bˈoʊθ ˈændɹuː dʒˈɑːnz ænd tɹˈɛnt bˈæɹɪt tˈɜːnd dˌaʊn kˈʌmɪŋ ˌaʊɾəv ɹᵻtˈaɪɚmənt tə plˈeɪ ɪnðə fˈɪkstʃɚ sˌoʊ ᵻvˈɛntʃuːəli bɹˈɛt fˈɪntʃ wʌz sᵻlˈɛktᵻd tə stˈɑːɹt æt hˈæfbæk ɪn dʒˈɜːsi nˈoʊ. twˈɛnti fɔːɹ nˈuː sˈaʊθ wˈeɪlz æz ɐ lˈæstmˈɪnɪt ɪŋklˈuːʒən.
Both Andrew Johns and Trent Barrett turned down coming out of retirement to play in the fixture so eventually Brett Finch was selected to start at halfback in jersey no. 20 for New South Wales as a last-minute inclusion.