7th Tackle: NSW Blues team for Origin I

Josh Massoud and Liam Cox have all the latest whispers from around the NRL including the Blues team for Origin I and Jarryd Hayne's situation at the Roosters.

Blues to blood five; Pearce chopped

The mail around NSW’s team for Origin I is beginning to fly thick and fast and word is that there could be as many as five debutantes for the series opener.

Sharks young gun Jack Bird appears to be a certainty for the bench utility role, and we’re also hearing Bryce Cartwright could slot onto the pine alongside him. But the biggest inclusion is set to be Rabbitohs halfback Adam Reynolds, who is currently shading Bulldogs namesake Josh to partner James Maloney in the halves.

That means Laurie Daley has elected to overlook Mitchell Pearce, who, in any case, was uncertain about his capacity to handle the game’s most exacting arena while still undergoing rehab.

We hear the forwards are full of established players, but there will most likely be another two fresh faces in the backline. Panthers pair Matt Moylan and Josh Mansour are favoured to be picked at fullback and wing respectively.

Our NSW team for Origin I: Moylan, Mansour, Jennings, Dugan, Ferguson, A Reynolds, Maloney, G Bird, Jackson, Cordner, Gallen, Farah, Woods. Interchange: J Bird, Tamou, Klemmer, Cartwright. (Frizell, Peachey)

Feathers ruffled over Hayne

If you care to heed Jarryd Hayne’s social media commentary, there appears little chance he’ll line up for the Roosters in the near future. Well Jarryd, it appears as though you are right!

Although they’ve been watching him with interest over the past 12 months, the Roosters have rapidly cooled on the idea of signing Hayne to what would have to be the code’s richest deal. A number of factors have dampened their interest recently.

The first is the fact Hayne’s manager, Wayne Beavis, is part of the NRL’s salary cap investigation into Parramatta and could face sanctions. As a consequence of that probe, the Roosters know the NRL will be closely watching whatever package is compiled to entice Hayne back to rugby league.

The upshot? Hayne will end up taking up an enormous chunk of club’s salary cap. That’s made the Roosters question whether he’ll be worth all the trouble.

They know Hayne - the ultimate individual athlete - won’t make the same difference to the team’s culture and work ethic as Sonny bill Williams in 2013. While at Parramatta Hayne was known to regularly train alone, or refuse certain drills altogether.

Then there’s the question of what his recruitment would do to the attitude and progression of teenage superstar Latrell Mitchell. Sure the 18-year-old is far from polished; but few could argue his rookie season has been any less impressive than Hayne’s a decade ago.

Rabbitohs look for youth

With current halves Luke Keary and Cody Walker at long odds to be at Redfern next year, Souths have begun their search for fresh playmakers.

We’ve been told an eye has been cast toward the Shire, where a teenage prodigy by the name of Connor Tracey hails. A Junior Kangaroos superstar, Tracey has barely laced on a boot with the Sharks thanks to back-to-back ACL injuries in the past two seasons.

But rival clubs have not forgotten his talents and Souths want him at the club as a specialist addition to Adam Reynolds. Greg Inglis would appear to have the five eighth spot wrapped-up for the short term; and if he doesn’t fancy a return to fullback, expect him to stay there long-term.

As we know rugby league is a business, and Inglis cannot hope to attract big dollars on his final career deal at the end of 2017 if he’s playing in the centres.