By Wayne Heming

A panel of former players, including one of its greatest, Darren Lockyer, has named five Queensland Origin players in rugby league’s top 10 players.

The panel, which also included immortal Andrew Johns and former NSW Origin coach, Brad Fittler, was named just before Queensland coach Billy Slater gathered his 2024 squad of 34 players together for a briefing in Brisbane last month.

With rejuvenated Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson, named in the 10^th spot, it means Queensland players filled five of the remaining nine places in the top 10,  quite an achievement and a great base for Maroons coach Billy Slater going forward as he shoots for an Origin hat-trick.

Champion Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary, who captured his third straight premiership last October, took the number one spot following another dominating season with the Panthers.

But Queensland Origin reps Kalyn Ponga (2^nd), brilliant fullback Reece Walsh (4^th), representative hooker, Harry Grant (5th) and his Melbourne Storm teammate and game-breaker Cameron Munster (6^th), filled four of the top six slots.

Maroon forward Patrick Carrigan rounded out the five Maroons players selected in the top 10.

It’s terrific recognition for those five who were part of Queensland’s second-straight Origin series victory last year.

Slater named five uncapped players in his extended squad which came together for a briefing about what is expected of them in the coming months before Origin I in Sydney on June 5.

Brisbane’s electrifying star Ezra Mam, who scored three tries in the last season’s heartbreaking grand final, young Sydney Rooster, Sam Walker, Titans forward Beau Fermor, up-and-coming Cowboy, Heilum Luki, along with Parramatta’s all-rounder, J’maine Hopgood were the new boys in camp.

Not surprisingly Queensland ($2.20) heads into Game One in Sydney in June as underdogs with most bookmakers while the Blues, as usual, are short-priced favourites ($1.70) to go one up.

Game Two is scheduled for Melbourne’s MCG, on June 26, with the third game, and possible series decider, at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on July 17, which explains why bookmakers have made Queensland favourites to complete a series hat-trick with such an imposing home record.

There’s a lot of football to be played between this weekend’s historic opening round in Las Vegas featuring four NRL clubs – Manly up against South Sydney (12.30 pm) followed by Brisbane against the Sydney Roosters (2.30 pm) – and the first Origin game.

The 2024 season officially kicks off this weekend in the USA with the NRL launching an all-out bid to sell the game to American sports fans.

Both NRL games will be played on Sunday, March 3, at the spectacular Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, the home of the LA Raiders, where more than 60,000 fans witnessed a thrilling Super Bowl clash between the eventual winner Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49-ers.

Thousands of Australian supporters began heading to Sin City earlier this week to be part of history with the NRL promoting the hell out of its ground-breaking double-header.

The NRL has recruited some profile Aussies with strong US followings, including actors, Margot Robbie, Hugh Jackman, and rugby league team owner Russell Crowe.

Jordan Mailata, who played junior rugby league growing up in Bankstown and later for the Bulldogs and South Sydney but is now a 166kg offensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles, has also been pumping up rugby league to American fans.

If the game can attract half of what the LV111 Super Bowl did with no Tay Tay, then the NRL’s expensive experiment will be considered a success given they are already looking at a 10-team “NRL America” East V West competition which NRL boss and power broker Peter V’Landy’s says has got legs.

Reports suggest 30,000 tickets have already been snapped up which is great news.

No doubt Taylor Swift’s sold-out Eras Tour of Australia generated enormous interest back in the USA and the fact her boyfriend, NFL Superstar, Travis Kelce’s, joined her Down Under would have also helped the NRL’s experiment considerably given the publicity it attracted.

Now it’s all up to the players to turn on the action, entertainment, and some rugby league big hits and razzle-dazzle to impress their potential new audience.