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Important SN update for Southland18th man Kiraz on standby as Blues sweat on To'o fitness
Sam Kosack • June 30th, 2025 9:57 pm
Brian To’o is still under an injury cloud ahead of the Origin decider with NSW coach Laurie Daley admitting he’s unsure if To’o will be fit for Game III
Speaking on SEN 1170 Drive, Daley revealed the Blues selected Bulldogs’ winger Jacob Kiraz at 18th man instead of teammate Matt Burton because they wanted cover for To’o, should he not recover from a knee injury.
To’o suffered the injury late in the Panthers’ 8-6 win over the Bulldogs on Thursday and will need to prove his fitness in camp to be cleared to play.
If the Penrith winger can’t overcome his injury, Daley wanted Kiraz fit and rested to be able to slot straight in.
“Brian To’o, we're unsure of whether he'll play, so we want to make sure that if he doesn't
play, then we've got the next best winger in Jacob Kiraz,” Daley told SEN 1170 Drive
play, then we've got the next best winger in Jacob Kiraz,” Daley told SEN 1170 Drive
“Obviously with the Bulldogs, they play Friday night. I don't think it's fair on him if he was able to play Friday night and then train Monday, possibly, and then go into a State of Origin game.
“We had a lot of disruptions in Game II. We had Mitch Moses get injured, then we had Keaon (Koloamatangi), who was a replacement forward, he got injured… we had Payne (Haas) and Nathan (Cleary) carrying a few injuries so we thought the best bet is to carry an 18th man who’s fit.
“He gives us a bit of flexibility because he can play on the wing, he can play at fullback in a pinch… it just gives us that flexibility that if Jacob has to come in, he's had a full preparation as left winger.”
Kiraz’s selection drew the question of fans who believed Matt Burton, who served as 18th man in Game II and on occasion in series past, offered more versatility on his ability to play halves.
However, Daley defended Kiraz’s selection, believing the Bulldogs’ winger could play wherever needed if the situation arose.
“People might be asking another question of where else can you play Jacob, but when it comes to State of Origin, at times, some people have to play in different positions.
“I don't care that Jacob is a winger. If I'm going to play him as a centre, if I'm going to play him as a fullback, if I’ve got to find a position for him… then he'll do a terrific job.
“You've got Latrell (Mitchell) (who) can move back to fullback, you've got Connor (Watson), he can play five-eighth.
“I'll back him in all the time, as I will for all my players.”
The Origin decider will be played at Accor Stadium on July 9.
