Manly's ploy to turn Jamie Blue
By Dean Ritchie
May 15, 2007
It's the ultimate payback to Queensland. Manly will today submit a radical plan to the NRL in a bid to have gamebreaker Jamie Lyon freed to play for New South Wales in Origin I.
The Sea Eagles centre is facing a one-match suspension after yesterday being charged with a grade one dangerous throw on Parramatta winger Eric Grothe on Friday night.
Any suspension was thought to rule Lyon out of Origin I in Brisbane tomorrow week.
But Manly is planning to name Lyon in its side at 9am today - two hours before the Blues side is announced.
This way, Manly claim Lyon's one-match suspension could be served in next Monday night's game against Brisbane - freeing him to play for NSW.
If chosen for NSW, Lyon would have been unavailable for the Broncos match at Brookvale in any case.
The bold plan to clear Lyon will infuriate Queensland, but the Maroons are no stranger to Origin tricks.
Four years ago they successfully pulled off a similar trick to have Lote Tuqiri freed to play.
The Maroons named "TBA" in their side, Tuqiri served a suspension for Brisbane on the weekend and then starred in a midweek Queensland Origin victory.
The TBA loophole was later closed but Manly's strategy of naming the player before the Origin side is picked is a new one.
NSW selectors are aware of Manly's plan.