Updated July 3, 2026 — 10:48am,first published July 2, 2026 — 4:09pmKingscliff: Canterbury star Matt Burton has been called into the NSW camp ahead of Wednesday’s State of Origin series decider due to growing concerns about the fitness of playmaker Ethan Strange.Strange rolled his left ankle at training on Thursday and spent the night in his Kingscliff hotel room being treated with an ice compression machine.Ethan Strange (left) at training on Thursday.Getty Images“I just rolled it – I should be sweet,” Strange told this masthead on Thursday.But the Blues are leaving nothing to chance and have asked Burton to fly north in time for Saturday’s training session.Burton was not required for club duty this weekend because the Bulldogs have the bye. He was holidaying with his family on the Gold Coast but flew back to Sydney to help them unpack. He is due to return to Kingscliff late Friday.NSW coach Laurie Daley remained confident Strange would overcome his injury.“Ethan seems to think he’s alright, and sent me a message telling me, ‘I’m feeling a lot better, I think I’ll be right to go’,” Daley told this masthead. “It will be up to the physios as to whether he’ll be right to take part in Saturday’s session.“‘Burto’ has been here a number of times; he knows how to get it done and what will be required of him.”NSW were hoping to finally have an injury-free camp after Penrith’s Casey McLean injured his quad in the lead-up to game two, and Mitchell Moses hurt his hamstring two days before Origin I.Burton will join clubmate Lachie Galvin, who has spent the past few days with the Blues, on the field for Saturday’s training session before Galvin returns to Sydney on Saturday evening.Lachie Galvin, centre, goes through his paces at Cbus Super Stadium.Getty ImagesBlues players enjoyed a rest day on Friday, with most of them enjoying a morning dip at the beach, while Haumole Olakau’atu and Addin Fonua-Blake squeezed in an early round of golf.Strange, 21, has been working with medicos to improve the same ankle he rolled earlier this season. He was spotted in a moon boot late Thursday, but moving more freely without one on Friday.“Ankles are a funny thing; they can feel like the worst things in the world when you do them, but in two or three days, you realise you can run and strap them up,” Blues back-rower Liam Martin said.“I’m not a doctor, but I’m backing Strangey to be right. He’s a tough cookie, and if anyone can get through it, I’m sure he will.”Meanwhile, returning NSW centre Stephen Crichton said his move into the halves at the Bulldogs had helped take some of the pressure off Galvin.“I’m enjoying my time at No.6,” Crichton said. “Lachie still runs the show, but I feel my communication and clarity make other people’s roles a bit easier, and he can roam and do what he does best.“Since I’ve come into the No.6, I feel Burto [Burton] has also been loving his footy in the centres. I love the combination I have with him, and I try to feed him the ball. His communication has gone through the roof as well.”Just as Blues coach Laurie Daley commended Galvin for being able to stay focused and block out the “outside noise”, Crichton said: “I don’t know how I’d go with that much media scrutiny at that age. I’ve learnt a lot now, but at his age, what he’s gone through, and what his family has gone through, it will hold him in good stead in the future, not just physically but mentally as well.“This year he has been one of our best, even though we didn’t start the year [the way] we wanted to.“The way he’s developed as a player, he deserves to be here [with the Blues] training with the boys, and learning from the best players.”News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.More:State of OriginNSW BluesNRL injury wardNRL 2026From our partners