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"Cannot believe it": Gardiner reacts to To'o axing
Nicholas Quinlan • June 29th, 2026 3:12 pm
With NSW announcing their team for Game III, Samoa coach Ben Gardiner has questioned the decision to drop Penrith's Brian To'o.
Following their 44-24 defeat against the Maroons at the MCG, Laurie Daley has once again swung the selection axe ahead of the series decider.
Amongst the five changes made, the most surprising call in the 20-man squad was the omission of the Panthers winger.
Since making his NSW debut in Game I 2021, the 27-year-old has not missed a game for the Blues, having made 17 appearances for the state, scoring 11 tries (the most in NSW history) to date.
Instead, Daley has handed a debut to 22-year-old Jack Bostock, who will take up his spot on the wing.
Reacting to his dropping, the former Panthers assistant coach was seriously surprised by the decision.
“I can't believe it. I cannot believe it,” Gardiner told SEN’s Front Office with Vossy.
“Brian To’o's made for Origin. He's an Origin-style player. He's been one of their best players over the last number of years.
“Let's look at some of his information.
“188 metres per game this year, he's in the top 10 in the comp. 59 tackle breaks, he's in the top 10 in the comp. He's had only had 11 errors for the whole competition. He's played 13 games, that's less than one error per game. 233 carries, which puts him sixth in the competition for carries.”
With To’o now absent from the team, Gardiner also raised questions as to whether Bostock could handle the role, given he has spent the year in the centres with the Dolphins.
“So, they're gonna take this guy out that carries the ball over 20 times a game. Someone else needs to do that,” he continued.
“Jack Bostock (is) doing a great job at centre, but he's not playing on the wing.
“All of a sudden, he needs to catch bombs, now all of a sudden he needs to return around and get back for the kick return.
“All of a sudden, he needs to be the guy carrying out of the backfield when 13 defenders are getting up in his face.
“This is a big change for Jack, and that's something that Brian is excellent at. That's his game, that's what he does.
“I also wanna add in there, if this is an errors thing, which I'm not sure what Laurie's thinking there, Mark Nawaqanitawase, he's had 30 errors in the competition. He is number one in errors in the competition.
“So how does Brian To’o not make the team?
“He seems like a sacrificial lamb, which is a really strange sacrificial lamb considering all the positive work that he's done with his team and with the Origin team over the last few years.”
The Blues will look to reclaim the shield as they did in 2024 when they travel to Suncorp Stadium for a Game III decider on July 8.
SEN will have you covered for the decider with THREE different live calls to pick from with Maroons and Blues Radio alongside a neutral Origin LIVE feed.
All three calls can be heard across our radio network and on the SEN app from 7pm AEST.
Kick-off takes place at 8:05pm.
