Slater Recalls Injured Carrigan, Nanai for State of Origin III Decider

Queensland coach Billy Slater has recalled Patrick Carrigan, who has not played a game since May, for State of Origin III as he named his squad for the decider at Lang Park.

Carrigan suffered a syndesmosis ankle injury in round 13 that required surgery, which was supposed to sideline him for six weeks.

He has not returned to the field for the Brisbane Broncos but Slater insisted "he'll be right to play" Game III in nine days' time, marking five-and-a-half weeks since the injury.

"Anyone who knows Pat Carrigan knows he leaves no stone unturned in his preparation, whether he's injured or not," he said.

"He's done really well with his rehab. If Pat Carrigan wasn't in this footy team he'd be looking to play for the Broncos this weekend."

Slater said there was risk in picking Carrigan after more than a month off the field, but backed the middle forward to continue his rehab in camp and get ready for the game.

The Maroons named a squad of 20 players rather than a team line-up, but Carrigan looks like to replace Lindsay Collins on the bench after the Roosters prop copped a head knock on Friday night.

The decider would have been just outside the mandatory 11-day stand-down period for concussions, but Slater said Collins was "not quite right".

Also recalled to the team was North Queensland back rower Jeremiah Nanai, who played a match-winning hand for the Cowboys against Penrith on Saturday.

Slater handed Nanai his Origin debut as a 19-year-old in 2022 and he has played 11 of a possible 14 games for Queensland since then.

"It was great to see him play well on the weekend, but I learnt nothing from the weekend's game that I didn't already know about Jeremiah Nanai," he said.

"He has done a wonderful job for this footy team. He's 23 years old and he's played 11 Origins already, that's a lot of Origin football for a young man.

"I just know whatever role we ask of Jeremiah, he's gonna be able to perform that for this footy team."

NSW coach Laurie Daley last night made the shocking decision to drop star winger Brian To'o, replacing him with debutant Jack Bostock as one of a slew of changes for the decider.

Meanwhile, the Maroons could pick an unchanged starting line-up with only a couple of alterations to the extended bench, but Slater said the team could not rely on that continuity.

"We can't just turn up and expect the continuity of the team and being familiar with the number on your back and being their last game, it's not just gonna happen for us," he said.

"You've got to earn every situation, every moment and that's what we'll be chasing."

Slater and the Maroons also have the advantage of the decider being played in Brisbane, but the Queenslanders have lost the past two games at Lang Park — the 2024 decider and last year's series opener.

"What's happened in the past is nearly irrelevant," Slater said.

"The venue means a lot to us, it means a lot to Queenslanders. We won't be focusing too much on what's happened in the past."