NSW back-rower Boyd Cordner has expressed his surprise at the State of Origin snub of his in-form Sydney Roosters teammate Dylan Napa.
Napa is considered one of Queensland's rising stars and was 18th man for the Maroons' Origin I win. But the Roosters prop hasn't been sighted at interstate level since.
One of the NRL's in-form front-rowers, Napa wasn't part of the Maroons squad for game two in Melbourne.
And with Josh McGuire out of next week's Origin decider due to an Achilles injury, Canberra's Josh Papalii was preferred for Napa on the Maroons bench.
"I was expecting him to be there," Cordner said.
"I thought his club form has been unbelievable and him being 18th man in their squad in game one I thought he was pretty much a certainty for game three, but it wasn't to be.
"I suppose they have gone with Papalii who has been there before and I think that is why they have gone for him, he has been playing some good football too."
Regardless of the make-up of the Queensland bench, it won't alter the way NSW play, Cordner said.
"It doesn't change that much for us who they field, we are just worried about ourselves and getting us right," he said.
"This is enormous, it has already had plenty of hype and I don't need to justify what a big game it is. It is everything you dream of as a little kid to be part of moments like this and we are all ready for it.
"We will take massive confidence out of game two and know that we can do it again in game three."
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