Daly Cherry-Evans heads into Origin III under pressure to avoid a record-breaking series loss but the QRL has no doubt he s the right man to lead the Maroons out of the mire.
The Manly playmaker faces arguably the greatest challenge of his three-year captaincy when he takes the reins of another rejigged Maroons side attempting to avoid NSW s first whitewash in 21 years and the biggest aggregate points deficit in Origin history.
Queensland have speed to burn in game three after welcoming back Kalyn Ponga and AJ Brimson from injury and naming North Queensland teenager Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to make his Origin debut at centre, replacing Penrith s Kurt Capewell who slots into a tweaked back-row.
State of Origin 2021: Queensland Maroons, Paul Green coaching future, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
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Maroons confident Hammer can nail down Turbo assignment
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The Queensland Rugby League is seeking an exemption from the NRL in a bid for Ronaldo Mulitalo to play for the Maroons.
New Zealand-born Mulitalo was the hard luck story before game two of the Ampol State of Origin series after an eligibility drama forced Queensland to withdraw the devastated Cronulla winger just hours before what would have been his debut.
Mulitalo - who has played for the Queensland under 18s and 20s - was given the Origin II nod after Reece Walsh went down with a hamstring injury on match eve.
However, the NSWRL asked the NRL to investigate the 21-year-old former Australian Schoolboys star s eligibility after a 2019 QRL website article surfaced in which Mulitalo claimed he arrived in the country from New Zealand a month shy of turning 14.