Canberra five-eighth Ethan Strange will make his State of Origin debut for NSW after playmaker Mitchell Moses was ruled out of the series opener.
Moses trained with the Blues in Gosford on Monday but complained of soreness in his hamstring at the conclusion of the session.
The Parramatta playmaker was sent for scans with the results ruling him out of game one at Sydney's Accor Stadium on Wednesday.
"It's disappointing for Mitch, he's a big part of the team," Blues coach Laurie Daley said on Tuesday.
"I think we're a bit older and wiser knowing now that when you bring big groups of people in together, they've got to be ready to go at any stage.
"Ethan's trained with us all week, so there's no issue there ... (In) rep football you're working with the best of the best so you lose a player you get a good player to replace them.
"And I know that might sound ruthless but if we're ever relying on one player, then we're not a good team."
Moses suffered the strain doing extras at the end of NSW's training session against Newcastle's NSW Cup squad.
It is unclear if the Eels captain will miss much NRL action but Daley was confident it wouldn't be a long-term problem for Moses, who was ruled out of game two last year with a calf issue.
"He might even be a chance this weekend to play at Parra (against Newcastle), it's not a major tear at all," Daley said.
"It's very minor, but it's just too risky 48 hours out anytime you get a pinch of the hammy, you just haven't got enough time (to recover) in 48 hours."
Strange will take Moses' spot alongside Nathan Cleary in the halves in his Origin debut, with Canterbury's Matt Burton added to the Blues' six-man bench.
Canberra star Strange has 19 tries in 55 NRL games and was part of the Kangaroos' squad during the 2025 Ashes tour.
"I've always loved Ethan as a player and I probably watch more Canberra games than any other team so I've got a fair idea on Ethan as a player," Daley said.
"I like the way that he plays and at this level, if you've got a strong running game and you want to challenge the defence, there's a lot of fatigue happens in Origin.
"If he just backs his instincts, he'll play well so I'm not worried about Ethan."
