With almost a month until State of Origin I at Suncorp Stadium, and having previously profiled the players in danger of losing their Origin jersey, this week I’ve decided to take a look at the players who could potentially break into Brad Fittler’s NSW Blues. Some of these men would be debutants, and others returning for their second bite of the cherry.
4. Jesse Ramien
While Jesse Ramien’s output and highlight reel has not been as noticeable as his final season at Cronulla, that is largely down to the Knights primarily attacking through big guns Kalyn Ponga and Mitch Pearce down the left edge.
Although the PMs XIII representative has been starved of possession, every time he has touched the ball, he has looked dangerous and the numbers back it up. Ramien already has an astounding 41 tackle busts for the season at right centre, second only to Blues fullback James Tedesco.
He is also still averaging nearly 100 running metres per game despite seeing minimal ball and has also substantially outplayed Blues incumbent right centre, James Roberts. While Ramien may not be as fast as the Broncos' speedster, his tackle-breaking ability and physicality are tailor-made for Origin level. He has also made more tackles than the incumbent Blues centre, an issue often raised when it comes to Robert’s ability to play at Origin level.