NSW and QLD have announced their teams for Origin I and there are a few surprises as Laurie Daley gambles on under-fire half-back Trent Hodkinson and an injury to Cherry-Evans could rule him out.

Hodkinson has failed to spark in 2015 and was criticised heavily by Blues legend Andrew Johns for his subpar performance against the Sydney Roosters on Friday.

But Daley has shown huge faith in the man who scored the series-clinching try last year, partnering him in a new-look combination with recalled Roosters half-back Mitchell Pearce, named out of position at five-eighth.

NSW Origin team - Game 1 2015 #origin pic.twitter.com/lVNb1M2VaN — 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) May 19, 2015

Meanwhile there are few surprises to the Maroons line-up which is made up nearly entirely of familiar faces.

Queensland Maroons team to play the Blues at @ANZStadium next Wednesday. #origin pic.twitter.com/ceEd15RBAO — 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) May 19, 2015

It will be the first time in Daley’s tenure that he goes without a club combination in the halves.

Pearce has been in great form, meriting a return after his previous long tenure in the Blues halves failed to produce a series win, but neither he nor Hodkinson has ever played out of position in their NRL careers.

It means Daley will be rolling the dice, gambling that he can work some Origin camp magic and turn the pair into a matchwinning combination in a week.

So proud of @robbiefarah being named captain of NSW. #Origin — Adam Houda (@LawyerAdamHouda) May 19, 2015

The Blues have suffered a tumultuous build-up to this year’s series.

Fullback Jarryd Hayne is attempting to get a start in the NFL, incumbent halves Reynolds and Hodkinson have struggled, and veteran forward Greg Bird was suspended for the entire series.

The biggest setback however is a mysterious hip injury to skipper Gallen, who was officially ruled out of the series-opener last week.

North Queensland and Kangaroos front-rower James Tamou will take Gallen’s spot in the run-on side, while Dragons fullback Josh Dugan beat out Penrith gun Matt Moylan after a string of solid outings.

Parramatta flyer Will Hopoate is set to partner Daniel Tupou on the wing.

If @matt_moylan doesn't get a start in this #Blues origin team selectors need to take a good hard look at themselves. #Origin — Alex O'Brien (@alexobrien210) May 19, 2015

Hoppa, Pearce, Hodkinson 😂😂. Hoppa over Johnston and Roberts is beyond farce, let alone the other 10 players you could name. #Origin — Mitch (@mdoyle08) May 19, 2015

In another shocking move from the Blues coach, Daley overlooked Test forward Luke Lewis in favour of a new breed of forward. The move had previously been reported by the Daily Telegraph, as the NSW coach reportedly rang the Origin veteran on Monday night to deliver the bad news.

When you have an inexperienced side, not picking the one experienced player at your disposal that is playing well in Lewis is absurd #Origin — Anthony Morgan (@anthfieg1) May 19, 2015

Instead, Daley will rely on Canterbury debutants Josh Jackson (24) and David Klemmer (21) in a new-look forward pack to help make up for Origin experience the Blues will be missing.

Daley is set to roll out one of the youngest NSW sides ever, with an average age of just 25. Robbie Farah, Beau Scott and Ryan Hoffman (all 31) are the only players over 30.

As for the bench, Trent Merrin, David Klemmer, Boyd Cordner and Andrew Fifita will feature.

Meanwhile, Queensland Coach Mal Meninga named a team with no surprises outside of the news that Cherry-Evans could miss the game through injury.

Almost all the old names that guided Queensland to eight straight series wins will be there, with Broncos forward Josh McGuire the sole debutant and one of only two changes to be made to the team that won last year’s dead rubber.

But that doesn’t mean the Maroons are resting on their laurels, according to chief selector Des Morris. “We’re constantly looking at where we are,” he said earlier in the week.

“We’re very conscious of keeping everybody on their toes and making sure everyone earns their position, and it’s not just given for the sake of it.”

The selection team face a challenge to get the right balance between showing loyalty to the players who got the job done in the past and the younger players making their case for inclusion.

“We’re trying to have it so we reward the guys who have done the job for us and are playing good footy, and then also have these young blokes coming through who are reinvigorating the side with their youth and keenness,” Morris said.

As expected, Daly Cherry-Evans keep his coveted utility bench spot but could be ruled out of the game due to injury. The potential absence of Cherry-Evans could give North Queensland’s Michael Morgan the nod to fill the role. Morgan has been one of the NRL’s form players over the last few weeks and did everything he could to stake his claim.

Meninga "Cherry Evans will be in Bris later today, then we'll assess his fitness". @9NewsBrisbane — Adam Jackson (@AdamJackson_9) May 19, 2015

Maroons assembling no Cherry-Evans expect him to be ruled out @7NewsBrisbane pic.twitter.com/Czy7jSCSBA — Rohan Welsh (@rohanwelsh) May 19, 2015

Mal Meninga has agreed to a three-year coaching extension with XXXX Maroons. #QLDER #Origin — Queensland Maroons (@QLDmaroons) May 19, 2015

Around 20,000 tickets still remain for the sole Origin fixture in Sydney this year on May 27, with bookmakers installing Queensland as slight favourites.