Smith cautions Blues on Tedesco

Queensland skipper Cameron Smith has cautioned NSW on replacing Matt Moylan with James Tedesco for State of Origin III.

Cameron Smith says NSW coach Laurie Daley should think twice if he is thinking about dumping Matt Moylan as his fullback for State of Origin III in favour of James Tedesco.

Moylan has struggled in his two Origin games so far this season, while Tedesco produced another compelling case for a call-up to the interstate arena in the Wests Tigers' loss to Melbourne on Sunday.

Tedesco was unavailable for Origin I due to a shoulder injury as Moylan made his Blues debut, the Penrith skipper held his spot for game two.

But Australian, Queensland and Melbourne skipper Smith said Moylan has plenty to offer the Blues at the back, despite his lacklustre efforts thus far.

"I'm not overly surprised (Tedesco hasn't played fullback for NSW) because I believe Matt Moylan's a wonderful footballer," Smith said.

"He was part of the 2014 Four Nations. He didn't get an opportunity to play a game, but seeing him over the five weeks, his training and preparation for games was fantastic, he's a good young kid.

"Tedesco was great today, he was fantastic ... but at the end of the day NSW will make up their minds not me."

Tigers coach Jason Taylor can't believe Tedesco hasn't play for the Blues yet.

"He'd done enough to warrant an Origin call-up a few weeks ago, he wasn't in Origin one because he was injured and he should've been in Origin two and he should be in Origin three," Taylor said.

"I think it's pretty simple. It's clear to see. I don't understand why he's not there and he should be there for game three."

Tedesco has heard all they hype before.

"I try and do my best every week and if they think that's good enough for a spot, I will take it with both hands," he said.


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Source: AAP



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