'Passionate' Gagai and fellow Knight Ponga recalled by Maroons

Queensland coach Billy Slater has recalled Knights duo Kalyn Ponga and Dane Gagai for the 2024 Ampol State of Origin series decider at Suncorp Stadium.

Ponga has been named on the interchange bench after making his return from injury with the Knights on Sunday and will make his first Origin appearance since Game Three, 2022.

With Murray Taulagi nursing a hamstring injury, Val Holmes shifts to the wing and Gagai comes into the centres for his 23rd Origin game and his first since the 2022 decider. Broncos back Selwyn Cobbo has also been recalled after missing Game Two with injury concerns.

“Xavier Coates and Murray Taulagi, they picked up injuries over the last couple of weeks, so unfortunate for those two guys, (but) we get the opportunity to bring Dane Gagai in and Selwyn Cobbo, he comes in also," Slater said. 

“Fortunate to have a luxury of those guys to bring into the footy team.

“Jaydn Su’A is probably the other guy that's probably a little bit unlucky not to be in the team, but he's nursing a few issues as well, getting scanned as we speak on an issue he picked up over the weekend ... but this is the team that we feel is our best football team going into this game.

“It's a big game; one-all in the series and there's a decider here at home which is pretty exciting.

“We all know what Dane Gagai brings; we all know how important this footy team is to him. He's played more than 20 Origins.

“He's a very passionate Queenslander and he's playing wonderful footy at the moment.

“He wasn't here just for the sake of being here last camp, he was here for a reason and really excited to see him back in a maroon jersey.

“Unfortunately for Kalyn, the last couple of years, he hasn't been available, it was Game Three, 2022, the last time he was available and playing here at Suncorp.

“It was great to see him back on the field yesterday and he hadn't really skipped a beat.

“Obviously he’d done a lot of work at training and a lot of physical work to get himself in the condition that he's in and we feel that's the best thing for the footy team to have him in the side."

Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow has been named and is expected to be right for the game after suffering an AC joint (shoulder) injury in Melbourne during Game Two.

The talented outside back did not feature for the Dolphins in their recent clash against the Dragons, but is tipped to be right for the game on July 17, having scored in each of his six Origin appearances for Queensland so far in his career. 

Warriors back-rower Kurt Capewell comes into the starting side in place of Su'A.

Melbourne's Trent Loiero is 18th man, while Bronco Brendan Piakura and Reed Mahoney are also part of the extended squad, with the Bulldogs hooker expected to cover for Harry Grant who has sat out the past two games for the Storm.

With Slater certain the Melbourne skipper would be right for the decider, he also wanted to bring Mahoney in for the experience.

“Harry's pretty good to be honest, he hasn't played the last couple of weeks for the storm, so his last game was Game Two Origin, he’s in a pretty good place," Slater said. 

“To be honest, we feel Reed's really earned this opportunity where the Bulldogs are sitting isn't any fluke, they're doing a lot right and Reed Mahoney’s a big part of that.

“He made 69 tackles on the weekend and played nearly 90 minutes, so he's a wonderful player.

“Born at the same hospital as myself actually, up at Nambour on the Sunshine Coast, so it'd be good to have him in camp and he's playing to the standard of this footy team.”

The Maroons will once again begin their preparations for Game Three at Sanctuary Cove before moving back to Brisbane early next week.