From the NBA finals to the MCG: The State of Origin VIP list

From the NBA finals to the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Dallas Mavericks star Josh Green, was a special guest of the NRL alongside fellow Olympic hopefuls who recently gathered in Melbourne ahead of the Boomers’ and Opals’ pre-Games camps.

Green hopped off a plane in Melbourne on Tuesday night fresh from end-of-season celebrations with Mavericks stars Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, despite Dallas going down to the Boston Celtics in the NBA finals earlier this month.

Green, the only Sydney-born player in the NBA and averaged 19 minutes in the finals, was waving the NSW flag.

Brisbane Broncos tragic and fellow NBA star Patty Mills, who finished the season with the Miami Heat, is a diehard Maroons fan and was also in attendance alongside several Boomers and Opals hopefuls.

The recently traded Josh Giddey, who will join the Chicago Bulls from Oklahoma City next season, wasn’t at the game and is yet to arrive in camp. He is expected to play a pivotal role in Australia’s Olympics campaign in France next month.

Green with Luka Doncic during the play-offs.

The Boomers and Opals will play matches against China in Melbourne next week before the squads are finalised for Paris.

Suaalii boxed in

Joseph Suaalii is the only NSW player from game one not in the Origin II line-up to accept Michael Maguire’s invitation to attend the match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, but NRL rules will prohibit him from sitting with his teammates on the sideline.

NRL rules prohibit suspended players from entering the field of play prior, during and after the match. Suaalii will instead watch the game from inside Maguire’s coaches box.

The Roosters centre, currently serving a four-game ban for the high shot on Reece Walsh in Origin I, flew into Melbourne on Wednesday evening after finishing up a Roosters training session.

Roosters skipper James Tedesco decided against travelling to Melbourne straight after training. Unlike Suaalii, who won’t play for the Roosters this weekend, Tedesco has a match against the Wests Tigers to prepare for.

It’s the same reason Nicho Hynes didn’t travel down to Melbourne to watch the game. The Sharks have their captain’s run early on Thursday morning and Hynes didn’t want an interrupted preparation to their Friday night game against the Bulldogs.

Fellow Sharks player Cameron McInnes, who was the Blues 19th man, is booked on one of the first flights out of Melbourne on Thursday morning to ensure he makes Cronulla’s training session.

Hopgood in a bad way

Injured Maroons forward J’maine Hopgood’s season is likely over after he revealed on Wednesday night that surgery would probably end his 2024 campaign. He suffered the lower back injury in game one of the series.

“I’m catching up with the surgeon tomorrow and assessing all our options,” Hopgood told Triple M.

“Potentially if I have to get surgery it’s a 12-weeker. It would pretty much do me for the season. The more time you give it, the less time surgery works. We’ll see what the surgeon says tomorrow.”

Nathan Cleary out of game three

Regardless of the result in game two, don’t expect Nathan Cleary to feature in the final game of the series in Brisbane.

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said his son isn’t expected back on the field from a hamstring injury until round 20. He’s played no part in the series.

Someone’s glass jaw

Which State of Origin team requested some space between NSW coach Michael Maguire and Queensland coach Billy Slater at Tuesday’s press conference at Federation Square?

We’re informed the NRL granted the request, placing the State of Origin shield between the two coaches following Maguire’s “glass houses” sledge on the opening day of Blues camp last week.

AFL code breakers

The reason the NRL won’t ever sell out an Origin game at the MCG is because of its members, many of whom who refuse to turn up to support rugby league in AFL heartland. It was a problem the last time they played at the MCG in 2018 and will again be an issue six years later.

At least some AFL players were keen to watch the biggest domestic sporting event in the country. Geelong’s Tom Stewart, Hawthorn’s Josh Weddle and Dylan Moore, Carlton’s Jack Silvagni and Melbourne’s Bayley Fritsch and Judd McVee were all in the stadium to watch the rival code in action.

Bellamy stirs up Blues

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy was a special guest speaker at a Blues team dinner on Monday night after the jersey presentation.

The former NSW coach was invited to Italian restaurant Il Duca in East Melbourne, joined by former Origin players Ryan Hoffman, Robbie Kearns as well as Herald columnist Roy Masters.

Those at the dinner said they were impressed by Bellamy’s stirring words and the aura he carries.

Kiwis watching their pennies

This column reported last month that noise restrictions at Eden Park were threatening the NRL’s hopes of playing a State of Origin game in Auckland in 2027.

That remains the case, but we’re now hearing the New Zealand government are baulking at the $4 million asking price due to budget restraints in tourism and major events.

Big-ticket players

Debutant Connor Watson requested the most tickets out of all the NSW players for game two at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Watson asked NSWRL management for 26 tickets. Haumole Olakau’atu requested the next most with 20.

Under the rules in the collective bargaining agreement, each player is given six tickets to a game at a venue with a capacity of more than 60,000 (Sydney and Melbourne in 2024), and four tickets to venues with a smaller capacity (Brisbane).

The NSWRL gifted the debutants – Watson and Dylan Edwards – an additional four tickets, taking their tally to 10.

The cost of the extra tickets is taken out of each players’ $30,000 match payment, as well as any other unforseen expenses during their time in camp.