LAURIE Daley has admitted Mitchell Pearce was seriously considered for an Origin recall to replace the injured Adam Reynolds but revealed he couldn’t put the polarising Roosters star in a position to be the Blues’ fall guy yet again.

Pearce returned from a calf injury with a man of the match performance in the Roosters’ narrow loss to the Bulldogs and many believe he is still NSW’s best half but Daley’s instinct to protect him ruled the decision in the end.

“Yeah, we did consider him. But again, one game back, I don’t want to put too much pressure on Mitch, he’s been the fall guy for a number of years and I don’t want to put that pressure on him again,” Daley said.

“It’s a limited preparation, short turnaround, it’s just me, I want to protect people.”

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Pearce has often been tarred with the ‘loser’ brush at Origin level and has unfairly shouldered more than his share of blame for the Blues’ unsuccessful last decade.

Mitchell Pearce in action for the Blues. Source: News Corp Australia

He has played 15 Origin games and has never won a series.

Daley said Matt Moylan had also been given another opportunity because the view of the NSW selectors was that he didn’t deserve to be dropped based on his performances in the first two games.

“Matty didn’t deserve to be dropped, it’s only that someone else was playing better, and now he gets another opportunity,” Daley said.

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Moylan was recalled to the NSW side on Wednesday after the difficult call was made to rule Reynolds out due to complications from the shoulder injury he suffered in Origin II.

“He’s been carrying it for a little bit and he’s still got a tingly feeling in his arm and we just didn’t want to risk going all the way to the weekend and wondering whether he’d be OK or not, so we bit the bullet and made the decision today,” Daley said.

Moylan will arrive in camp on Wednesday night, meaning he will only have missed one training session.

Daley revealed Moylan’s involvement in the first two games of the series played a big part in the decision to bring him back for game three.

“Given that he’s been here and he is an Origin player, I mean we had to make the tough call to leave him out because James (Tedesco) is in irresistible form but it gives us the opportunity to bring him back in,” Daley said.

“And he can play in that utility type role and he can play anywhere in the halves or outside backs and if need be we can make some decisions from there.”

While Daley said a decision wouldn’t be made until later in the week on whether Moylan or Jack Bird would start in the halves alongside James Maloney, he hinted strongly that it would be the Cronulla young gun who got first crack.

“He trained really well there today Birdy,” Daley said.

“It’s a funny one, I think if you told him he was going to play hooker he’d go ‘oh yeah, no worries, I can do that’. Nothing fazes him put it that way.”

NSW coach Laurie Daley during the New South Wales Blues State of Origin training. Source: Getty Images

Bird burst onto the scene last season, winning the Dally M Rookie of the Year award as a five-eighth before being switched back to centre this season to accommodate the arrivals at Cronulla of James Maloney and Chad Townsend.

Moylan on the other hand has never had an extended stint at five-eighth for his club side the Panthers, and while Daley said that didn’t worry him, it is likely to ensure Bird gets the start.

“I wouldn’t be scared to put (Moylan) at six,” Daley said. “Obviously it’s a little bit different playing six to fullback but it’s a great opportunity for him and he’ll get a crack at it at some point in the game.

“Whether he’s starting or not, I’m not too sure on at this stage, we’ll probably start Birdy but we’ll see how it pans out.”

The writer is on Twitter @glover_benny

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