Queensland are bracing for the aerial threat of State of Origin newcomer Mark Nawaqanitawase, with the debutant NSW winger bringing an additional element to the Blues' attack.
The rugby union convert will make his Origin debut at the MCG on Wednesday night, earning a start after the Blues' backline was reshuffled following injury to Casey McLean.
Since crossing to the NRL after playing with the Wallabies in the 2023 Rugby World Cup and sevens at the 2024 Olympics, Nawaqanitawase has proved a revelation for the Sydney Roosters.
His try-scoring heroics saw the 25-year-old earn Kangaroos selection for the Ashes in 2025, and Nawaqanitawase willl now square off against many of his Australian teammates in the second Origin battle.
Standing 20cm taller than Brian To'o and 10cm more than Tolu Koula, who played on the Blues' wing in their game one win, Nawaqanitawase presents as a different weapon in NSW's attacking arsenal.
He has the ability to launch himself sky-high, similar to the AFL types that are usually starring at the 'G', and is sure to be a target for the kicking games of NSW halves Nathan Cleary and Mitchell Moses.
Blues coach Laurie Daley admitted he was taken aback by the size of Nawaqanitawase, who weighs more than 100kg and stands 190cm.
Daley was licking his lips at getting him into the game, shifting To'o to the left wing to accommodate the Origin rookie.
The coach said Nawaqanitawase's combination, playing outside Kotoni Staggs as he did with Australia, was key.
“He’ll start on the right and Brian will push over to the left,” Daley said at Tuesday's press conference.
“He’s played there obviously for the Roosters and he played there for Australia last year and he worked with Kotoni and Nathan (Cleary), so that’s just been the easy transition for him.”
Queensland captain Cameron Munster, who played alongside Nawaqanitawase in three winning Kangaroos Tests, said he was well aware of his athleticism.
"Congratulations to Mark, he deserves the opportunity," Munster said.
"You've got to play against the best of the best, and they chose Mark and we know how good of an aerial threat he is ... what he can do with the ball in hand.
"They'll be lethal, the right edge, so yeah, all the best to Mark, but he's an opposition for me and he's not wearing the green and gold so I'm looking forward to playing against him."
While Nawaqanitwase has risen to every challenge in his dual code career, he has a huge one in marking Cobbo.
The Dolphins flyer had his best game in Maroons colours in game one where he ran for 181m from 22 block-busting charges, the most of any Maroons player. He was touted as a possible man of the match until the Blues' late comeback.
Cobbo is playing outside Dolphins teammate Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and the duo will be tasked with keeping the Sydney Roosters sensation quiet.
Tabuai-Fidow said recently that Cobbo had earned his recall after playing six Origin games from 2022-2024.
“You’ve seen how he has played since the start of the year. His carries out of yardage and his run-metres show he’s a special player and he’s still got a long way to go too," Tabuai-Fidow said.
"Going back into Origin camp is a big confidence boost for him.”
