Cricket
Racing
Rugby
League
Motorsport
Football
Golf
Combat Sports
Basketball
Tennis
Other Sports
Sport Nation
Sattler: Halves combination will decide if Tedesco or Edwards is NSW fullback
Sam Kosack • May 5th, 2025 5:21 pm
Scott Sattler believes Dylan Edwards will retain his NSW fullback jersey over James Tedesco provided Nathan Cleary is the halfback.
Tedesco is in arguably career-best form, with another huge performance in Magic Round consisting of 271 metres, two line breaks, two try assists, and 10 tackle breaks that saw him collect all six possible Dally M votes.
Tedesco was dropped for last year’s series, with former coach Michael Maguire instead opting for four-time premiership winner Edwards.
Edwards’ injury-riddled start to the season and Tedesco’s form has seen the 32-year-old rocket back into selection contention.
Sattler believes whoever new coach Laurie Daley selects in the halves will determine who wins the fullback jersey.
“New South Wales won last year without Nathan Cleary, and I thought Nathan Cleary put on a real clinic yesterday,” Sattler said on SEN 1170 Mornings.
“Obviously, Laurie (Daley) has said if Nathan's fit, he's the best player in the game, why wouldn't you pick him?
“If that's the case, I think Dylan retains the spot to be honest.
“If you base it purely on form, it'd be James Tedesco, but I think that Laurie Daley and any coach would look at what happened last year in that last game, and the connections and the combinations they had are going to play a huge part this year.
“When it comes to the fullback, I think it's going to be your halves combination.
“I think if Nathan and Jarome (Luai) are seven and six, I think you'd have obviously Edwards.
“If it's Nathan and (Mitchell) Moses, does he go another way towards maybe a Tedesco or Tom Trbojevic?
“They've got so many options in New South Wales, but at the moment… if Nathan's gonna be the seven, I think Dylan Edwards will be the one.”
The debate comes as Nathan Cleary admitted he doesn't believe his form in 2025 warrants Origin selection.
"I went to the airport to speak to Nathan Cleary as he was getting on a flight... Nathan is very very harsh on his own performance," Channel 7 reporter Jelisa Apps told SEN 1170 Afternoons.
"When I asked him about Origin, he said he hasn’t been playing well enough in the past few weeks which baffles me.
"His not good enough is everyone else’s brilliant but he has incredibly high standards for himself. What he put on last night – you have to pick him."
State of Origin Game I will be played on May 28.
