Morris confident with NSW halves pairing

Josh Morris says his Canterbury teammates Trent Hodkinson and Josh Reynolds have the right mentality to cope with the pressure of State of Origin.

NSW centre Josh Morris believes the ying and yang of Canterbury halves Trent Hodkinson and Josh Reynolds is the perfect blend for the State of Origin cauldron.

Morris' Bulldogs teammates are the 16th halves partnership used by NSW in nine years as coach Laurie Daley rolls the dice By axing Mitchell Pearce and James Maloney in an attempt to end Queensland's dominance which stretches back to 2006.

The pair have one Origin appearance between them with Reynolds playing off the bench in game two in Brisbane last year and Hodkinson will also debut in the bearpit that is Suncorp Stadium next Wednesday.

Despite his inexperience at this level, Morris said Hodkinson has the right mentality and temperament to succeed against the Maroons.

"He is a very composed guy and he is a hell of a defender," Morris said.

"I see that when I am next to him in the defensive line and I have no doubts he'll be fine."

The combination of Reynolds and Hodkinson has guided Canterbury to the top of the NRL ladder after 10 rounds and and Morris revealed the duo are polar opposites on and off the field.

"Josh does everything at 100 miles an hour whereas Trent is very calm and steers the team around," he said.

"But they're a good balance together and that's been a real help to us at the Bulldogs and I really think they can bring their good form into Origin."

For the third successive series Morris will line up against his Test teammate Greg Inglis and although he's more than matched the threat of the Queensland superstar he denies he's worked out how to stop him.

"In my eyes he's still the best centre in the world," he said.

"He's a very dangerous player and I look forward to whenever I play against him. He's a hard man to contain and I just do my best.

"You just have to get as close as possible and try and not get fended in the fence and made to look a fool."


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Source: AAP


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