Ivan Cleary made a rare impassioned plea for NSW to stick solid with Dylan Edwards as their fullback, declaring: “You know what, if we’re talking about taking ‘Dyl’ Edwards out of the Origin team, we must be going well.”
One of the big selection debates for the Blues will be whether to retain Edwards at fullback, or recall Sydney Roosters captain James Tedesco.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson publicly praised Tedesco on Friday night: “He plays a lot on his feeling – he plays in the moment more than any other player I’ve seen.”
Speaking after the Panthers’ 30-18 win over Canberra, Cleary said there was not much more Edwards could possibly do to keep the plum job.
Cleary rarely goes out of his way to involve himself in Origin debates, but felt passionate enough to support Edwards given the groundswell of support for his Roosters’ rival.
“I said this a couple of weeks ago that ‘Teddy’ is playing incredible footy, he always has, but there was a decision made for Dyl to come in [to the NSW team] for [Tedesco], and since then, he hasn’t done much wrong,” Cleary said.
“He was part of the team that won the series in 2024, and he had a great series.
“Last year, he came back from shoulder surgery, and in fairness, I probably pushed him too early.
“He struggled a bit, but you wouldn’t say the Origin series was lost because of him. He still ended up in a prelim final, was a huge part of our team, and made the Australian team.
“This year, he’s prepared like he did years ago. He’s been killing it. He’s been one of our best three players every week.
“He’s in a team that wins games. He presides over the best defensive team five of the last six years, and the same again this year.
“He’s a great leader. It’s a good problem. Dylan is in incredible form. I’ve seen him play at his best – he’s pretty close to it 1778446357, for sure.”
Edwards was flattered by his coach’s comments and told this masthead as he left GIO Stadium: “It’s nice to be backed by your coach – it’s nice for ‘Ive’ to say those words. I know what I bring to this team, and what he thinks of me.
“The thing I’ve been happiest with this year is my consistency. I’ve been adding little bits and pieces to my game in attack and I’ve been scrambling well in defence.
“‘Teddy’ is a champion fullback and will go down as one of the great fullbacks. If I’m in the conversation with a guy like that, it’s cool.
“But I do want to represent the Blues, I want to represent the people in this state. It would be a huge honour. There’s still another 80 minutes, and the decision will be made after that.”
Edwards agreed with Cleary he was under-done to start last year and blames himself – not Cleary – for wanting to rush back so he could feature in the season opener in Las Vegas.
Tedesco, 33, last featured for NSW in game one of the 2024 series. Edwards returned for games two and three to help the Blues seal a come-from-behind series victory, and was the No. 1 in last year’s series, which included a stunning loss in a decider on Sydney soil.
Daley will name a 20-man squad next Sunday night, after Edwards and Penrith feature in the final game of Magic Round against the winless St George Illawarra Dragons. Tedesco’s Roosters play the Cowboys on Saturday evening.
