NSW's Butler to debut, Maroons resist big changes

It comes as Queensland resist making unforced changes with the series on the line, but Jasmine Peters will join the squad in place of injured winger Phoenix-Raine Hippi.

Penitani Gray played the whole 70 minutes of NSW's 11-6 game one win in the unfamiliar second row position but has pulled up sore and drops out of the team.

In her place, veteran Kezie Apps comes off the bench to start on an edge, having done so in 11 previous Origin clashes.

A premiership winner with Newcastle in 2023, 28-year-old Butler had been part of the extended squad for Origin I and will wear jersey No.16 on debut.

The Blues are otherwise unchanged.

Queensland winger Hippi has been sidelined from Origin II with a hamstring injury, with Peters or Shenae Ciesiolka the leading contenders to replace her in the starting line-up.

Destiny Mino-Sinapati, the only uncapped player in Queensland's 20-player squad, is another option.

Maroons duo Makenzie Weale and Keilee Joseph suffered game-ending head knocks in the series opener but remain in the frame given a two-week turnaround between fixtures.

First-year coach Nathan Cross has included the duo in his squad but uncertainty around their recoveries has meant he opted against naming a game-day team.

A loss in Brisbane would mean the Maroons losing the series inside two games for a second consecutive year but Cross remains optimistic.

"We saw some really positive signs in game one," Cross said.

"The effort areas, the physicality and the way the group connected under pressure were all strong.

"This squad has worked hard for each other right through the pre-series period and there's a real belief in what we're building together."

The injury blows come amid ongoing debate about the timing of the Origin series.

Some players entered the series opener having not played a competitive match since the NRLW season concluded with the grand final in early October.