Kingscliff: Ethan Strange is confident he will be fit for Wednesdayโs Origin decider after rolling his left ankle at training and sending a scare through NSW camp.
Strange limped off the field at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast before later hobbling through the main foyer of the teamโs hotel in Kingscliff carrying an ice compression machine.
โI just rolled it โ I should be sweet,โ Strange told this masthead, before disappearing into his room to start his recovery.
The Blues are confident Strange, who has been named to start on the bench, will be fit, but know the next 24 hours are crucial.
Canterburyโs Lachie Galvin was brought into camp to spend a few days with the Blues, but is due to return to Sydney after Saturdayโs training session.
Galvinโs Bulldogs teammate Matt Burton would be the most likely playmaking replacement should Strangeโs ankle not improve, especially with the Dogs having the bye this weekend.
Dolphins halfback Isaiya Katoa is out of play with a broken wrist, while Wests Tigers co-captain Jarome Luai, who did an excellent job clinching the decider on Queensland soil two years ago, is unavailable due to delayed concussion symptoms.
The players have Friday off, which will give the teamโs medicos an opportunity to work with 21-year-old Strange.
Strange told teammates he had rolled his ankle a few weeks earlier, but it had not been an issue.
โAnkles are a funny thing, they can feel like the worst things in the world when you do them, but in two or three days, you realise you can run and strap them up,โ Blues back-rower Liam Martin said.
โIโm not a doctor, but Iโm backing Strangey to be right. Heโs a tough cookie, and if anyone can get through it, Iโm sure he will.โ
Meanwhile, Stephen Crichton said his temporary move to the halves at the Bulldogs had helped take some of the pressure off Galvin.
โIโm enjoying my time at No.6,โ Crichton said. โLachie still runs the show, but I feel my communication and clarity makes other peopleโs roles a bit easier, and he can roam and do what he does best.
โSince Iโve come into the No.6, I feel Burto [Burton] has also been loving his footy in the centres. I love the combination I have with him, and I try to feed him the ball. His communication has gone through the roof as well.โ
Just as Blues coach Laurie Daley commended Galvin for being able to stay focused and block out the โoutside noiseโ, Crichton said: โI donโt know how Iโd go with that much media scrutiny at that age. Iโve learned a lot now, but at his age, what heโs gone through, and what his family has gone through, it will hold him in good stead in the future, not just physically but mentally as well.
โThis year he has been one of our best, even though we didnโt start the year we wanted to.
โThe way heโs developed as a player, he deserves to be here [with the Blues] training with the boys, and learning from the best players.โ
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