After Roosters skipper James Tedesco threw down the gauntlet with 332 run metres and five tackle breaks against the Titans, Dylan Edwards answered the best way he knows how - with a metre-making, tackle-breaking masterclass against Canberra.
The battle for the Blues No.1 jersey for the Origin opener on May 27 has been epic across the opening 10 rounds, with the final call to be made by Laurie Daley after Magic Round, where the Roosters face the Cowboys on Saturday and Edwards' Panthers meet the winless Dragons.
As the current owner of the jersey and a man who helped the Blues to a series victory in 2024, Edwards has the inside running and those who know him best won't hear of him missing out.
“You know what, if we’re talking about taking Dylan Edwards out of the Origin team then we (NSW) must be going well - let’s just say that," coach Ivan Cleary said after the 30-18 victory at GIO Stadium.
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“The amount of times when the ball’s in play and the fullback’s under pressure a lot and he never flinched once.
“He’s been one of our best three players every week and he’s in a team that wins games."
Nine games out of 10 in fact, with the Panthers sitting pretty on top of the NRL ladder with the Origin period looming.
The man steering the Panthers' ship is playmaker Nathan Cleary, already a veteran of 17 Origins for the Blues and heading into the 2026 series in some of the best form of his career.
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For his part, Cleary can't imagine his club No.1 not being his Blues No.1 come May 27 at Accor Stadium.
“Dylan is super reliable and every week I get to take the field with him I've got no doubts that he’s going to put in a great performance," said Cleary.
“He just works so hard as well. He’s always putting the team first. He’s just a great teammate and a great player so we’re very lucky to have him in our team.”
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Making the Panthers' ninth victory of the season even sweeter on Sunday was the fact it came on Mother's Day, with Edwards dedicating the win to wife Nadine and mum Kerry.
“They have been instrumental in where I am today,” Edwards told NRL.com.
“My mum drove me everywhere, invested so much time and energy into me and just was so selfless.
“I’ve got some beautiful women in my life and I’m very fortunate. A big shout out to my mum and my wife.”
