NRL legend Andrew Johns calls for changes to NSW halves – and axing of Jarome Luai from Origin side
- Andrew Johns calls for Cody Walker to be selected for Blues
- Walker’s inclusion would mean the elimination of Jarome Luai
NRL great Andrew Johns believes Souths star Cody Walker should be selected for the NSW Blues alongside Mitchell Moses – meaning Jarome Luai would be left out of the squad.
Walker, 34, was named in the Blues line-up for game three in 2023 and put in an excellent performance – and Johns has called on NSW to give him another chance.
“Personally I would go for Cody, Latrell on the left, Cody on the left with Mitchell Moses… this has nothing to do with the form of Jarome (Luai), it’s just combinations,” he said on the Sunday Footy Show .
“I think Mitch Moses and Cody Walker complement each other much better than a Moses-Luai combination.”
Andrew Johns (pictured) has called for changes in the NSW halves
Johns believes Souths star Cody Walker should be selected in the squad
Johns also made the same calls in March and elaborated on why he should be the No. 6 pick.
“I’d go with Cody,” he continued Immortal behavior.
“Cody unlocks the left side and last year in game three Walker came into the team and the game plan was pretty simple. He knows what to play, when to get the ball, how far to go in the line – he’s a throwback to Cliff Lyons.
“He has something to show the coach, but if he gets between in-form players and an attacker, I have no doubt he will turn the lights off.”
Elsewhere, Latrell Mitchell has broken his three-month silence and raised his hand for Origin selection, as calls for the Souths superstar increase for Game 2 of the series.
Mitchell spent Saturday with Blues coach Michael Maguire at South Sydney’s 2014 premiership reunion, posing for photos with the NSW coach and publicly declaring he wanted to play Origin.
The pair posed for jovial photos for South Sydney’s social media page, with Mitchell sharing one to his own story with the caption: “We on?”
Mitchell couldn’t have made a more compelling case on the field on Friday night when he was involved in everything in South Sydney’s 22-12 win over Brisbane.
Johns thinks Walker would work better with Mitch Moses than Jarome Luai (pictured)
The Souths No. 1 was also charged with unlawful conduct during the match for inciting a melee after an illegal hit from Jordan Riki, but can avoid a ban by accepting a $3,000 fine.
The 26-year-old has not played at Origin since 2021 due to injuries but is favored to beat Bradman Best, Jesse Ramien and Kotoni Staggs to return to the Blues squad.
‘I’m ready. I’m curious,” Mitchell told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“If Madge (Maguire) wants me, I’m in. I’m ready to go to Melbourne and give it to some Queenslanders.
“There was a lot of doubt in NSW because I was never taken care of. I have been the scapegoat. I don’t want to enter this camp as a scapegoat if they lose.
“I want to go to camp and feel comfortable in my own skin, bond and get ready to play for the people I want to play for. Don’t go in and be the scapegoat for the media to say, ‘Latrell this, this and this.’