Origin news ?
Buderus

New South Wales will be hoping for good news on skipper Danny Buderus' back injury today after the hooker failed to finish training yesterday. Blues coach Graham Murray is hopeful his first-choice dummy-half will be fit for the Telstra Stadium showdown with Queensland, but will call on Penrith rake Luke Priddis to fill the void should Buderus be ruled out.

Buderus suffered a back spasm during training, which may have been the result of his two-hour drive back from Newcastle after watching the Knights NRL win over Canberra last night.

Meanwhile, former Queensland front-rower Greg Dowling says having so many new faces in the Maroons team for Wednesday's opening State of Origin match means the side's poor record at Telstra Stadium will count for little.

Queensland is yet to win at the Olympic venue, which began hosting Origin matches in 1999. But Dowling says Queensland will have an advantage in fielding seven rookies for the match as the new players do not carry any mental scars from the Maroons previous losses at the stadium.