Blues selectors need to show faith in young stars
Roar Pro
By Gabriel Knowles, 16 Jun 2009 Gabriel Knowles is a Roar Pro
Johnathon Thurston of Queensland scores a try during the Queensland v New South Wales State of Origin Rugby League game at the Ethiad Stadium in Melbourne, Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009. AAP Image/Martin Philbey
As if we were in any doubt about what controls rugby league, the NSWRL prove it once again. Perhaps they figured that they didn’t cop too much about it last time, so why not announce their State Of Origin team at half-time during Monday night football again?
Sure, there are the commercial realities of the game. But it wouldn’t do any harm to just wait until the game’s over.
At least in that case, if there were any injuries in the Monday night match, we wouldn’t have players coming in and out of the squad.
Mind you, with the squad they’ve picked this time around, the NSW selectors are a decent chance to have that problem anyway. With Jamie Lyon, Michael Jennings and Craig Wing all under injury clouds, the selectors have taken a risk by picking them all.
Jennings is probably the biggest risk considering he hasn’t played since the first Origin and it will be interesting to see who gets the call up out of Joel Monaghan and Josh Morris.
On current form, you’d think Morris might have the inside running.
However, current form and predictability haven’t been the hallmarks of the Blues selectors in recent times.
True to form, just when it looked like they’d show faith in a halves combination for the first time in years, they go and pick Trent Barrett at five-eighth. Now Terry Campese didn’t have the best of games on debut and Barrett isn’t the worst pivot going around by a long shot, but there isn’t a whole between them apart from experience.
Which begs the question, if experience is all of a sudden a factor again, why isn’t the in-form Brett Kimmorley in the side for Peter Wallace?
Wallace’s form hasn’t been so crash hot recently and he was on par with Campese in Melbourne. They both may have played and kicked poorly, but they both also played behind a pack that was only able to get on top towards the end of each half.
That didn’t allow the fresh combination enough time to gel and show what they could do at that level.
Campese will play Origin again one day, but if the selectors thought he was good enough for game one, then they should have stuck with him for at least the series. And at the very least, game two.
Perhaps if they show some consistency, then their team will, too.
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Chop said | June 16th 2009 @ 8:28am | Report comment
The changes are terrible and I don’t see an improvement in the side from game one.
Tom said | June 16th 2009 @ 9:24am | Report comment
Qld should give Petero and Pricey a rest – with all the penalties Watmough, Gallen and O’Donnell will be giving away they won’t need them to make any metres.
Brett McKay said | June 16th 2009 @ 9:28am | Report comment
Tom, with all the penalties, Price and Petero will get plenty of rest!! They won’t even need interchanging!!
sledgeross said | June 16th 2009 @ 9:43am | Report comment
Good point Gabe. Kimmorley should have been the first half picked. Forget the future, lets pick the best team. I dont really have a problem with Barret being there, cos I think we need an older head there. I just dont like our bench fowards. Stewart is a complimentary 80 minute player who tackles and runs good lines. Watmough is a midget backrower who runs at the opposition centres and gives away penalties. We have enough mongrel with Gallen and O’Donnell, we need another big man. Im hopping Learoyd comes in.
Andrew said | June 16th 2009 @ 12:38pm | Report comment
I wish they had of shown faith in Campese as he is the future. Barrett didn’t play all that much better than Campo did on the weekend when they went head to head, and it seems others who didn’t have a good game, had plenty of faith shown in them.
Going to the game, but not happy that I have to watch Barrett run around.
Chuck said | June 16th 2009 @ 12:57pm | Report comment
Gidley is an awful fullback – his positioning in both attack and defence is terrible – he makes all of his metres from dummy half or pushing in at 5/8th – a great utility player, but the wrong choice at fullback and captain.
Would love to know what impact the NSW selectors think Glenn Stewart will have off the bench – is a bit of a creampuff (watched crocker flatten his brother in 2007 GF and did nothing) and not exactly an impact runner or defender (is a solid 80min grinder and decent enough club level ball player)
Worlds Biggest said | June 16th 2009 @ 3:39pm | Report comment
Barrett wont make a huge difference to the Blues I don’t think. He will bring some organisation and may kick a 40/20 but not much else. This is a two steps back selection, they should have stuck with Campese for the experience. The worst player in Game 1 was Peter Wallace, his kicking game was terrible and I just don’t think he is quick enough for Origin footy. I understand where he was retained but he needs a blinder next week to keep his spot.
cosmos forever said | June 16th 2009 @ 9:26pm | Report comment
Campese was wasted in the first game because Bellyache played a game plan where Wallace and Farah took all of the kicks. When Campese kicked NSW scored.
QLD win consecutive series because they stick with a team and let them gel – NSW are incapable of that. How McManus keeps his place after his performance is beyond me, but the Newcastle mafia has extraordinary reach…
Down here in Canberra there are substantiated stories about what really happened in this selection process with regard to the Canberra players and I can’t wait for NSW to lose
Steve – is there any Rugby League in london on the weekend of June 27 – 28? I’m in town and unfortunately get to Wales a day after the Celtic game…
macavity said | June 16th 2009 @ 9:35pm | Report comment
Gidley was good for the blues in game 1 and is our best fullback option.
Wallace was the worst player in game 1 and should have been the first player dropped.
Weaker team than game 1 – esp. the bench. One prop on the bench, WTF.
Chuck said | June 17th 2009 @ 8:21am | Report comment
Cosmos F – Bellamy was a canberra player and allegedly hates manly – doesn’t seem to have affected his ability to pick manly guys – bias didn’t play a part in the selection, campo’s average form the last month did (i still think farah and gidley made campo and wallace look worse in origin I because of their ball hogging and overrunning from dummy half)