To say that I was surprised by Max King’s selection for his Origin debut is an understatement. I was nothing short of shocked.

But the more I thought about it, the more I understood Laurie Daley’s thinking.

And now I think it’s a very shrewd, smart move. It’s all about yin and yang – rugby league style.

The Blues have Payne Haas, Mitch Barnett, Spencer Leniu and King in their front-row rotation.

Haas is a phenomenal attacking player who can genuinely turn a game with a run or pass: he’s second for tackle busts (67) and offloads (32) in the NRL this season. In my book, Payne’s game breaks down as 60 per cent attack, 40 per cent defence.

Whereas Barnett is the opposite, with a greater weight on defence in his game to balance up what Haas brings.

King and Leniu – I don’t know if you could get two more different front-rowers. “Back fence Spence” is just a madman, and the Blues are going to let him loose at Suncorp Stadium in front of a sold-out crowd of Queenslanders giving it to him.

Bulldogs prop Max King charges into the Roosters’ defence on Friday night.Credit: Getty Images

The way he plays, he’ll pack so much into a 15-minute burst of pure power and explosive footy.

King is the yin to Leniu’s yang. He and Barnett do the work that no one sees, but their teammates just love: chasing opposition kickers, getting out of marker, pushing up on the inside when the ball goes the opposite way, cleaning up any defensive mistake because someone has to.

Laurie called out King’s effort play against the........

© The Sydney Morning Herald