Bradman Best sent for scans, Matt Burton rushed to camp, Queensland Maroons, NSW Blues, Billy Slater calls off Maroons media, news, videos, reviews

The Blues are concerned about Bradman Best’s fitness after the Knights star was sent for tests.

Best has been named in Michael Maguire’s Blues squad for the Origin decider after Latrell Mitchell was ruled out with a serious foot injury.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the Knights have sent Best for tests for a “hamstring problem” with results expected after midday on Monday.

Bulldogs star Matt Burton has reportedly been added to the squad as the 18th man.

Best made his one and only Origin appearance in Game III last year.

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BILLY ‘CLOSE RANKS’ IN SURPRISE MOVE

Queensland coach Billy Slater has been criticised for cancelling his team’s traditional media day, keeping the Maroons away from reporters ahead of the 2024 series decider.

Historically, the day after teams are named, both teams are given open media opportunities, which include one hour of access to each player from both states.

The Maroons held a media day at Suncorp Stadium before the series began and then in Toowoomba for their fan day before Game II.

Meanwhile, their New South Wales counterparts welcomed media to NSWRL headquarters in Sydney Olympic Park ahead of both games and will do so again on Monday.

Only two players will speak to reporters on Monday, while the Daily Telegraph reports the NRL could step in to change Slater’s decision.

A source said News Corp:”Slater always talks about Queensland being the people’s team and representing five million Queenslanders. Yet he is now closing ranks on the media which is a conduit to the people of Queensland.

“To me it suggests that Billy and the Maroons are feeling some pressure… I’ve never seen a Queensland coach cancel a public session. I don’t recall Queensland ever doing that before.”

Former NSW star Wade Graham called Slater’s decision “amusing”, referring to Brad Fittler’s attitude towards the media during his time as coach.

“A big criticism of Freddy (Fittler) at the end of his coaching tenure at NSW was the way the players sort of distanced themselves from the media and it was polar opposites when I first got the chance,” Graham said on Triple M on Sunday.

“Freddy brought me back in 2019 or 2020. It was really an experience of acceptance. It was very open. The message was if you don’t want to do an interview, just sing.

“You don’t do the interview by talking to the journalist. You do the interview and you talk to the NSW fans, so just put a smile on your face, represent NSW in the right way, tell your story.

“They want to know how you’re feeling before a big game at Suncorp and tell the fans because that’s who you’re talking to.

“That’s changed, we’ve lost a few series and it feels like the whole world is against us. You want to go into a bunker… but I think the more open and transparent you can be, the more you don’t have to go out there and talk about your game plan or start fires.”

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Meanwhile, The Australian’s Brent Read added: “They say they’re doing it because they’re focused on winning Origin III… I don’t necessarily like it, but that’s what Billy has decided to do.

“I don’t think Freddy closed things like that. He did have an open session with the media. The atmosphere around the meeting was a bit more ‘us against him’.”

In a statement provided to News CorpQueensland Rugby League officials have attempted to explain Slater’s decision.

“For this game we chose not to have a media day on the first day, we just did it differently,” a media spokesperson said.

“The best way to say it is that the group really wants to immortalize these first days at camp.”

Slater, meanwhile, was asked about the decision at his press conference on Monday and said it was a “bit unfair” to criticise the Maroons for the move.

“I think you all know the ways to get to our players,” he said.

“We won’t have our full squad together until mid-afternoon today. They have commercial agreements with the QRL that they have to honour and we have a few things to do football-wise.

“You will have access to the majority of the players throughout the 10-day camp. We saw it in Toowoomba with 8,000 people there… what we give to the people of Queensland, the access we give to our players, you see that.

“You can come to Century Cove and watch our training sessions, so I think the access is great.

“There are certain circumstances with players arriving in camp at different stages today, and we haven’t been able to put everything in place to make sure everyone is available, but we do everything we can to make sure our players’ voices are heard by the people watching our game, so I don’t think it should be made too much of, I think it’s a bit unfair.”

Slater also dismissed suggestions that the team had decided to restrict its involvement with the media in a bid to eliminate distraction given how things unfolded in Origin II.

“No, absolutely not. Absolutely not,” he said.

“The players talking to the media was certainly not a factor in the performance in Game 2. That’s the first time I’ve thought about it when you ask that question.”