Ethan Strange, the utility player for the NSW Blues, has confirmed that he is progressing towards playing in the upcoming State of Origin decider, despite recently suffering an ankle injury during training.
Strange had an impressive performance in Game 1, stepping in for Mitchell Moses at five-eighth just before the match. However, he was moved back to the bench in Game 2 in Melbourne as Moses regained his fitness.
Even with limited playing time in the previous match at the MCG, Strange has kept his spot for the crucial match ahead, which promises to be fiercely contested.
Concern about his participation escalated when he injured his ankle during training, leading to him being seen wearing a compression sock on Friday. Meanwhile, Matt Burton from the Canterbury Bulldogs was brought into the camp as a precautionary measure.
In an interview with NRL Tonight, Strange expressed his optimism about his recovery.
"Yeah look, I'm doing all I can," Strange stated during the interview.
"I think I should be right. It's a lot better than yesterday."
"I'll leave that up to the physios and see what they think, but they said it's tracking very well."
If Strange is unavailable, Victor Radley is poised to take his place on the interchange, having been retained as the 20th man following his removal for a lackluster performance in Game 2, which highlighted problems with discipline on the field.