James Maloney could suffer if Mitchell Pearce is banned from State of Origin
If the allegations against Mitchell Pearce are proved and he is rubbed out of the opening State of Origin match, NSW is likely to have a new five-eighth as well as halfback when the team is announced next Tuesday.
After last week imposing two-match bans on Blues under-20s players Mitchell Moses and Matt Lodge, the NRL would appear to have little choice but to take action against Pearce, or stand accused of a massive overreaction to what was effectively the use of offensive language by the teenage duo.
From a NSW point of view, the sooner any decision is made the better, as Blues coach Laurie Daley can’t afford another series disrupted by the loss of key players due to the demon drink and the availability of Pearce may impact on other selections.
