- Interstate series locked at a match apiece
- Decider to be held in Sydney on July 9
Brian To’o has been placed on a dancing ban as NSW permits the gregarious winger to rest his sore knee for the first half of camp before the State of Origin decider.
Scans cleared To’o of serious injury after Penrith’s win over Canterbury on Thursday, paving the way for the four-time premiership winner to retain his spot for Origin III in Sydney on July 9.
NSW received good news on Jarome Luai and Nathan Cleary on Monday, with the pair respectively on track to overcome an infection and a groin issue in time to start in the halves.
Gun prop Payne Haas remained in Brisbane on Monday for treatment on a sore back but is not considered in doubt and was scheduled to arrive in Sydney that evening.
To’o’s training load will be managed by the Blues ahead of the decider, with Jacob Kiraz on stand-by to train in his place until at least the weekend.
But To’o, the team’s best player in the tight game two loss, has declared himself in no doubt.
Brian To’o has revealed his wife Moesha (pictured together) has banned him from dancing in the lead-up to Origin game three next Wednesday night
The NSW winger is battling to be fully fit for the clash with Queensland after injuring his knee in the narrow win over the Bulldogs in round 17
‘I always back myself. If I’m still able to walk on my two feet, then I still can get the job done,’ he said.
In a bid to curb the risk of re-injury in a season hampered by hamstring issues, To’o’s wife Moesha has placed the winger on a ban from dancing – a favourite hobby of the slick 26-year-old.
‘The boss has already told me, “No more dancing”,’ To’o said.
‘I’m pretty much banned until the off-season. Whenever I get injured, she’s like, ‘See, it’s the dancing’. I’m like, ‘No, no, it’s not’.’
It may not be until Saturday that To’o trains, and even then, it is unlikely to be with the team.
‘You just can’t afford to take any chances there,’ said NSW coach Laurie Daley.
‘So, that’s the reason why Jacob’s 18th man. He’ll train the majority of the sessions. He won’t miss a beat.
‘But you’d like to think by Saturday (To’o) is going to have to do some decent training. Probably still won’t be with the team, but he’ll have to do some decent training by Saturday, I would say.
To’o revealed his wife’s dancing ban will run ‘pretty much until the off-season’
‘More importantly, Biz (To’o) can try and get right. And Jacob, if he plays, has got a good 11-day prep going into his first Origin game.’
Daley’s preference is for Nathan Cleary to take the kicking tee in Origin III but the superstar halfback has not yet resumed goal-kicking after hurting his groin the day before game two.
Cleary made it through that game and Penrith’s win on Thursday and is approaching his best.
‘In terms of the groin, it’s feeling better every single day,’ Cleary said.
‘I even compare this time last week and it feels a lot better. I’m happy with that.
‘It’s mainly just the goal-kicking (that I can’t do). I haven’t even tried to goal-kick yet. It’s one of those things that you don’t want to try too early and get another setback, so I’m mainly focusing on making sure I can not have any disruptions in actually playing.’
