Rabbitohs juniors and All Stars candidates Nathan Merritt and Adam Reynolds have been selected in the 2013 Blues in Waiting squad which will assemble in the new year ahead of the 2013 State of Origin series. NSW Origin Coach Laurie Daley has selected a 22-man squad which includes Merritt and Reynolds. Merritt has been in contention for Blues selection for the better part of a decade, but is yet to don his first sky blue jersey. Reynolds has been touted as a future Origin halfback, with selection in this squad indicating he is on the Coach's and selectors' radar.

Dylan Farrell was a late inclusion into the squad replacing Joseph ‘BJ’ Leilua (Roosters) who was dropped for disciplinary reasons.

The Queensland Maroons hierarchy will assess some of its brightest prospects when the Queensland (QAS) Emerging Origin Squad assembles in Brisbane next month. The 14-man squad, which includes Rabbitohs player Chris McQueen, will work with QAS Rugby League director Wayne Bennett and current Maroons Coach Mal Meninga from January 25-27. The camp will feature five newcomers to the QAS Emerging Origin program, a key component of the Maroons’ recent Origin success. The fresh faces are Edrick Lee (Canberra Raiders), Michael Morgan (NQ Cowboys), Ben Ridge (Gold Coast Titans), Aidan Guerra (Sydney Roosters) and Josh Papalli (Canberra Raiders). They will train alongside Bulldogs star Ben Barba, who returns for another QAS camp in 2013 along with Justin O’Neill (Melbourne Storm), Dale Copley (Brisbane Broncos), Daly Cherry-Evans (Manly Sea Eagles), Andrew McCullough, Martin Kennedy (Sydney Roosters), Josh McGuire (Brisbane Broncos), William Zillman (Gold Coast Titans) and Chris McQueen (South Sydney Rabbitohs). Next year will also see the introduction of a Junior Emerging Origin squad, which brings together Queensland’s best young players who will be vying for spots in Queensland’s Under 20 Origin team to play New South Wales. The development squad includes six players, including Rabbitohs player Luke Keary, who are not eligible for selection in the annual game due to their age. Several of these players took part in last season’s Under 20s match and selectors have opted to involve them in the January 17-20 QAS camp to further bolster their representative experience. Queensland Rugby League (QRL) chief executive officer Robert Moore said the QAS program had been a vital cog in the pathway for elite players for many years. “In the past few seasons alone the likes of Matt Gillett, Ben Te’o, Dave Taylor, Dane Nielsen and Jharal Yow Yeh have made the step from the QAS program into the Origin team,” Moore said. “There is no doubt that their transition into one of sport’s toughest and most competitive arenas has been helped by their involvement in the QAS Emerging Origin program. “The State Government and the QAS have always been big supporters of Rugby League and this is reflected by the introduction of an Under 20s development squad that will utilise the QAS’s state-of-the-art facilities early next year.”