Nathan Cleary sent a shockwave through New South Wales’ camp when he limped from the field with another hamstring injury during Penrith’s Round 10 clash against Canterbury.
The club have since confirmed the halfback will be sidelined for up to two months, which means Blues coach Michael Maguire is now on the lookout for a new No.7.
Mitch Moses filled in for Cleary last year in State of Origin, although the Parramatta playmaker has also been sidelined since Round 3 with a foot injury.
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Will Mitch Moses play State of Origin? Injured Parramatta Eels half in line to replace Nathan Cleary if healthy
If Moses is picked, he's going to be doing it without a recent NRL game under his belt.
Moses was rumoured to be returning in Magic Round in a major boost for the struggling Eels.
Yet he was ruled out of Parramatta's diabolical 48-16 loss to Melbourne and will now also miss the round 12 match-up against the cellar-dwelling Rabbitohs: he'll have no chance to prove his fitness before the NSW squad is announced for the series opener on June 5.
"He's proven himself there, we saw that last year when he got the call,'' Junior Paulo said during Magic Round as he discussed the prospect of Moses returning to the rep arena.
"Mitch, his main focus is just getting himself back on the pitch.
"I don't think he's probably even worried about that (Origin). It's mostly just getting himself ready and getting himself on the field for us here.
"If he does get the call-up, you definitely know that Mitch is capable of owning that arena, and he's definitely shown that he can."
In what turned out to be the final series in charge for Brad Fittler, Cleary and Jarome Luai started as the first-choice halves combination in 2023.
However, Cleary’s hamstring injury led to Moses being partnered alongside Luai for Game II, before he claimed a win in the dead-rubber when starring beside Cody Walker.
His performance in Game III earned plenty of plaudits with some even questioning whether Moses could be the long-term answer for the Blues at halfback.
"I felt like the attacking style suited him a lot better and he went physically after the game," Michael Ennis said on Fox League following the 24-10 triumph.
"I thought he showed that he is a State of Origin player. I thought he was great. And that’s not just with the ball in hand, defensively out on that right edge I thought he was great."
Moses currently stands as the most likely No.7 to be selected for the opening game in Sydney with Nicho Hynes, who is battling a calf injury, more likely to slot in at five-eighth.
MORE: New South Wales Blues predicted team list for Game I
However, question marks around Moses’ fitness after being sidelined for over two months will undoubtedly be raised ahead of one of the biggest games of the season, if he is picked.
