Mitch Moses sat out as New South Wales trained for the first time ahead of State of Origin Game 2, casting doubt over coach Laurie Daley's bold selection gamble.
The Parramatta Eels star was a surprise pick by Daley as he continues to recover from the hamstring issue that ruled him out of the series opener.
Moses now faces a race against time to be fit for next Wednesday's clash. He must take part in Thursday's opposed contact session and run at full speed to be selected, according to Code Sports.
Daley Defends Selection
Daley remains confident the five-eighth will prove his fitness and has defended Moses' selection, which came at the expense of Ethan Strange despite his brilliant debut in Game 1.
Footage from Blues training showed Moses being put through his paces on the sideline as the rest of the squad, barring Casey McLean, underwent full training.
McLean, who impressed from the bench in the opener, is expected to start despite injuring his ankle in Sunday's win over Wests Tigers. He will replace Stephen Crichton after the Bulldogs captain was ruled out with a shoulder problem.
Daley decided it was not worth managing Crichton through his injury, yet he has kept faith in Moses.
Backlash and Doubts
"Mitch is a big part of our team. He's a big part of our team," Daley said. "It's not a bad hammy, either. We expect him to play. He'll be a part of the squad for sure."
That call has been met with backlash from some quarters, including Queensland great Corey Parker, who was left baffled.
"The player who was arguably the best player on the park, Ethan Strange, in his debut for NSW. If all things go right…he doesn't get on," Parker said. "It's outrageous to think your best player won't get on, if all things go well, that's mind-blowing. You've got to be able to move, you can't take away what he did."
Daley has taken the precaution of calling up Dolphins halfback Isaiya Katoa as the 21st man in case Moses is not fit to play.
