Manly's ploy to turn Jamie Blue
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.
The Daily Telegraph has learnt that leading Sydney barrister Geoff Bellew, SC, will today send a confidential report about the Lyon case to NRL judiciary chairman Greg Woods.
Bellew's submission, in broad terms, will ask that Woods clear Lyon to play State of Origin.
NRL rules state Woods has the discretion to clear Lyon, but The Daily Telegraph understands he will take some convincing.
"The club takes the view that for the suspension to operate in such a way as to preclude him from State of Origin would be unfair in a variety of ways," Bellew said.
"Those reasons will be expanded in the submission."
If Woods vetoes Manly's action, Lyon will then plead guilty and fight the charge at a judiciary hearing tomorrow night.
If he fails in his bid to beat the charge, he will then be ruled out of Origin I.
In this case, Matt King will shift from wing to centre with selectors to name their wingers from either Hazem El Masri, Jarryd Hayne or, ironically, Grothe.
The Sea Eagles are also frustrated that Lyon toppled over 100 judiciary points - the equal of one match - after having a 20 per cent loading added from a send-off when he played with St Helens in England.
Lyon attended the Super League judiciary hearing but the panel deemed the send-off sufficient penalty.
The incident on Friday night was not placed on report by referee Paul Simpkins but the match review committee felt compelled to charge Lyon.
"We want to clarify what we think are some inconsistencies in the charging system," said Manly chief executive Grant Mayer.
"We just want to give Jamie every chance to be selected and play State of Origin.
"It's all about fairness."
"This is not about Jamie Lyon being available for us."