Socceroos captain Maty Ryan has backed his Kangaroos counterpart James Tedesco to make a huge impact for the Blues after his late call up for Wednesday night’s opening Origin at Accor Stadium.
A day after the Blues players watched the Matildas beat China 2-0 at Accor Stadium, Ryan attended the NSW team's final training session ahead of the series opener.
The star goalkeeper, who has made 93 appearances for Australia and been captain since 2019, believes the Blues won’t be impacted by the loss of fullback Dylan Edwards on the eve of Origin I.
New Blues coach Michael Maguire, who had made the difficult decision to drop Tedesco after 22 consecutive Origins, sent an SOS to Sydney Roosters star and he had his first training session with the team on Monday.
It’s a situation that Ryan said all top sporting teams have to overcome at some stage and said Tedesco was an ideal replacement for Edwards as he is an experienced Origin campaigner and has been playing well for the Roosters.
“It’s not only in rugby league or football, but life itself is all about adapting to circumstances and that is exactly what you have got to do,” Ryan told NRL.com.
“The better you adapt to circumstances the better chance you are going to have to be successful. The Blues are in that scenario now and they have got the personnel.
“Obviously the one replacing Dylan now is Teddy and he has got plenty of experience, and has been killing it this season so far, so no doubt he is going to be ready to go.”
Ryan has developed a relationship with Tedesco and a number of other Blues players, including injured halfback Nathan Cleary and new captain Jake Trbojevic, from his previous association with NSW teams.
Having grown up in western Sydney, Ryan watches more NRL than EPL or A-League and he has been a regular visitor to Blues camps since 2019.
“I’m a big Parramatta Eels fan, and a NSW Blues fan, of course,” Ryan said.
“A couple of years back I got the opportunity to come in and watch the boys train and established some nice relationships within the organisation.
“It’s always nice to come in and see how the boys are going and get out to support them.”
Socceroos star drops into Blues training
Having been given time off from Socceroos duties to recuperate after a heavy 18-month workload and spend time with his family, Ryan messaged NSWRL CEO David Trodden after Cleary injured his hamstring and told him he was available for Origin.
He will attend the series opener before returning to Europe for pre-season training with his Dutch club AK Almaar.
“I will be at the game and I’m quietly confident,” Ryan said. “Madge has taken over now and he has obviously had success in the past.
“I’ve met a few of the team in the past so I stay in contact with a couple of them.
“Teddy is one I’ve met a few times in the past and obviously Nate. I’ve met Jake in the previous camps, but he isn’t someone I’ve spoken to as much. There’s a few fresh faces in the squad now, so it’s exciting.
"I’m sure there is a sense of eagerness among the boys and no doubt they are good enough to go and get the job done. It is just about keeping to the game plan and making it all come together.”