Dylan Edwards only just got hold of the Blues No.1 jumper but already it seems he is on the brink of losing it.
And it’s not through any fault of his own.
The Penrith star is feeling the heat from Manly dynamo Tom Trbojevic as the pair fight to impress new New South Wales coach Laurie Daley before he selects his squad for game one in May.
READ MORE: ‘Be a man’: Gallen slams SBW over ’embarrassing’ move
READ MORE: ‘Disrespectful’: Knights coach sorry over Brown saga
READ MORE: Vegas hangover the least of jet-setting Sharks’ worries
Edwards made his State of Origin debut last year when then-coach Michael Maguire made the bold call to axe James Tedesco.
Tedesco ended up playing game one due to an Edwards injury, and the Blues lost to the Maroons.
When Edwards returned to play games two and three, NSW beat Queensland to win the shield and hand the gun No.1 the perfect start to life in the Origin arena.
Dylan Edwards celebrates with teammates after scoring a try in his debut Origin match. Cameron Spencer via Getty Images
Edwards went on to win a fourth NRL premiership with Penrith and hasn’t put a foot wrong in the months since his Blues debut.
But after Trbojevic tore North Queensland to pieces at Brookvale on Saturday, NSW legend Andrew Johns wants the Sea Eagles superstar to usurp Edwards at state level.
“How good a player is he?” Johns gushed on Freddy and the Eighth.
“I actually said last week on The Sunday Footy Show, if he is fit and firing I’d pick him at fullback for the Blues.
“It’s a travesty he’s never played fullback (for NSW). He needs to touch the ball once every set, he is so good.”
Watch the 2025 NRL premiership live and free on Nine and 9Now.
Johns would again double down on his thoughts on Wide World of Sports’ Immortal Behaviour, while also theorising what the halves pairing could look like.
“If he’s flying and fit, he is a once-in-a-lifetime player,” Johns said of Trbojevic.
“You talk about the greats of the game, he is up there but unfortunately he’s had injuries. That form a few years ago, never seen anything like it – he was untouchable.
Tom Trbojevic of the Sea Eagles makes a break. Cameron Spencer via Getty Images
“He’s never played fullback for NSW which is disappointing, because he’s so good at other positions. He’s a champion player Edwards, but he’s once in a generation Turbo.
“Could you imagine Turbo at fullback working with Nathan?
“Unfortunately for Mitch Moses, if Nathan is fit he comes in. At five-eighth, if Jarome and Moses are both fit, that will be a big decision.”
Trbojevic has played 10 games for NSW but all of them have been at centre or on the wing.
Tedesco was the long-time NSW fullback, and now Edwards has assumed the role.
While Trbojevic is a weapon in any part of the field, his biggest strength is his support play through the middle of the field, for which the No.1 jumper suits perfectly.
Former Blues coach Phil Gould agrees Trbojevic will be the NSW fullback before too long.
“I’ve said many times that I think he is one of the great scoreboard influencers in the game. He is one person that is constantly influencing the scoreboard,” Gould told Wide World of Sports’ Six Tackles with Gus.
“The incumbent Origin fullbacks have been James Tedesco for a long time, and now Dylan Edwards who is a four-time premiership winning fullback, and deserves his spot.
“But I kind of think it would be a travesty if Tom Trbjojevic went through his career and didn’t play Origin for NSW at some stage at fullback.
“When is that going to happen, if it’s going to happen?
“I’m not saying he should replace Dylan Edwards now… they won the series last year and he’s the premiership winning fullback and a great player. But Tom Trbojevic is such an influence on results, he influences a scoreboard, he’s the most brilliant attacking fullback in the game. Wonderful player.
“If he stays fit all year, gee whiz, Manly will be hard to beat in any game.”
Trbojevic and Edwards should go head to head on April 26 in a clash that could well decide Daley’s No.1 conundrum.
