Staggering detail in Dylan Edwards photo as State of Origin debut ...

Dylan Edwards has been ruled out of State of Origin I for NSW, with James Tedesco earning a staggering recall for NSW. Edwards sent a huge scare through NSW camp when he reported some soreness in his quad after training in the Blue Mountains on Saturday.

The situation appeared dire when Michael Maguire contacted Roosters coach Trent Robinson to tell him he'd need Tedesco on standby should Edwards be ruled out. And the heartbreaking situation eventuated on Sunday morning when the Blues made the call that Edwards won't play.

Dylan Edwards and James Tedesco. Image: Getty

Tedesco won't play for the Roosters against the Cowboys on Sunday and will be rushed straight into NSW camp. The Blues were granted a special exemption from the ARL Commission because Tedesco wasn't part of the initial 20-man squad.

Reports had initially emerged that Edwards' injury wasn't particularly serious, and both Ivan and Nathan Cleary expressed confidence on Saturday night that he would be right to play in the Origin opener. But Maguire wasn't willing to risk an underdone Edwards, especially with a red-hot Tedesco waiting in the wings.

Dylan Edwards has been ruled out of Origin 1 for NSW with a quad injury. James Tedesco is in as his replacement and won’t play for the Roosters today.

Likely minor quad issue for Edwards (often 1-2 week return to play) but with 3 days til the game too much risk there.

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) June 1, 2024

Fans had earlier pointed out that Edwards is as tough as they come and played the finals series in 2021 with a broken foot. He was wearing a moon boot on his right foot just days before the grand final that year, but still played and ran for over 200 metres.

“He couldn’t walk all week, actually for a couple of weeks. We would play and he would have the foot up for the rest of the week on crutches, in a boot,” Panthers trainer Hayden Knowles said at the time.

Dylan Edwards played in the NRL grand final in 2021 with a broken foot.

“We did a fitness test with him where everyone was that nervous - but you don’t want to show the players that you’re nervous - but a lot of staff thought he wouldn’t get through it. We allowed him to just go out on the (training) field, visualise a defensive set, show us how you want to move, he was pretending he was chasing a kick.

“We just trusted him and actually asked him ‘are you in?’ and he said ‘I’m in’,. We turned around and yelled out to Ivan ‘he’s in’ and Ivan just started clapping. (It proved his) toughness physically but mentally he is probably one of the toughest I know.”

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Discussing Edwards' quad issue on Saturday, Maguire told the Sydney Morning Herald that putting Tedesco on standby was "just precautionary". The Blues coach added: “We may have to make a decision tomorrow on whether ‘Dyl’ will play. The doctors and physios are talking about it, we have some very qualified people who know exactly where it is at. They did say that we will get a better indicator in about 12-18 hours.

“I spoke to ‘Teddy’ and said that this is the scenario and ‘Teddy’ is very keen to play, obviously. It’s just a matter of working through it and making a call in the morning.”

It marks a brutal twist for the Edwards after he finally got called up for Origin. Maguire made the bold call to pick Edwards and axe the incumbent captain Tedesco for his team for Game I. Edwards has been in sublime form for the past four seasons, helping the Panthers win three grand finals and snaring a Clive Churchill Medal.