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NSW say they will continue to prepare to face a Queensland side including Daly Cherry-Evans on Wednesday, after the Maroons indicated they would wait until game day to name their final 17.
Cherry-Evans continues to battle a knee injury ahead of State of Origin II but captain Paul Gallen insists the Blues fully expect the Manly playmaker be on the ANZ Stadium turf when the opening whistle goes.
Greg Inglis and Billy Slater appear certain to shake off injury worries as the Maroons attempt to square the series, after NSW's epic 12-8 win game one three weeks ago.
Gallen said he expected Cherry-Evans to do likewise.
"They are obviously waiting on Cherry-Evans," said on Monday.
"I was confident from day one Billy Slater, would play and Greg Inglis too.
"We have thought the whole time they would all play. I don't know Daly Cherry-Evans and how much he does or doesn't play with pain.
"Choccy (Anthony) Watmough thinks he will play and he is a teammate of his so I trust Choc and we will wait and see, but that is something we can't control.
"He is a quality player, he has probably been the best halfback in the competition this year.
"So if he plays for them I'm pretty sure he will be 100 per cent fit and he will be ready to go."
Ben Hunt will slot into the Queensland No.7 shirt if Cherry-Evans is ruled out.
"Ben Hunt is a great player," Gallen said
"I remember him when he won the under 20s player of the year so I have known how good Ben Hunt is for a long time.
"If he gets picked he will do a good job for them but we are just concerned about us and what we have to do
"That's what we have done this whole campaign and that's all we have to keep doing."
Gallen went through contact training sessions on Saturday and Sunday for the first time since Game I and said he had fully overcome a neck injury.
"I wasn't planning on doing any contact at training but I did some contact Saturday and Sunday and it has pulled up fine," Gallen said.
Dumped from NSW's victorious game one side, Canterbury's Tony Williams was called up to the Blues camp on Monday morning as 18th man.
