James Tedesco axing vindicated as Dylan Edwards shines in State of Origin series victory

Michael Maguire has been vindicated for axing former Blues captain James Tedesco after Dylan Edwards starred at fullback for NSW in both Games 2 and 3 of the Blues' victorious State of Origin series. Edwards produced one of his finest performances in the Blues' 14-4 victory over the Maroons at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night, where he was named player of the match as NSW ended Queensland's run of two straight series victories.

Maguire came under plenty of scrutiny for dropping long-time Blues captain Tedesco before the series, only to call him back into the side when Edwards went down with a quad injury before Game 1. But the NSW coach stuck to his guns and once again went with Edwards in Game 2, where the Blues No.1 put in an outstanding display that was perhaps only second-best to Mitchell Moses' man of the match performance at the MCG.

Edwards scored one try, set up another and saved a third in Game 2, running for a game-high 203 metres, with two line breaks and eight tackle breaks. And Penrith's three-time premiership winner was everywhere again at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night as he put in another extraordinary shift in the Sky Blues jersey.

The NSW fullback once again topped the charts in terms of run metres with a staggering 242m and seven tackle breaks in a game largely dominated by the forwards. Edwards was safe as houses at the back and brilliant under the high ball all night for the Blues. And the electric No.1's workrate was off the charts as he had 27 runs and looked threatening all game in attack.

Dylan Edwards impresses after replacing James Tedesco

There is no denying how good a servant Tedesco has been for NSW over the years, and veteran Roosters fullback has also been instrumental in a number of series wins for the Blues. But Edwards' displays in this year's Origin series have represented a changing of the guard for NSW and surely cemented the 28-year-old as the long-term Blues fullback.

Maguire praised Tedesco's achievements and what he has done for the state over the years, but said he couldn't be happier for Edwards after the Panthers star was finally given his chance to shine at Origin level. "Teddy is a complete champion of the game, and he always will be," Maguire said about Tedesco after the game.

"But I just felt it was Dylan's turn now to have a bit of a crack. To see Dylan play the way he did... he's been doing that for years. Dylan now has had his opportunity." Despite his superb performance in the decider, Edwards says it was a collective effort and was quick to hail all of his teammates.

"We had a great bunch of boys who really ripped in tonight, came here to do our state proud and our families proud and I hope we did that," Edwards told Channel Nine after the match. "We got a couple of tries late but the scoreline for a lot of that was really tight and no team was giving an inch.

"I thought both teams played it in the Origin spirit with a lot of intensity but believing in the long game and believing in each other got us home." Edwards can now count an Origin series win among his ever-growing list of achievements, which also includes three premierships with Penrith and the Clive Churchill Medal from the 2022 grand final.

RELATED:

• Billy Slater cops fresh wave of backlash after State of Origin loss

• Queensland accused of 'cowardly' act as Daly Cherry-Evans caught out

While Maguire has certainly been vindicated for his decision to pick Edwards, Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga faces an equally difficult decision about who his fullback will be for Australia moving forward. Meninga has hinted at remaining loyal to Tedesco in the past and the veteran Roosters skipper is in tremendous form in 2024, but Edwards' case to take over as Kangaroos fullback is becoming harder and harder to ignore.