NSW

Late NSW change 'not ideal': Daley

Dugan was expected to line up at centre in what would have been a mouth-watering head-to-head contest with Queensland's attacking weapon Greg Inglis.

Instead, the 2015 Brad Fittler Medallist will miss Game One on Wednesday night after aggravating an elbow injury he suffered in the Dragons' Round 11 loss to the Rabbitohs at ANZ Stadium. 

Daley said the news was surprising given how well the 26-year-old had been training at the side's Coffs Harbour base, but appreciated Dugan's decision to not put the team's balance at risk. 

Josh Morris to replace Dugan for NSW

Morris has been released by Canterbury after earlier being named to play in the Bulldogs' NRL clash with Canberra on Sunday afternoon.

NSW coach Laurie Daley confirmed Morris would return to take over at right centre shortly after the Blues announced the withdrawal of Dugan, who experienced further problems with the elbow he hyper-extended in St George Illawarra's loss to South Sydney in round 10.

"It's one of the hardest decisions I've had to make," said Dugan.

Kicking game to drive Blues home

The cry came from a Blues teammate as new halfback Adam Reynolds, from 30 metres out, stabbed a kick towards the in-goal of the Novotel Pacific Bay Resort training field literally minutes into the Blues' first training run of the camp, on Wednesday afternoon.

The Steeden jagged past the try-line, popped up off its point then stopped dead perhaps a metre from the dead ball line and a metre inside the touch in goal line, drawing raucous cheers from the players riding the play or perhaps jeering the naysayer (from the volume, we'll assume it was Andrew Fifita).