'Quite confident': Blues handed Origin boost after surprise news about Souths forward
Keaon Koloamatangi's hopes of earning a State of Origin recall for the Blues have been given a massive boost after he was named to return from injury in South Sydney's round 16 blockbuster against Melbourne on Saturday night. Koloamatangi fractured his eye socket in last week's loss to Canterbury and was expected to miss the Storm clash, despite being named in Wayne Bennett's extended squad.
But the veteran coach confirmed on Friday that the Rabbitohs wrecking ball did not require surgery and would be elevated into Souths' 17-man squad for the home game at Accor Stadium. The news will come as a huge relief to the Bunnies, who will also welcome back Latrell Mitchell, with the star fullback set to back up from the Blues' two-point loss in Origin Game 2.
Koloamatangi has been in destructive form since moving to play in the middle this season and Bennett hailed the forward's toughness after revealing he'd been given the green light to play Melbourne this weekend. "(Koloamatangi) didn't need any surgery and the doctor's quite confident (the injury) won't be a problem to him. He's confident and he's happy so we'll go ahead and let him play," Bennett told reporters.
"He's a bit like Jye Gray the other night with a broken thumb, played the whole second half. You can't question the toughness and the wanting to play for the club as well. The club's in a good place if players want to play and they've got injuries or getting back a little bit earlier. They work really hard."
Koloamatangi was named in the Blues' extended squad for Origin Game 2 but missed the trip to Perth after picking up the game-ending injury in the six-point loss to the Dogs. And he'll be keen to press his Origin claims for the series decider in Sydney on July 9, with NSW coach Laurie Daley alluding to potential changes after Wednesday night's defeat.
Stefano Utoikamanu seems the NSW player most under threat of being replaced by the likes of Koloamatangi or Wests Tigers star Terrell May after an underwhelming display off the bench in Perth. The Blues interchange forward only had four runs for 41 metres and gave away a costly penalty for obstruction that saw a try to Blues teammate Nathan Cleary correctly chalked off.
And Saturday's clash against Utoikamanu's Storm could be a straight shoot-out between the Blues hopefuls. Koloamatangi's blistering form for the Rabbitohs has led to growing calls for Daley to hand him an Origin recall after impressing in his one and only game for the Blues in the 2023 decider. And his inclusion for the Storm clash means he'll have two games to press his Origin claims, with Souths taking on the Dolphins in round 17 the following week.
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Melbourne have their own concerns for the match against the Rabbitohs, with Maroons winger Xavier Coates ruled out. Queensland skipper Cam Munster and Utoikamanu are also in some doubt after flying back to Melbourne, despite both being named in Craig Bellamy's starting side. While Maroons duo Harry Grant and Trent Loiero look good to go after they both flew directly to Sydney from Perth.
with AAP
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