This year's foul play crackdown has made the task even trickier, because it's cut a swathe through the available talent thanks to a host of suspensions.

As it stands, coaches Brad Fittler and Paul Green will be desperately hoping they don't lose anyone else this weekend.

A couple of weeks ago, I had Jack Wighton penciled in as my five-eighth outside Nathan Cleary in the Blues' side.

But, given the directive has come down that Origin will be refereed the same as club footy with the six agains, fewer stoppages and more open footy, I've had a re-think.

I'm now throwing Jarome Luai into the Origin cauldron for the first time, keeping the Penrith connection in the halves and shifting Wighton back to the bench.

You simply can't ignore the outstanding form of the Panthers, which is why I'm also giving Origin debuts to winger Brian To'o and bench forward Liam Martin.

I'm also including Isaah Yeo in my 17 for game 1.

I've gone with Latrell Mitchell in the centres with Tommy Turbo, but I reckon he needs a big game this weekend for South Sydney to convince Freddy he is right to go after missing four weeks while suspended.

The Blues' pack is a little harder to nail down, with the likes of Victor Radley and Angus Crighton no longer available.

I've gone with Payne Haas and Reagan Campbell-Gillard as my starting props with Tyson Frizell, Cameron Murray and Jake Trbojevic in the backrow. Newcastle's Daniel Saifiti gets a spot on the bench.

My full team is: 1 James Tedesco, 2 Josh Addo-Carr, 3 Tom Trbojevic, 4 Latrell Mitchell, 5 Brian To'o, 6 Jarome Luai, 7 Nathan Cleary, 8 Payne Haas, 9 Damien Cook, 10 Reagan Campbell-Gillard, 11 Tyson Frizell, 12 Cameron Murray, 13 Jake Trbojevic. Interchange: 14 Isaah Yeo, 15 Daniel Saifiti, 16 Liam Martin, 17 Jack Wighton.

I'm still struggling to comprehend that we've lost Bob Fulton.

You talk of legends like Bozo, and it's almost like you expect them to live forever.

So to see him pass at just 74 left me feeling numb this week.

I had a lot to do with Bozo. He gave me my first opportunity to play for Australia and I played the majority of my Tests under him.

He was a NSW selector as well, and I worked extremely closely with him when I became Blues coach with him as my chief advisor.

He was great with his advice, always supportive, fiercely loyal and above all else, highly competitive.

He had a passion for winning like no other and was always challenging me in my thinking about the game.

Like I said, an absolute legend and champion bloke who will be sadly missed by everyone who knew him.

COWBOYS v WARRIORS

I like the Warriors in this one, even though it's in Townsville. I've been really impressed with how Nathan Brown's side has hung in there despite some key injuries and I'm loving what I'm seeing from young Reece Walsh. Defensively, the Cowboys still have some issues and no Jason Taumalolo is a big out. My tip: Warriors.

TIGERS v DRAGONS

The Dragons haven't won for a while, but I trust their form more than I do the Tigers. And with Tariq Sims back, Jack Bird playing some really good footy and their halves intact, I think they can win this one. The Tigers have the attacking firepower but are just too inconsistent. My tip: Dragons.

PANTHERS v BULLDOGS

This will be a matter of how far provided the Panthers don't go into cruise mode mentally, which they have shown no sign of doing against anyone. They have been clinical and ruthless with their attitude and, with five or six players vying for Origin spots, this will be a 20-plus difference. My tip: Panthers.

RABBITOHS v EELS

Not an easy one to predict, with both as last-start losers. I'm going with the Eels because I trust their consistency a bit more. Souths have not played well for a month. If they click with the footy, Souths will score some points but their defence has to improve. Mitch Moses will be looking for a big one after being off the pace again Manly. My tip: Eels.

ROOSTERS v RAIDERS

I think all the dramas of the past week will have galvanised the Raiders. With the Roosters struggling with some key players missing in Radley and Crighton, an upset is on the cards here. Young Sam Walker was terrorised by Tevita Pangai last week and I can see the Raiders going in with a similar game plan to put him off his game. My tip: Raiders.

SHARKS v TITANS

At home, and with Matt Moylan and Shaun Johnson in the halves and calling the shots for the Sharks, I think they can get the job done here in this one. They will have taken some confidence from the win over the Dragons and the Titans on the road, even with David Fifita back, can't be trusted. My tip: Sharks.

KNIGHTS v EAGLES

Tommy Turbo is the best player in the competition right now, alongside Nathan Cleary. Manly are on fire with him leading the way from the back, so I can't see anything other than a big win for the visitors here. The proviso is the Eagles play with the same intensity they have been, because there is the danger of them being a little flat after their emotional win for Bozo against the Eels last weekend. The Knights have Kalyn Ponga and Bradman Best back, which is a huge boost for them, but they need a huge form reversal to get a win in this one. My tip: Eagles.