Matters of State: What do the Blues do at hooker?

Among the many conundrums facing new Blues coach Michael Maguire ahead of Origin One is who to play at hooker and whether two No.9s are better than one.

For rival coach Billy Slater it’s one of the simpler questions to answer as he goes with the 1-2 punch of Harry Grant and Ben Hunt that has delivered the Maroons so much success in recent years.

Grant and Hunt complement one another perfectly and Slater has the luxury of knowing both have excelled in a starting role or coming off the bench.

For Maguire, there’s much more to ponder as he looks to return the Origin shield to NSW for the first time since 2021, when Damien Cook played big minutes at hooker and only left the field late when Games 1 and 2 were in the bag.

During the last two series, both lost by the Blues, the hooking role has been shared by Cook, Api Koroisau and Reece Robson, all of whom are very much in the frame in 2024.

After playing 15 Origins in a row from 2018 to 2022, Cook was overlooked for last year’s series opener in favour of Koroisau, who went the distance in Adelaide as the Blues faded late to lose 26-18.

The Wests Tigers hooker took no further part in the series after suffering a broken jaw in a club game so Cook was recalled, sharing the role with Robson as Fittler emulated the Maroons’ model with mixed results, losing Game 2 and saving some face in Game 3.

Having coached Koroisau to a premiership with the Rabbitohs back in 2014, Maguire knows exactly what the crafty 31-year-old brings to the table, while Cook launched his NRL career at Redfern under ‘Madge’ in 2016.

Throw in Warriors wildcard Wayde Egan into the mix and Maguire has much to ponder ahead of the series opener on June 5.

The contenders

Api Koroisau - Master of his craft

Looked set to make the Blues No.9 his own last year before having his jaw broken a week after Game One and missing five weeks of footy. Brings great creativity to the table with his speed and skill out of dummy half and looks to be in good form for the resurgent Tigers. Knows what it takes to win big games with two premierships at Penrith and one at Souths in 2014. Played plenty of footy with Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo so he knows how they will roll.

Damien Cook - Blue through and through

The vastly experienced Rabbitoh made a blazing start to his Origin career with series wins in 2018-19 and again in 2021 but has found the going tougher in recent seasons. Left out of South Sydney side in Round 6 but has fought his way back as they look to resurrect their season and has four more games to press his claims before side is named for Game One. Explosive out of dummy half and can exploit any tired defenders around the ruck late in halves.

Reece Robson - Tough as they come

Tough as nails Cowboy who made his Origin debuted in Game 2 of last year’s series after Koroisau was injured. Played the full 80 minutes and came up with 46 tackles and seven runs to show his durability. Doesn’t really have a kicking game but you know you’ll get 100 per cent effort and he won’t shirk the task in the Origin cauldron.

Mitch Kenny - An all-Panthers spine?

He might be the outsider in the race for the Blues No.9 but Kenny has the benefit of playing alongside Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai every week and has a defensive work-rate made for Origin. Has really come of age across the past two seasons, winning a couple of premierships and showing an ability to step up in the big games. Squares off against Damien Cook this week and Wayde Egan in Round 11 so gets a golden opportunity to make a statement against a couple of the key contenders.

Wayde Egan - Going the distance

The new kid on the block and could come right into contention if the Warriors find top gear in the next month. Averaging 40 tackles a game in 2024 and has good deception around the ruck, laying on tries for Addin Fonua-Blake and giving space for Shaun Johnson to do his thing. Has come up with three try assists and five line break assists in six games.

The scenarios

One hooker

Should Maguire choose to go with just the one hooker it will allow him to go big on the bench with three middles and a back-rower. That would give the Blues a powerful forward rotation and give them every opportunity to dominate the ruck and set the game up for their hooker and halfback. Should this be the case, Koroisau looks to have his nose in front at this stage as the incumbent and his prior football with the myriad of Panthers set to feature for the Blues.

Two hookers

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and no one could blame Maguire for cloning what the Maroons have done so successfully. Going with two hookers gives him the luxury of having one man absorb the early heat and tackle up a storm in the early exchanges before handing over around the 25-minute mark to the fresh replacement who can search for gaps and expose any loose defence. What works for the Maroons may not necessarily translate to success for the Blues but it could well be worth a crack. This could then come down to who NSW want to partner with Koroisau - the speed of Cook or the creativity of Robson, Egan or Kenny.

One hooker and a utility

The Blues went with Koroisau in the No.9 and debutant Nicho Hynes in a utility role in Game One last year and Hynes saw only 12 minutes of action. In Game Two they went with two hookers – Cook and Robson – but the loss of Tom Trbojevic after three minutes threw their plans into disarray and Cook was forced to play 77 minutes in the centres. Should the Blues go with one hooker and utility as back-up they may well look at giving Hynes another shot while Storm star Ryan Papenhuyzen would also be in the mix. Either of those men could give great impetus off the bench and bring a real X-factor to the Blues' bench – along with Sharks forward Cam McInnes, who has been in the Origin squad before and could cover at hooker if needed as well as play a role in the forwards.