May 25, 2026 — 2:47pmMitchell Moses is set to be ruled out of Origin I after suffering a minor hamstring strain that is set to sideline him up to a month.The Parramatta playmaker completed Monday’s opposed session on the Central Coast against Newcastle’s NSW Cup team, then felt tightness while he was completing extras.Mitchell Moses suffered a hamstring injury at Blues training on Monday.Getty ImagesBlues medicos will send him for scans on Tuesday so they can get a proper idea of how much damage there is in Moses’ left hamstring.NSW doctor Nathan Gibbs told this masthead: “Mitch felt a minor tweak right at the end of training when he was doing extras. He walked off without any trouble, but it started to get sore afterwards.“A minor strain is normally a three to four-week return to play. I can’t see him being fit in two days [for Origin I]. Mitch said he’s had calf issues – he was ruled out last year in Origin camp because of his calf – but told us he’s never actually had a hamstring injury.”Canberra’s Ethan Strange is expected to slot into the starting line-up at five-eighth. Canterbury’s Matt Burton has been called into camp and will link with the squad when they arrive in Sydney later on Monday.Ethan Strange is in line to replace Mitchell Moses at five-eighth for NSW.Sitthixay DitthavongBurton played arguably his best game at five-eighth last Friday when the Bulldogs defeated the Melbourne Storm, and is no stranger to playing Origin football.Canterbury captain and NSW centre Stephen Crichton loved what he saw of Burton on Friday night, and said: “For him [Burton] to put that out there on the field, he’ll get a lot of confidence out of that. When he plays like that, Bronson Xerri plays the way he did, and it has that ripple effect.”James Tedesco spoke last week about finally looking forward to playing his first Origin game with childhood friend Moses and Nathan Cleary as the halves pairing.Blues officials were contacted for comment.“A minor strain is normally a three to four-week return to play. I can’t see him being fit in two days.”NSW doctor Nathan GibbsMeanwhile, Crichton said he was more than ready to fill in at fullback should Tedesco be injured at Accor Stadium, insisting he was not offended when his own club boss, Phil Gould, failed to mention him when discussing the Blues’ No.1 contingency plans.Gould was unsure about the balance of the Blues team, and said on 100% Footy last week: “I don’t think it [the squad] covers as many things that could go wrong on the night positionally, particularly at fullback.“If something happens to James Tedesco, you’ve virtually got an inexperienced fullback going back there to cover that position.”Gould was referring to Manly’s Tolu Koula, but Crichton said he had spent time running at fullback the past week, and was a regular in the custodian role at Bulldogs training.Stephen Crichton trains with NSW at the weekend.NRL PhotosThe 25-year-old also confirmed he would require a painkilling injection in his right shoulder, which will continue to be the case the rest of the year, but there was no longer a need for a follow-up needle at half-time.Tedesco is one of the must durable players in the NRL but any setback would mean Crichton or Koula shifts to fullback, with Penrith’s Casey McLean capable of covering left wing and centre.When asked about Gould’s failure to endorse him as a fullback option, Crichton said: “I haven’t really read or seen any of that stuff. Centre is my main position, but I’ve had a few [reps] here at training [at fullback], probably not as much as I want to – at the Bulldogs I’ve had a lot of reps there.“God willing nothing happens [to Tedesco], but if it does, I’ll attack the game. Fullback you don’t make as many tackles as centre, but there’s a lot of ‘ks’ you have to cover.”Crichton suffered a grade-five AC joint injury on Good Friday, but made a miraculous recovery in just three weeks with the assistance of painkillers.“When I first did it, I needed [a painkilling needle] in the first-half and again at half-time, but the last two games I’ve only needed it for the start,” said Crichton, before the Blues trained against Newcastle’s NSW Cup side on Monday.“I reckon I could go without it, but for safety, I’ll just get it done. It’s probably the best it’s felt going into games, and that’s cleared my mind as well. It was bad at the start, and I couldn’t lift my arm, but it’s been four of five weeks now, and with the needle, I can’t feel anything.”News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.From our partners