Grothe in for
NSW

Eric Grothe has been called into the NSW side to replace injured centre Matt Cooper for the opening State of Origin rugby league game at Telstra Stadium next Wednesday.

St George Illawarra star Cooper has been ruled out after failing to recover from a fitness test at training yesterday. Grothe will start on the wing with his Parramatta team mate Timana Tahu shifting to the centres.

Cooper's Dragons team mate Mark Gasnier will undertake a fitness assessment on his hip today after recovering from a virus that prevented him from training yesterday.