Yeo watched NSW lose the opening game in Adelaide in 2020 before making his debut in Game II of that series in place of
Cordner. The Panthers lock has since established himself as one of the premier players in the game and is the co-captain
of Penrith. Kangaroos assistant Michael Hagan – who spent time with Yeo at the 2022 World Cup – has even previously
said Yeo is the type of player you can build a team around and described him as a natural leader.
However, after being named on the bench, Maguire opted to name Trbojevic
as captain for Game I. The 30-year-old has played 16 Origin matches for the
Blues since debuting in 2017 and is the first NSW skipper in recent memory who does not regularly lead his club side.
“I’ve watched Jake for a long period of time. He wears his heart on his sleeve and he represents the people of NSW
perfectly,” Maguire said on Monday morning. “He represents where I want to
start on this journey with this team.” But the selection of Trbojevic hasn’t gone down well with everyone, with many
questioning why an 80-minute player like Yeo is not only not the captain but on the bench in the first place.
And Reece Robson hasn’t been setting the world on fire for the Cowboys either , I
had Korisau ahead of the Brailey Brothers as Hookers for NSW , but the
selection of McInnes makes sense as he can cover Hooker , but starting ahead of Yeo who should be Lock and Captain.
