Two bloopers got Origin build-up underway. The Blues can’t afford to fluff their lines
The State of Origin build-up for the NSW Blues faced a rocky start with technical issues during the team announcement. Coach Laurie Daley's slip of the tongue added to the pressure as the team prepares for the upcoming series opener. With a history of mixed results, the Blues are under scrutiny to perform better this year.
- ▪The NSW Rugby League announced the Blues team via a YouTube livestream watched by about 5000 people.
- ▪An audio issue during the broadcast left fans unable to hear the chief executive's comments.
- ▪Coach Laurie Daley mistakenly announced a former player instead of the current team member, adding to the pressure on the team.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","dateModified":"2026-05-18T09:08:50Z","datePublished":"2026-05-18T09:08:50Z","description":"NSW’s carefully stage-managed State of Origin launch got off to a rocky start, with a technical glitch, delayed flights, Reddit banter and a familiar sense of pressure hanging over the Blues.","headline":"Two bloopers got Origin build-up underway. The Blues can’t afford to fluff their lines","keywords":"State of Origin, NSW Blues, NRL 2026, Just in, Queensland Maroons, Laurie Daley, Billy Slater, Opinion","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tom Decent","jobTitle":"SMH chief sports…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Sydney Morning Herald.