Captaincy in Origin is critical and NSW coach Michael “Madge” Maguire has some difficult decisions should he drop the incumbent skipper, James Tedesco, from the opening game on June 5.

The pace of Origin requires quicker thinking than in club football, or even Test matches. There is no time for committee meetings, given the reduced number of penalties and therefore fewer stoppages.

An Origin captain must gain the trust of 18 players who could come from as many as a dozen NRL clubs. He effectively has only a month to build that trust, given the Origin series are sometimes decided by the second match.

Queensland historically draw their players from fewer NRL clubs and have a number of fit alternatives if half Daly Cherry-Evans is unavailable. Melbourne’s Harry Grant and the Dragons’ Ben Hunt are both club captains and play spine roles.

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Madge does not have the same luxury of choice, particularly if Tedesco is dropped. The Roosters captain has led the Blues since the second game of 2020, yet NSW have won only the 2021 series in the years since. Many are calling for the inclusion of the Panthers fullback, Dylan Edwards. The modern game is all about territory gained from the backfield and Edwards has carved out an expressway of running metres compared to “Teddy”.

Should Edwards be chosen, there is no standout alternative as Blues captain. Isaah Yeo is co-captain at the Panthers but this is partly to free the younger Nathan Cleary from off-field duties. Some see him as a bench player in Origin, given his skill is passing, rather than carrying the ball forward in the opening intensity of these fierce encounters.

Read Roy Masters’ full column here.