NRL: Maloney gets the Origin nod ahead of Carney

At just 25, Jarryd Hayne is the most experienced player in the team with 16 appearances. Photo / Getty Images

New South Wales coach Laurie Daley has named three debutants in his State of Origin team for the series opener in Sydney on June 5.

Daley opted for Roosters and ex-Warriors standoff James Maloney ahead of incumbent playmaker Todd Carney with Canberra utility back Blake Ferguson and Cronulla prop Andrew Fifita also first timers.

The Blues will be trying to win the annual series for the first time since 2005 and Daley, who replaced Ricky Stuart after last year's 21-20 loss to Queensland in the deciding third game at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, kept faith with 11 of the side who played in that game.

Melbourne back-rower Ryan Hoffman is rewarded for his strong form and man of the match performance in the NSW City-Country clash with a first call-up since 2008.

Skipper Paul Gallen has been chosen to start in the front row alongside James Tamou even though he hasn't played for three weeks and said yesterday he was only a 50-50 chance to play for Cronulla against South Sydney tonight.

Penrith prop Tim Grant loses his spot to Fifita, despite some good recent form and Kurt Gidley is back on the bench having missed last year's series because of injury.

At just 25, Jarryd Hayne is the most experienced player in the team with 16 appearances.

The Parramatta star will start at fullback for the first time since game three in 2010, having spent most of his Blues career on the wing.

Meanwhile, Darius Boyd is in doubt to play for Queensland after suffering a suspected high ankle sprain during Newcastle's loss to the Warriors. Boyd suffered the injury five minutes into the second half in Auckland when his left leg was trapped in a tackle.

He played on for about 10 more minutes before going off and later left the ground with the leg in a moon boot.

Newcastle team performance director Jeremy Hickmans said it was too early to say exactly how serious the injury was, with fullback Boyd to undergo scans after the Knights return to Newcastle today.

"It's looking like a high ankle sprain at the moment," he said.

"We'll know the extent of it when we get the scans tomorrow."

Asked about Boyd's chances of making the Origin opener, Hickmans said: "I wouldn't like to guess on that one.

"It's one of those [injuries] where, if there's not that much damage, he will be pretty close. If there is, he won't."

And Carney is likely to have his own individual source of motivation for the Sharks' clash against Souths tonight after missing a spot in Daley's team.

NSW team

Jarryd Hayne, Brett Morris, Michael Jennings, Josh Morris, Blake Ferguson, James Maloney, Mitchell Pearce, James Tamou, Robbie Farah, Paul Gallen (c), Luke Lewis, Ryan Hoffman, Greg Bird. Interchange: Anthony Watmough, Kurt Gidley, Andrew Fifita, Trent Merrin.

- AAP