Casey McLean ruled out of Game 2 with quad injury, NSW Blues, return to play, update

The Blues have been dealt a major blow with strike centre Casey McLean ruled out of Origin II in Melbourne next week after he strained a quadriceps muscle at training.

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McLean was seen in discomfort at Polytec Stadium in Gosford just a few minutes into Saturday’s session and was tended to by several members of the NSW medical staff.

The Blues confirmed roughly one hour later that the youngster had been ruled out of Wednesday’s game against the Maroons where he was set to make his first Origin start.

“Our medical staff believe it’s a 7-10 day injury in terms of return to play which obviously rules him out of Wednesday night’s game at the MCG,” NSW team performance manager Frank Ponissi said.

“He’s very disappointed, as you can imagine. He’s worked so hard the last few days to get his ankle right and he was feeling fantastic going into the session.

“He’s a wonderful talent as we all saw in the first game, but as we’ve just said to him, he’s going to be part of many more Origins for years to come. That doesn’t take away the hurt of missing what would have been his first Origin start.”

McLean came off the bench in the series opener after Tolu Koula was injured as a result of a Kalyn Ponga shoulder charge that saw him sent off.

The Panthers star was brilliant in the final 23 minutes and earned a start after Stephen Crichton was ruled out due to a shoulder injury.

The Blues will work with the NRL before naming a replacement, with Mark Nawaqanitawase the most likely option to start on the wing which would see Koula move to his preferred spot in the centres.

McLean turned 20 this year and has already achieved plenty, with his defensive display against Crichton last season the moment people stood up and took notice.

“I think it was probably a coming of age moment for him,” Panthers and NSW halfback Nathan Cleary said, with the world’s best player sharing a moment with McLean after full-time in that game against the Bulldogs.

“Critta (Crichton) is one of the elite centres in the comp and he (McLean) was up against him.

“We weren’t going great at the time but I think he really showed that night that he’s capable of coming up against the best.

“I just said how proud I was of him and he shrugged it off and just thought it was normal.

“I think that’s what we love about Case, he’s just taking everything in his stride, he still rocks up with a sleepy head every day, but once he gets on the field, he just turns into a different beast.”

Blues forward Mitch Barnett didn’t play when his Warriors faced Penrith a few weeks ago, but his side was on the receiving end of a Mclean masterclass after he scored two cracking tries and then saved the game with a huge tackle at the death.

“He was on the bench (in the Origin opener) and then he came in. I think his first play, he ran in 20 metres, jumped over someone, got the ball, and then ran another 10 metres. And for your first play, he’s not shy,” Barnett said.

“He’s got plenty of confidence about him. He backs his own ability. I think it’s all those young kids nowadays that are coming through. They’re very confident and that’s probably the thing I can notice about him is his confidence without being arrogant.

“He’s a very humble guy but he trusts his own abilities.”

The Blues travel to Melbourne later this afternoon and will have a rest day on Sunday before their next training session at AAMI Park on Monday where McLean’s replacement will have to nail his combinations.

HOW MURRAY CHANGED ORIGIN

State of Origin used to be the land of the giants with big boppers starting games and even larger lads coming off the bench as 34 men from NSW and Queensland bashed each other for 80 minutes straight.

But while the benches are bigger, the players are getting smaller with guys like Cameron Murray and Queensland’s Reuben Cotter the prototypical lock forwards who can change games with their leg speed through the middle.

Murray made his NRL debut in 2017 alongside the Burgess brothers and other big boppers, while the 2006 Origin series featured the likes of Steve Price, Willie Mason, Petero Civoniceva, Brent Kite, Carl Webb and Mark O’Meley.

Twenty years later, Murray is listed at 96kg and is the face of how much the game has changed with its new rules and faster rucks.

“I think there’s probably a bit more fatigue in the game now. Even this year more so than any other year, I think you see the momentum swings and how important they are,” he said.

“It’s a fit man’s game these days, so you need to be fit. I’ve been lucky that it probably suited me just as I was coming in and I got my timing right.

“When I was coming in, it was the era of the Burgess boys and Ben Te’o and John Sutton and Dave Taylor and all that.

“They were all big fellas, and in your mind, you’re like ‘I’ve got to put size on. I’ve got to make sure that I’m as big as these guys’.

“But as luck would have it, I just I came in at the right time. The fatigue and the speed of the game started going up, and it probably suited me a little better.

“Some little tweaks in the rules over the over the years and then the way that the NRL are wanting the game to be played now, they kind of catered that to suit the rules.

“It’s the way that they want the game to go based on the speed of the game and bringing back the smaller guys. I think that’s suited me well, so I’m not complaining.”

There have been calls from former players including Braith Anasta for Murray to start at lock, with skipper Isaah Yeo to either shift to prop or to come off the bench as he did in the 2024 series when the Souths star killed it in jersey No.13 in games two and three.

The Blues are 3-0 when Murray starts at lock, with the Fox Sports Lab unearthing some remarkable numbers that highlight just how good the Blues are when he’s on the field.

Throughout his 16 games for his state, the Blues are +174 points when he’s on the field, while they’re -48 when he’s on the bench, including in game one where the Maroons raced out to an 18-0 lead before he came on.

“He’s been outstanding for a long time, and we’ve definitely missed him in the Origin arena when he had the achilles last year and when he had a concussion in another game,” said Yeo, who has been the standout lock forward for the past six years.

“He’s just one of those players who makes every team he’s in better, whether that’s at lock, coming off the bench or playing in the back row.

“He’s the ultimate professional. You can see that from afar, but you certainly see it when you get in this environment.

“I thought what he and Victor (Radley) brought into the game off the bench was really important. They brought a point of difference for us.”

NSW halfback Nathan Cleary has the pleasure of playing with Yeo at club level every week, while he gets to throw in Murray three times a year when they pull on the Blues jersey.

The world’s best playmaker loves working with two of the most effective link men in rugby league, with Murray providing a point of difference that Yeo can’t match.

“He just adds a different type of leg speed,” Cleary said.

“I’ve seen Cam play in the centres before, and that speaks volumes to what he brings with his leg speed.

“He’s got great ball-playing ability as well, so I think the mix of him and ‘Yowie’ is so dynamic. It’s a pleasure to play alongside those two guys.”

Whether he starts or not is immaterial for Murray, whose sole concern is seeing his state lift the shield again after an injury kept him out of last year’s series.

“When I play Origin, I just try to be myself out there. I try to go out and play to my strengths and do what I know needs to be done to get the job done in Origin,” he said.

“Origin’s all about effort and going out and doing your best for your teammate, and so that’s what I try to do.

“If I’m coming off the bench, then I try to bring energy. If I start, I try to start with a level head and I just go out there and try to be the best version of myself and play as best I can in a Blues jersey.”