Dylan Edwards at centre of staggering selection call for State of Origin

NSW State of Origin hero Josh Morris has declared Dylan Edwards should get the nod as the Blues' fullback if captain James Tedesco isn't right to go. Edwards scored four tries in Penrith's 44-12 thrashing of Manly on Saturday night, along with 136 running metres, three line-breaks and 13 tackle busts.

The Panthers fullback has been in a rich vein of form over the last two years and won the Clive Churchill medal as man of the match in the 2022 grand final. Despite being arguably the best fullback in the comp right now, Edwards is seemingly way down in the pecking order when it comes to State of Origin selection.

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The Blues have had Tedesco at the back for a number of years now, while also being able to call on gun No.1s Tom Trbojevic and Latrell Mitchell. Melbourne Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen was also seemingly in front of Edwards before fracturing his kneecap last year, while Parramatta No.1 Clint Gutherson played Origin in 2020.

Tedesco suffered yet another concussion in round five against Parramatta, which saw him miss the Roosters' round six loss to Melbourne on Friday night. He is expected back in round seven and is currently in no doubt for State of Origin - with Game I on May 31.

But after a spate of concussions over the last few years, many have been left wondering who would play fullback for NSW if the captain should miss a game. While Trbojevic and Mitchell appear the obvious options, Morris believes Edwards would be the ideal fit.

“I’m going to throw it out there, if James Tedesco doesn’t play fullback for the Blues, Dylan Edwards should,” Morris said on 2GB Radio on Sunday. “He’s been one of the best fullbacks the last couple of years.

"We’ve got Turbo and Latrell, but I think you could easily put Turbo on the wing (and) Latrell in the centres. If Teddy doesn’t play he would be a great substitute for him.”

Dylan Edwards emerging as NRL's top fullback?

On Saturday night, Edwards left Trbojevic in the dark as the Manly fullback suffered back spasms and required pain-killing needles at half-time. Uncapped at State of Origin or Test level, Edwards must be close to the best player in the game not to have played representative football.

He also outperformed Mitchell in Penrith's win over South Sydney in round two, and then put on a show against one of the game's other premier No.1s on Saturday night at Bluebet Stadium. Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said Edwards "stopped flying under the radar a long time ago."

"I don't know where Dyl rates, but maybe he has a chip on his shoulder," Cleary said when asked if Edwards had a point to prove against the big names. "He is a very competitive guy. He is pretty similar most weeks."

Penrith co-captain Isaah Yeo said he rates Edwards “very, very highly” among the NRL’s fullbacks and said the 27-year-old is a “pleasure to play with”. “I can’t rate him highly enough and he is so important to this team with what he does,” Yeo said. “There is no difference between his best and his worst it feels like.”

Edwards later said: "You always want to play better than your opposite number. If all the players in your side play better, then you are likely going to get the result. So you do want to have an impact on the game more than your opposite.

"Tommy (Trbojevic) is a class player, so it is hard to do that sometimes. We had a good result and that is the main thing."

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