Origin spy scandal: NSW seething after private training video leaked

Adam Brax
Laurie-Daley

NSW Blues State of Origin coach Laurie Daley speaks to the media.

New South Wales have launched an internal investigation after footage from a closed training session in Brisbane surfaced online, showing star centre Stephen Crichton hobbling off the field with a suspected quad injury just days before the State of Origin opener.

The leaked video, apparently filmed from a mobile phone near Queensland Rugby Union’s headquarters, captured Crichton visibly limping from the field with his left leg wrapped in what appears to be ice during the Blues’ Monday session at Ballymore.

The footage’s emergence has prompted anger within the NSW camp, with officials now reviewing aerial drone recordings to identify the source of the breach.

“We allow people in and then this happens,” a team insider told News Corp.

“Maybe next time we just won’t allow anyone into our training sessions.”

NSW coach Laurie Daley added to the conversation, hinting at tighter security moving forward.

“When it’s a private session, you’re always disappointed when stuff like that gets leaked,” Daley said Tuesday.

“We’ll look at that when we do our review after game one. We might stop people coming to training… but that will be decided after we do that review.”

The Blues are particularly concerned about how much footage may have been captured, and whether it could have been accessed by Queensland’s coaching staff.

Crichton cleared

After much speculation following the leaked video, Stephen Crichton has today been medically cleared to play in Game I at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday.

As a precaution NSW had already acted swiftly, bringing in Matt Burton as the 18th man and preparing Campbell Graham for a possible start.

Graham, who played for the Kangaroos in 2022, has battled injuries but expressed excitement at his recall.

“It’s great to be here and I’m stoked,” Graham said. “[Laurie] just said, ‘You’ll be 18th man, obviously prepare to play.’ It’s a pretty important role these days… you can even get called in during the game.”

Meanwhile, Blues prop Payne Haas has been cleared to play, offering some relief for Daley’s side.

As NSW wrapped up final preparations at Suncorp, team leaders remained focused on Wednesday’s clash, with back-rower Isaah Yeo downplaying the distraction: “If I hadn’t seen the headline while mucking around on social media, I wouldn’t have known about it.”

Still, the fallout from the leaked video threatens to cast a shadow over the Blues’ Origin campaign, as officials vow to prevent future breaches.

Daley said they will deal with the investigation further in their Game I review.

NRL Laurie Daley

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