'Not allowed': NSW caught in rule breach drama over State of Origin selection

NRL fans are calling for change to the farcical rules around the 18th man in State of Origin, after it was revealed on Thursday night that Tom Trbojevic knocked back the chance to be NSW's emergency player in Game 1 so he could play for Manly. And it raises questions about whether the rules were breached by allowing him to do so.
Bulldogs fans are fuming that Matt Burton is once again 18th man for the Blues in Game 2, given it means he can't play club footy this weekend. Because the 18th man has become such a vital player on game-day and could be called into action if a player is ruled out through an act of foul play, they need to be training with their respective Origin teams all week. The other members of the extended squads are released back to their clubs for the weekend's games, but the 18th man has to stay in camp and remain fully-fit to play.
It means Burton will miss a fifth game for the Bulldogs while serving a role for NSW that means he's every chance to sit on the sideline all game. The situation was made even worse for Burton and Bulldogs fans on Thursday when Jarome Luai was parachuted into the starting team to replace the injured Mitchell Moses at five-eighth, despite not being named in the initial squad.
Burton was named 18th man earlier this week, and many feel he's been hard done by to not be replacing Moses. Nathan Hindmarsh said on Triple M radio on Thursday: "I've got to feel a little bit disappointed for Burton. He's been carried as 18th man before, just give him a run. I think his combination with Nathan Cleary would have worked alright."
RELATED:
Laurie Daley's concerning admission about NSW player under cloud
Selwyn Cobbo tipped for sad Broncos exit after 'secret meeting'
If Burton and the Bulldogs weren't already annoyed enough, a new revelation about Trbojevic will add to the frustration. Michael Chammas of revealed on Thursday night that Turbo was picked as 18th man for Origin 1, but withdrew so he could play for Manly that weekend.
It remains to be seen whether the Bulldogs knew that was an option for Burton as well. Trbojevic has been plagued by injury over the last few years and reportedly felt obliged to knock back a spot in the Blues' squad so he could be available for the Sea Eagles against Parramatta.
But it seemingly breaks NRL rules around representative games, with players not allowed to withdraw from rep footy unless they're injured or have a compelling reason. The rule reared its head last year when Kalyn Ponga was forced to backflip and make himself available for Kangaroos selection, even though he eventually wasn't picked anyway.
"The 18th man shouldn't be selected until the Sunday night before an Origin," Chammas wrote. "Allow the states to pick extended squads as they do now, but send players 18, 19 and 20 back to their clubs. And at the end of the round, having determined everyone's fitness, then decide who [the 18th man] should be."
NRL fans made the same argument on social media on Thursday, particularly after Burton was overlooked in favour of Luai to replace Moses. Many described it as a "joke" that Burton can't play for the Bulldogs this weekend, and the revelation about Trbojevic only adds to the controversy.
Many pointed out that the 18th man should simply be picked from a team on the bye to avoid any drama, as was the case with Campbell Graham in Game 1 (after Turbo withdrew).
So let me get this straight:👉 Burton, 18th man, and is unavailable for Bulldogs.👉Moses gets ruled outObvious thing to do? Request an exemption from the NRL and leave Burton 18th man 💀These rules, and Laurie Daley, are a joke 🤡 DISRESPECTED #stateoforigin pic.twitter.com/qczacebg5S
— Larry Taylor (@thelarrytaylor) June 12, 2025
Geez Burton must feel awesome.
— T Hampshire (@trenthampshire) June 12, 2025
Absolute joke release Burton now!!! 18th man WTAF!!!
— Craig Brian Peter Coyle (@cbpcoyle) June 12, 2025
Let them pick THREE after the round and they can use any of the three depending on who is injured. All sides - club and state - get a better a deal.
— cowsandguns (@sc_cowsandguns) June 12, 2025
Understand with 19th and 20th But 18th should be fresh. As we've seen with Moses going down. But controversly they have not used the 18th
— Rob Cotterill (@robbiecotterill) June 12, 2025
Burton is too valuable at 18th Man. It just makes sense to bring in Luai in this situation. I mean, he's only won 4 Premierships with the 1,7&13
— Mike Scolz (@skulzy87) June 12, 2025

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

USA Today

2 hours ago

• USA Today

Ranking Georgia football's 2025 home games from worst to first

The Georgia Bulldogs have a great home schedule for the 2025 season after having a pretty pedestrian home slate in 2024. Georgia's top home games are against Ole Miss, Alabama and Texas. Georgia fans have a lot to of interesting games to look forward to in 2025. The Bulldogs play three non-Power Four opponents and four SEC foes at home. Georgia enters the 2025 college football season on a 31 game home winning streak, which is the longest in the country. Georgia's last home loss came to the South Carolina Gamecocks in double overtime on Oct. 12, 2019. Since Georgia's last home loss, the Bulldogs have won two SEC championships and two national championships. However, Georgia will have a tough time going undefeated at home in 2025. Ranking Georgia football's 2025 home games from worst to best 7. Austin Peay Governors Austin Peay is Georgia's only Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponent this fall. The Governors lost to Georgia 45-0 in Athens back in 2018. There's no reason to think this game will be competitive. With a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff, Georgia fans in attendance will likely be battling the heat. Austin Peay is Georgia's second straight non-Power Four opponent to open the season, but doe not come with the excitement of the season opener. Fans tuning in on TV may not like the channel selection for this one either. Date: Sept. 6 at 3:30 p.m. (all times listed at ET)TV: ESPN+/SEC Network+ 6. Charlotte 49ers The Charlotte 49ers have just one bowl appearance in their short school history (since 2015). The 49ers play in the American conference and likely won't be competitive with Georgia, but it will be UGA's last home game of the season, so it will be celebration for Georgia's senior class. As an added bonus, we like the 12:45 p.m. kickoff time for two reasons. First of all, Georgia plays Georgia Tech on Friday, so it gives the Bulldogs a bit of extra rest. Secondly, Georgia fans will be able to get some sunlight on what is likely to be a cool November day. Date: Nov. 22 at 12:45 SEC Network 5. Marshall Thundering Herd Marshall is the best of Georgia's three non-Power Four opponents this season. Georgia plays Marshall in the season opener, so it is must-watch action for Bulldog fans to see how the 2025 edition of UGA looks. Marshall won at Notre Dame back in 2022 under current head coach Charles Huff. The Thundering Herd are coming off a strong 10-3 season where they won the Sun Belt Conference championship. However, Marshall opted out of the Independence Bowl after too many players entered the transfer portal. Marshall is capable of making things interesting with Georgia in Week 1. Date: Aug. 30 at 3:30 ESPN 4. Kentucky Wildcats Now we're getting into the good games. Georgia plays Kentucky in their second SEC home game of the season. Georgia plays the Wildcats a week after Alabama, so the Bulldogs could be dealing with a big game hangover. Kentucky always smells like a trap for Georgia and 2025 is no different. Kentucky has given Georgia a lot of trouble over the years, but Georgia has won 15 straight games over the Wildcats. Georgia fans should expect another physical, low-scoring battle against the Wildcats. Date: Oct. 4 at noonTV: ESPN or ABC 3. Ole Miss Rebels Georgia fell at Ole Miss 28-10 last season after dominating the Rebels in Athens during the a convincing 52-17 win in 2023. Ole Miss back up quarterback Austin Simmons shredded the Georgia defense on one drive after Jaxson Dart briefly left in the 2024 matchup. Simmons is expected to start for coach Lane Kiffin and the Rebels in 2024. Georgia-Ole Miss should be a very entertaining game. Both teams will look very different than their 2024 versions as both teams had at least eight players picked (Ole Miss 8, Georgia 13) in the 2025 NFL draft. Date: Oct. 18 at flex kickoff time (afternoon or night)TV: To be determined 2. Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama game is technically Georgia's only scheduled home night game of the season (both Texas and Ole Miss are flex games), but we'd be surprised if the Bulldogs don't get at least two night home games. Last season, Alabama beat Georgia 41-34 after the Bulldogs mounted a furious comeback. The 2025 edition of Georgia-Alabama will feature two new quarterbacks and no Nick Saban, but the Dawgs and Crimson Tide are still two of the top programs in college football. Both schools are looking to make a name for themselves in 2025 and as usual a lot will be on the line when Georgia and Alabama meet. Georgia and Alabama have combined to win five of 11 national championships during the College Football Playoff era (they faced off in two national title games during this time span) and 10 of the last 11 SEC championships (they met in three of those 10 SEC championship games). Date: Sept. 27 at 7:30 p.m. TV: ABC 1. Texas Longhorns Arch Manning and Texas will travel to Athens for the first ever time as a member of the SEC. Texas is projected to be the preseason No. 1 team. The Longhorns played Georgia twice in 2024 with the Dawgs winning both meetings including the 2024 SEC championship. Both teams are expected to contend for the national championship and the winner of the Georgia-Texas game could clinch a berth in the SEC championship. The Georgia-Texas game has a little more intrigue than the Georgia-Alabama game because Georgia has never played Texas in Sanford Stadium and because it is later in the season. The Georgia-Texas game could also effectively eliminate the loser from the College Football Playoff depending on how the season shakes out. If we could only go to one UGA home game this season, then we'd pick the Georgia-Texas game. Date: Nov. 15 at flex kickoff time (afternoon or night)TV: To be determined

Yahoo

3 hours ago

• Yahoo

Parramatta come out on top in clash of NRL battlers

Isaiah Iongi has helped Parramatta overcome the absence of their two biggest stars and post a 36-20 defeat of Gold Coast in the clash of the NRL's battlers. First-choice halves Mitch Moses (calf strain) and Dylan Brown (suspension) watched from afar as breakout fullback Iongi laid on three tries and proved the difference before 8074 fans - the Eels' smallest home crowd since pandemic restrictions. Sunday night's win will encourage the rebuilding Eels as they face at least three more weeks without Moses, having floundered in his absence to begin the season. The 16th-placed Eels' win leaves the Titans two competition points adrift in last place. Lomax's assist for Penisini is top shelf 🚀 #NRLEelsTitans — NRL (@NRL) June 22, 2025 Making matters worse, Gold Coast will be without halfback Jayden Campbell when they fight to turn things around against an equally desperate North Queensland next week. Campbell collected Sam Verrills' knee as the pair attempted to tackle Dylan Walker in the first half and was deemed to show category-one head-knock symptoms. Campbell's absence left goal-kicking duties to second-rower Beau Fermor, who had never kicked a goal at first-grade level before Sunday night. He managed only one from three attempts, the inaccuracy proving costly as the Titans attempted to fight back from 18-6 down. Iongi put Sean Russell in for his side's first try with a mammoth cut-out pass down the left side, and had a hand in another when AJ Brimson fumbled his bomb into the arms of Charlie Guymer. The fullback put Dean Hawkins over in the second half, his grubber kick bouncing from the goalposts and straight to the replacement halfback. Hawkins cleans up 🧼 #NRLEelsTitans — NRL (@NRL) June 22, 2025 It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for Iongi. He threw an intercept to Alofiana Khan-Pereira, who belted 90 metres to bring the Titans within two points at the break. Khan-Pereira's second try made it a one-score game in the second half, before Zac Lomax, on return from NSW duty, snaffled a great offload for Will Penisini to barge over. Hawkins' one-two with Kelma Tuilagi put Penisini over for a second try only three minutes later as the Eels edged closer to their fifth win of the Jason Ryles era. Penisini went to the sin bin in the final two minutes for a dangerous throw on Fermor and could face scrutiny from the match review committee.

San Francisco Chronicle​

4 hours ago

• San Francisco Chronicle​

Valkyries fall to woeful Wings: ‘For the first time, I'm disappointed'

ARLINGTON, Texas — After winning three games in a row, vibes couldn't have been better for the Golden State Valkyries. But on Tuesday night in Texas, none of that mattered. The Valkyries were outhustled by the WNBA-worst Dallas Wings (2-11) and suffered an 80-71 loss at College Park Center as a result. Outrebounded 39-28, Golden State (5-6) finished with 15 fewer shots. Dallas entered Tuesday having lost seven in a row. Rookie Paige Bueckers scored 20 points in her first home game since suffering a concussion earlier in the season, but the Valkyries mostly struggled on the boards and gave up 20 second-chance points, the most they have surrendered all season. Before the game, head coach Natalie Nakase said she didn't believe in momentum carrying over from the three wins, but forward Kayla Thornton thought perhaps the team had bought in a little too much to the hype. 'There's no way teams should outrebound us,' Thornton said. 'That's the identity we bring. That's what we should be doing every night, to other teams. This is kind of a wake-up. ... I think we were kind of high, too high. Now we got to come back to Earth a little bit and just get back to work.' Golden State responded to a fourth-quarter collapse in Phoenix on June 5 with strong showings in wins over Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Seattle as different players stepped up. Against the Wings, the Valkyries seemed to have no answer for how aggressively Wings guards crashed the boards. And Golden State players rushed shots, ending possessions early. Wings 80, Valkyries 71 FG FT Reb GOLDEN STATE Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Talbot 21:27 0-3 0-0 0-2 4 2 0 Thornton 35:28 5-11 5-6 0-5 0 3 17 Billings 34:18 7-13 2-6 1-7 0 1 18 Burton 27:01 1-8 1-2 0-3 5 5 4 Leite 27:22 2-6 4-4 0-2 4 4 8 Amihere 24:11 6-7 2-3 3-6 2 4 14 Hayes 22:24 3-10 2-2 1-2 1 0 10 Martin 7:44 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 Totals 200:00 24-59 16-23 5-27 17 19 71 Percentages: FG .407, FT .696. 3-Point Goals: 7-20, .350 (Billings 2-3, Hayes 2-4, Thornton 2-6, Burton 1-4, Leite 0-1, Talbot 0-2). Team Rebounds: 12. Team Turnovers: 1. Blocked Shots: 6 (Billings 2, Amihere, Burton, Leite, Thornton). Turnovers: 15 (Thornton 4, Leite 3, Amihere 2, Burton 2, Martin 2, Hayes, Talbot). Steals: 5 (Billings, Burton, Leite, Talbot, Thornton). Technical Fouls: None. Percentages: FG .392, FT .789. 3-Point Goals: 7-27, .259 (Ogunbowale 3-8, Quinerly 1-1, Charles 1-2, James 1-4, Carrington 1-5, Hines-Allen 0-1, Yueru 0-1, Bueckers 0-5). Team Rebounds: 12. Team Turnovers: 3. Blocked Shots: 6 (Bueckers 2, Hines-Allen 2, Charles, Ogunbowale). Turnovers: 11 (Bueckers 3, Carrington 3, Hines-Allen 2, Ogunbowale, Quinerly, Smith). Steals: 11 (Bueckers 4, Charles 3, Ogunbowale 3, Carrington). Technical Fouls: None. Golden State 16 20 21 14 — 71 Dallas 23 16 19 22 — 80 A_6,061 (7,000). T_2:05. 'I told them for the first time, I'm disappointed in just how we fought,' Nakase said. 'We're a team that stays connected, and we fight, and I thought we didn't do well in both categories. But the bright side is, we know how to fix it and how to fix it quickly. Effort is the epitome of who we are. We are a defensive-minded team that loves to be physical, disrupt, pressure and take away the top scorers. That's kind of our identity. But if you don't have any effort, then that kind of becomes irrelevant.' Forward Monique Billings was in the starting lineup for the first time, becoming the 11th starter for Golden State in 11 games. Without starting center Temi Fagbenle, who joined the United Kingdom national team at EuroBasket after Saturday's game, Billings was Golden State's main post and finished with 18 points. Also without EuroBasket participants Julie Vanloo (Belgium), Cecilia Zandalasini (Italy) and Janelle Salaün (France), the Valkyries used an eight-player rotation even as point guard Veronica Burton got into foul trouble. Point guard Carla Leite (5-foot-9) blocked a layup by 6-4 NaLyssa Smith in the second quarter, while in-season signing Laeticia Amihere scored a career-high 14 points. Still vastly outsized by the Wings, Golden State didn't have enough to stop extended Dallas possessions. The Wings earned three offensive rebounds in the final 1:30. Billings didn't want to use the absences as an excuse. 'They outworked us,' Billings said. 'They outhustled us. They wanted it more. I don't think we brought our best game, our consistent game that we have been playing, and that's something that will tighten up.' Dallas went on a 15-5 run in the second quarter, but the Valkyries erased a 10-point deficit as Thornton and Billings combined for five consecutive makes, one after the Leite block and assist. They still trailed 39-36 at the half. With 3:37 left in the third frame, Leite forced a jump ball with 6-7 Li Yueru and recovered the possession, leading to two Tiffany Hayes free throws and a 54-51 lead. Billings tied the game at 70 with her second 3-pointer of the night — the first time in her career she has made two in a game — with 4:56 to play. But Dallas used a Bueckers floater and Arike Ogunbowale 3-pointer to get its first five-point lead of the fourth quarter. Golden State got no closer. Hayes scored 10 points in her first game back from a nose injury, but starting forward Steph Talbot was shut out and Burton finished with more fouls (five) than points (four). Amihere shot 6-of-7 from the field, but her teammates combined to shoot 34.6%. 'I'm trying to figure out with this group, I talked about just being super vulnerable, to be honest with me, what can I do better?' Nakase said. 'And they just said, we got to just do a better job fighting. So they took ownership.' The Valkyries return to Chase Center on Thursday night to face Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever to begin a five-game homestand. Without a third of their roster, the Valkyries have some winnable games upcoming against teams at the bottom of the standings like Connecticut and Chicago. But Dallas should have been one of those winnable games, too. 'These are things that we can control,' Thornton said. 'Our effort has to be there offensively to go in and get those boards. We just got to go back and look at it and bounce back.'