, leaving City with two international-class forwards up front.
Both Fifita and Klemmer will play their first games back from respective suspensions in the representative weekend.
A plethora of talent will be unavailable on the sidelines during the representative weekend, with the Morris brothers, Billy Slater, Beau Scott, Josh Mansour, Justin Hodges, Darius Boyd, Nate Myles, Jamal Idris and Blake Ferguson all on the casualty list.
LIKELY CITY TEAM
1. Matt Moylan
2. Daniel Tupou
3. Dylan Walker/Will Hopoate
4. James Roberts
5. Will Hopoate/Alex Johnston
6. Josh Reynolds
7. Trent Hodkinson
8. Andrew Fifita
9. Nathan Peats
10. James Tamou/David Klemmer
11. Tony Williams
12. Ryan Hoffman
13. Wade Graham
Interchange
14. Mitchell Pearce
15. Luke Keary
16. Curtis Sironen
17. Tim Mannah
LIKELY COUNTRY TEAM
1. Jack Wighton
2. James McManus
3. Jarrod Croker
4. Sione Mata'utia/Kane Linnett
5. Akuila Uate
6. James Maloney
7. Jarrod Mullen
8. Aiden Tolman
9. Michael Ennis
10. Paul Vaughan
11. Josh Jackson
12. Tyson Frizell
13. Trent Merrin
Interchange
14. Jordan McLean
15. Jack Bird
16. Joel Thompson
17. Ryan James/Tariq Sims
