James Tedesco and Nicho Hynes have been blanked by the new boss of the NSW State of Origin team in a worrying sign for two of the NRL's biggest names just weeks out from the start of the season. Incoming Blues coach Laurie Daley held a meeting on Saturday with the 28 players he's looking at for selection in this year's interstate series - and the Roosters and Sharks stars didn't get an invite. Daley - who is replacing Michael Maguire - said 'nothing is locked in now' before the meeting, but the fact Tedesco (23 games for NSW) and Hynes (two games) didn't even rate a mention sends a clear message.

The Roosters fullback wasn't originally selected for game one last year but came into the side when Dylan Edwards was injured. He then wasn't selected for games two and three as the Penrith No.1 staked his claim to the spot in what appeared to amount to a changing of the guard. Tedesco reacted by saying, 'I wasn't really expecting to really be back in after Dyl [Edwards] was fit and he was going to play.'.

Former NSW skipper James Tedesco (pictured with wife Maria) wasn't invited to incoming Blues coach Laurie Daley's Origin meeting on Saturday. The same shocking news applies to Nicho Hynes (pictured with girlfriend Piper Wallis). Hynes was named at halfback for the heavy loss to Queensland in game one, then wasn't sighted again as his replacement, Parramatta's Mitchell Moses, played a crucial role in the Blues winning the next two matches to take the series.

He was also dropped from the NSW side in 2023 after playing just 12 minutes off the bench. 'It's all about what I'll be looking out for, what my values as a coach are, the things that I might see the same as "Madge" [Maguire] or different to Madge,' Daley told News Corp about the meeting. 'We could easily pick a player that isn't in this 28 because, in reality, we could pick 50 players to come in. 'Last year there were a number of players that weren't in the original squad that ended up playing in the series ... If you're playing well, you'll be considered.'.

At 32 years old, Tedesco is nearing the twilight of his long and highly successful career, and Edwards - who has been outstanding for Penrith during their run of four straight premierships - will be hard to unseat. Tedesco being overlooked for the meeting is another sign his long run of representing his state could now be over. Hynes, however, is 28 and has the 2022 Dally M medal as the game's best player in his trophy cabinet, but he struggled with injury and inconsistent form last season as he helped the Sharks to a fourth-placed finish.

With Moses playing to a high standard for the Blues last year and Nathan Cleary almost certain to be first picked as halfback if he's fit, plus Jarome Luai holding down the five-eighth spot, Hynes has a mountain to climb to force his way back into the side. Daley also revealed that NSW will use the Blue Mountains as their base for this year's series after the shift west from the usual preparations in Coogee was well received by the players and staff.