Lomax gets his shot as Daley narrows selection focus

Westpac NSW Blues coach Laurie Daley is set to watch Round 11 of the NRL season through gritted teeth as a number of State of Origin hopefuls look to prove their fitness for the series opener. 

Eels winger Zac Lomax is preparing for his first match since April 5 when Parramatta take on Newcastle on Friday night, providing the incumbent one game to prove he deserves to retain his place in the squad. 

Brian To'o joined Lomax on the flank last year but he too has spent much of the past month on the sidelines. The Panther returned for last week's draw with North Queensland but was denied a second chance to prove his fitness by the schedule, with Penrith having the bye. 

Other players have also endured injury-interrupted starts to the season, with Dylan Edwards, Tom Trbojevic, Mitchell Moses and Latrell Mitchell all missing games throughout the past two months.

Daley is hopeful all of his potential Blues get through this weekend unscathed but conceded injury concerns will be a key consideration when he sits down to name his team on Sunday night. 

"We're hoping Zac can play this weekend so we can have a look at Zac," Daley said. "We can't watch Brian anymore and they were two influential members of the team last year. 

"It's something we've discussed because we know wingers these days do a lot of work so you've got to make sure they can do the workload that's required. Ideally you want them to have a couple of games under their belt but we don't live in an ideal world. 

"We'll weigh that all up and see how everyone performs on the weekend and then we'll make a decision."

The status of both To'o and Lomax will likely have a large flow-on effect on the ultimate make-up of the Blues squad for Game One, with Daley attempting to fit multiple talented outside backs into his side.

The fullback race has developed into a shootout between Edwards and James Tedesco, while Trbojevic, Mitchell, Bradman Best, Stephen Crichton and Jacob Kiraz are among the contenders for centre and wing positions. 

While some of those figures are specialists in individual positions, Trbojevic and Mitchell have each shown an ability to star in multiple roles in the Origin arena. 

Up front, Daley is blessed with depth in both the front row and back row and could opt for a player such as Hudson Young on the bench to cover both positions. 

The coach revealed he is comfortable selecting players out of their primary positions if they have showcased their versatility in the past.

"It's something we're discussing," Daley said. "You might see a player or two picked out of position but they're also players that have played a little bit of that position with their clubs throughout their careers so we don't see it as a total risk. 

"It might be a risk if they've never done it before but some of the players we're looking at to maybe play in a different position to their club, they've played in that position before."

Among the biggest questions heading into this weekend is the fate of Blues skipper Jake Trbojevic. 

While he was restricted to just 85 minutes across three games last year, both players and staff have spoken at length about his impact off the field in the come-from-behind series victory. 

The Manly lock, however, is in a tough battle to retain his place in the team and appears to have been leapfrogged by a number of contenders. Penrith No.13 Isaah Yeo is the Australian skipper and reigning Golden Boot winner, while Wests Tigers prop Terrell May has seemingly made an irresistible case for a NSW debut. 

Trbojevic has shifted back to his primary lock position for the Sea Eagles clash with North Queensland on Saturday night and has one last chance to retain his jersey.

Daley is blessed with a wealth of leadership options, with multiple Blues contenders captaining their club sides and Daley revealed he will pick his best 17 before selecting a skipper from that squad.

"We'll finalise the team first," the coach said. "Once the team's finalised, the captaincy will be easy. We want to make sure we've got the right team and then we'll pick the right captain because we have a number of good choices. 

"Jake did a terrific job last year. While he didn't play a lot of minutes, inside the camp, the coaching staff all spoke highly of what he was able to do for the group. 

"Then we've got other captains within the possible side that have led their team so we'll have good captaincy options. It will come down to who we pick and then we'll decide who the captain is."

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