Phil Gould has reignited the api koroisau debate at the exact moment NSW selectors face a familiar Origin problem: whether stability, form or recent selection history should matter most at hooker. Gould said he could not understand why Koroisau has “fallen out of favour” with the Blues, especially with the Wests Tigers hooker’s form still strong and the club enjoying an early surge. The question is no longer only about one player. It is about whether NSW are prepared to revisit a key position that has shaped recent series outcomes.
Why Api Koroisau is back in the Origin discussion
For the past two series, Reece Robson has worn the No. 9 jersey for New South Wales, but he is now under pressure from Blayke Brailey, whose 2025 season with the Sharks has pushed him into the frame. Robson, now at the Sydney Roosters, remains in contention, yet Gould’s intervention has sharpened attention on api koroisau as the overlooked option.
Koroisau has played only four games for the Blues and has not been selected since 2023, despite what Gould described as a level of form that still places him among the most influential players in the game. That gap matters because Origin selection is often built on trust and combinations, and Gould pointed to Koroisau’s long-standing connection with other Penrith players expected to be involved.
What makes the No. 9 decision so sensitive
The hooker role has become one of the clearest battlegrounds in NSW planning because it affects both tempo and territorial control. Gould argued that Queensland have been able to extract more from that area, with Harry Grant starring for the Maroons as an attacking weapon in recent series. In his view, that has helped tilt the margins in games that are often decided by narrow differences.
His concern was not only about selection for selection’s sake. It was about whether NSW are surrendering an edge by not choosing a player who can shape the scoreboard, bring others onto the ball and give his halves cleaner service. In Gould’s words, api koroisau is a steadying influence with big-game experience, and leaving him out may be forcing NSW to look elsewhere for a problem that has already been solved.
Phil Gould’s case for a recall
Gould was blunt when asked why Koroisau has not been mentioned as often as his rivals. “I can’t understand it, ” he said on Six Tackles With Gus. “He would be first picked for me, but I don’t pick teams. ” He added that he hopes Koroisau gets selected because he believes he is the best hooker for NSW, while acknowledging that the final call sits with the coaches and selectors.
The broader logic of his argument is simple: if NSW are searching for marginal gains, the hooker position should not be treated like a place to experiment. Gould suggested that selectors may have changed course after a loss and tried to “reinvent the wheel, ” but he argued the safer path may be the most obvious one. In that framing, api koroisau is not a sentimental pick; he is a response to a position that carries outsized influence in tight Origin football.
How the wider Origin picture adds pressure
The timing matters because the 2026 Origin series begins on May 27 at Accor Stadium, before game two at the MCG on June 17 and game three in Brisbane on July 8. The Maroons have won three of the last four series and will start as warm favourites. That puts extra weight on NSW selection choices, especially in positions where the opposition has shown a clear recent advantage.
Gould also linked the issue to coaching pressure, saying NSW must get decisions right in such a vital role. If they do not, he warned, Queensland could gain a major advantage from dummy half again. The debate around api koroisau therefore extends beyond one squad place: it reflects whether NSW are building for control, creativity and experience, or sticking with a hierarchy that no longer matches current form.
What selectors must weigh now
The immediate challenge is that all three candidates bring different strengths. Robson offers continuity from the previous two series, Brailey brings a strong 2025 campaign with the Sharks, and Koroisau offers the kind of game management Gould believes can steady an Origin side. None of that guarantees selection, but it does explain why the No. 9 discussion has become one of the most closely watched parts of NSW planning.
For now, the issue remains unresolved, and that may be the point. NSW have a rare chance to decide whether they want a familiar formula or a return to a player Gould sees as indispensable. If the Blues are serious about closing the gap in the middle, can they afford to keep api koroisau on the outer?
