- Dylan Edwards dropped bombshell on Wednesday
- Panthers star will debut on June 5 for NSW at Accor Stadium
- Named at fullback, replaces former captain James Tedesco
By Martin Gabor For Nca Newswire
Published: | Updated:
It's the debut four years in the making, but Dylan Edwards' first game for the Blues will hold extra meaning with the rookie fullback set to tick off another personal milestone with his first NSW appearance doubling up as the first State of Origin game he's ever been to.
The humble kid from Dorrigo in northern NSW didn't grow up wearing a blue wig in the stands at Sydney's biggest venue, but he has gotten used to Accor Stadium with Penrith playing three of their four grand finals at the ground.
It has become his second home and it is fitting he gets to make his Origin debut at a ground where he's forged some of his best memories in footy.
He'll be hoping to add more chapters to his incredible story, with Edwards getting the nod for the series opener after new coach Michael Maguire went with the hot hand over long-time Blues skipper James Tedesco.
It can't have been easy for someone who has bled blue for so long, but true to form, Tedesco reached out immediately to congratulate the new fullback.
Incoming NSW Blues fullback Dylan Edwards has never been to a live Origin game
The 28-year-old (pictured, second from right) will be one of six debutants for NSW
'He didn't need to do it all, but he was one of the first people to message me,' said Edwards, who leads the NRL in running metres and is second in tackle busts.
'He just told me to go out and kill it because I deserve it, and to enjoy the week because Origin is the best.
'It was a class act from Teddy and you expect nothing less from him. He's represented this state really well, and if I can play half as well as he does then we will be right.'
Tedesco's willingness to reach out in spite of what had happened tells you everything you need to know about a man who played 22-straight games for his state.
'He's a very classy, mature person,' Roosters teammate Luke Keary said, with the five-eighth part of the NSW extended squad.
'He's one of the best in the game and he'll go down as one of the best fullbacks to play.
'He's fine. He understands that nothing is given to you in this game and that you have to earn everything.
'Dyl has been consistent over the past five years - and so has Teddy - but you've got to make a choice at the end of the day.
'I haven't spoken to him [Tedesco] yet but I'm sure he'll bounce back as he has throughout his whole career.'
Dylan Edwards has played in four NRL Grand Finals with Penrith and also represented Australia on three occasions (pictured, in action against Cronulla on May 25)
While Maguire's chat with Tedesco can't have been easy, the call Edwards received was one the Panthers star will never forget.
'It's hard to put into words because this is a childhood dream. To be able to receive a phone call from Madge, it still felt like a dream until I was able to really think it through,' he said.
'I was driving in the car and my fiancée showed me the name that popped up on the phone. I had to take a deep breath, because I figured I wouldn't get a call if I wasn't in the team.
'When Madge told me, I was lost for words....'I haven't been to an Origin game before, so this will be my first one. Hopefully there are 80,000 there.'
Edwards will be surrounded by plenty of former and current Panthers teammates who have followed his journey, with Penrith co-captain Isaah Yeo delighted to see his hard work pay off.
'I feel like this was the last thing for him to knock off,' he said.
'He's won grand finals, he's won the Clive Churchill Medal and he's played for Australia, and I feel like over the past few years he's been noticed a lot more by the public who have started to understand the work he puts into it.
'I feel like he's made for this environment because the harder the game gets, the better he goes.'
New South WalesNRLSydneyQueensland
