Ethan Strange didn’t train on Saturday. This is how NSW rate his chances of playing

Kingscliff: Blues playmaker Ethan Strange has been rated a “50-50” chance of being fit for Wednesday’s Origin decider, and will need to be running by Monday to have any chance of helping NSW clinch the decider.

Strange took no part in Saturday’s training session at Somerset College on the Gold Coast and continued to receive treatment for the left ankle injury he suffered on Thursday.

The Blues remain confident Strange will take his place on the extended bench, while Strange maintained he would be available.

But Strange’s injury was serious enough to force him off Cbus Super Stadium during the week, and was the same ankle that forced him to the sidelines earlier this season while playing for Canberra.

Strange was not required to undergo scans, but has been given regular treatment including the use of ice compression machines.

The Blues will travel to Brisbane on Sunday and train at Ballymore Stadium on Monday, where NSW medicos hope Strange can prove his fitness by showing he can change direction with little discomfort.

Canterbury’s Matt Burton was rushed into the squad and trained against a Gold Coast Titans under-21s side.

Burton was holidaying on the Gold Coast with his family, flew back to Sydney to help them unpack, then boarded the first flight back up the coast late Friday.

Strange is seen as the Blues’ back-up playmaker, but would have a crucial role to play should Nathan Cleary or Mitchell Moses go down.

Strange became the third NSW player to break down in camps this series. Moses suffered a hamstring injury while completing extras 48 hours before Origin I, while Casey McLean broke down with a quad injury on the Saturday before game two. Strange’s ankle got trapped during a regulation drill.

Todd Carney, the former Canberra and NSW No. 6 who now works full-time in the Titans’ pathways system, liked the look of the Blues at training, and was a big fan of Strange.

“Someone made the comment last year how Ethan Strange looked like a young Todd Carney, but I think he’s more powerful than I was with the way he plays,” Carney said.

“Hopefully he can get fit and take the field. I thought he was unlucky not to get the nod to start in game two, but I’m also not going to discredit Mitch Moses who is proven in that arena.

“There are jobs on the line, you have to go with people who have done it before, and Mitch has done it. Ethan has time and will get plenty of opportunities.

“I’m a massive fan and advocate of Nathan Cleary, and if he’s in your team, you’ve got a fair chance of winning a game of footy.

“He spoke about it during the week about how this game could be the defining moment in his career, and he finishes a hero or villain.

“He’s obviously manifesting about it, I interviewed him on our podcast [Sixes and Sevens] last year, and he spoke about how he manifests, and I’m sure he’s thought about this moment.

“I believe we get the job done on Wednesday because of Nathan, and he wins man of the series.”

Cronulla hooker Blayke Brailey has been rooming with Strange in camp at Kingscliff, and had a pretty fair idea how the 20-year-old was tracking.

“He’s moving well and moving freely, and I’m confident he’ll get there,” Brailey said.

“We’ve got some really high-level physios and medical staff here. He’s been working away with them in the team room, and doing everything possible.

“He showed his class in game one, he’s a vital part of our team – if he plays 80 minutes, or none at all, he’s still a big part of it, and we’ll need him Wednesday.”

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