Sydney, July 7, 2004. NSW Blues Coach Phil Gould celebrates a try. The NSW Blues beat the Queensland Maroons 36-14 in the third State of Origin match to win the series at Telstra Stadium, Sydney tonight. AAP Image/Action Photographics/Colin Whelan
As the dust settles on NSW’s fourth straight series loss, the calls are coming thick and fast for Phil Gould, Wayne Bennett and even Warren Ryan to come and rescue the Blues, but all of that is pointless if the same crop of selectors continue their meddling with the NSW Origin team.
Plenty has been said about some of the bizarre selections for the Blues this year, but overriding that is the whole culture of the team, which seems nervous and disjointed, while the Maroons camp seems as effortless as Greg Inglis’ running style.
Let’s take a look at the Wolfman.
Okay, so the bloke has a bit of shocker on debut, fair enough. But what will probably happen is that the selectors will toss him out and replace him with another young bloke who’ll probably be equally nervous and likely to stuff up.
Jaryd Hayne hardly covered himself in glory in his first few games (remember the pass back to Lockyer?), but he has now settled and just looks all class.
I say we let the Wolfman have another go. Redemption after all, can be a powerful motivating source. But if not, the winger chosen should be chosen for Game 1, 2010.
And what about Campo?
He was to blame for Origin one, apparently, and we needed an experienced cool head. So the selectors opt for Trent Barrett, whose old head decided it was a good move to try and take Greg Inglis’ off.
So what happens next year or the next game when we have to start again? Do we call Terry again? I’m sure he’ll be in a great state of mind.
What the Blues need is structure and strategy from well before the series begins. And then they need to a pick a team and stick with it.
They need to decide if they want experience or youthful enthusiasm or what mix. But what they mustn’t miss out on is mental toughness.
I was full of respect for Queensland on Wednesday night.
The game may not have had all the razzle dazzle to keep the blow in fans, mums and women’s magazines happy. But it had plenty of toughness.
Queensland had blokes who suffered from a virus, blokes with busted ribs, and dodgy knees. But they all muscled up and defended for their place in history.
Good luck to them.
NSW seemed shell-shocked. Three of Queensland tries came while they were defending, as the Blues just seemed to lose all composure.
So that is probably the first test for any future Blues player: can they stay composed and are they mentally tough enough to handle the pressure?
After that game, you’d have to have doubts about Robbie Farah, Paul Gallen and Peter Wallace. While Jaryd Hayne, Glenn Stewart and Kurt Gidley would already be on the team sheet, for mine.
Who NSW bring in for Game Three must be with an eye for 2010 and beyond.
It would be great for the Blues to find another Andrew Johns. But I think they just need to find people as committed for the Blue jumper as Ben Hannant, Dallas Johnson and Ashley Harrison are for the Maroon one.
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June 28th 2009 @ 9:52pm
Ripper Bloke said | June 28th 2009 @ 9:52pm | Report comment
Noddy claps out under pressure. Orfords the man he relishs the hard games and loves getting in the oppositions face
It inspires his team mates to do the same. Orford is a leader something Gidley isn’t.
Gidley’s a good player to have along side Orford and together they could create a lot of havoc
The times that NSW were dominatant during game 2 was wotmough and stewart were on the field together which enabled one or both to get into slaters and thurston faces whom were starting to get flusted something Bellamy would have not been to happy with after all he coaches South Queensland (The Storm )
Get Des Hassler as coach and Geof Toohvey as defenseive coach between them they turned Manly’s fortunes round in 3 years. Queensland is a side of thoughbreds and like all throughbreds they don’t like being roughed up.
No I don’t condone Barrets efforts, i would have given 6 weeks there is a diffence between Hard and Dirty play.
How the hell he got in the side is beyond me must be mates with someone important?
If you want a bit of punch and experince up front Then Hindmarsh is playing some terriffic footy at the moment.
Unfortunately I think the NSW selectors are trying to fight fire with fire trying to find a heap of hidden talent
when they should be looking for TNT to fight the fire by this I mean player that will give it there all and then some.
Player with big hearts, Ya Orfords, Gidley Hindmarsh, Wotmough, Haynes, Stewart players who will get in the oppostions face and the players need a Coach who really wants them to get in the oppositions face.
If we don’t start selecting the in ya face players I can see 6 or 7 years of successive series loses happening and a losing mind set coming in.
Get rid of Bellamy before it’s too late
June 28th 2009 @ 11:52pm
joeb said | June 28th 2009 @ 11:52pm | Report comment
“Noddy claps out under pressure.”
Ripper, especially when he hasn’t the forwards around him paving the way for him (after all he’s only a small guy), but anyway let’s see what they do in Game 3.
http://www.theroar.com.au/2009/06/26/gould-refuses-to-rule-out-nsw-return/
June 29th 2009 @ 1:18pm
Ripper Bloke said | June 29th 2009 @ 1:18pm | Report comment
A side to rouffle a few maroon Feathers and spoil the whitewash
Coach DES HASSLER
Assitant Coach GEOFF TOOHVEY
1 JARRYD HAYNE *
2 JOEL REDDY
3 MATT COOPER
4 JAMIE LYONS ?
5 MICHAEL ROBERSTON *
6 KIRT GIDLEY *
7 MATT ORFORD (CAPT) *
8 JARRAD HICKEY
9 LIKE PRIDDIS
10 BRENT KITE ?
11 GLEN STEWART *
12 ANOTHONY WATMOUGH *
13 MICHEAL ENNIS *
14 ANDEW RYAN *
15 NATHAN HINDMARSH *
16 CHRIS ARMIT
17 JOSH PERRY
* indicates definite start, ? over Kite and Lyons more effort required on their part have been too quite
possibly put Ryan at 13 and Ennis at 4
Put Hayne’s at Full back as he’s going to make a terrific Full back and it allows Gidley to come in closer to Orford
Between Orford, Gidley and Ennis you have some very explosive and unpredictable playmakers that wil keep any side guessing and frankly far more dynamic than the Smith, Lockyer, Thurston Combination
Now to get the NSW selectors to see it
July 1st 2009 @ 3:45pm
Greg Russell said | July 1st 2009 @ 3:45pm | Report comment
I agree that the NSW selectors should be the first to go.
However I also suspect that Bellamy should go too. I say this for three reasons:
1. He too has been heavily involved in selections. OK, he didn’t get Barrett last year when he wanted him – it doesn’t all go his way. But at the same time he did get Steve Turner and Brett White, and look how they turned out. He has been responsible for enough dud selections over the last two years to be able to say that he’s at fault too.
2. The coach is the person most responsible for creating the off-field environment, and as Spiro and Phil Gould point out, clearly that hasn’t been right under Bellamy. Contrast this with the environment Mal creates for Qld – that is really his major contribution (Neil Henry does most of the coaching, by all reports).
3. Bellamy is a brilliant NRL coach, but that is very different to Origin coaching. NRL is a long season with lots of games, allowing for development of subtleties and complicated systems. Bellamy is obviously good at that. Origin is just a week in camp for a match, of which there are only 3 in all. So things must be kept very simple. That is why Stuart and Gould were successful Origin coaches: because they identified simple strategies, and they kept to them. I doubt Bellamy is capable of that – in a sense he is too clever. NSW has looked like a team with too many ideas running through their heads.
Here’s an example of a simple strategy, apparently suggested by Phil Gould well before the series. He reasoned that NSW cannot match Qld with skill, so instead they should try to bash them with size and physicality, much as NZ did to Australia in the WC final last year. So Gould suggested choosing players like Dean Young at 9, Luke Lewis at 7, and Trent Barrett at 6. In other words, just go for the biggest in-form players in every position. I am not saying this would have worked, but at least it’s a simple philosophy – in terms of both selections and tactics – that could hardly have fared any worse than what has happened.
July 1st 2009 @ 4:24pm
Chop said | July 1st 2009 @ 4:24pm | Report comment
Ripper Bloke, I don’t know what you’re smoking but it’s sensational stuff !!!!
I think the whole system needs a cleanout, what is there obviously hasn’t worked in the last 4 years.
Joeb Is this last bit right, because I hadn’t been paying attention? That is right, NSW won 3 and there was a drawn series in there as well if I remember correctly.
July 1st 2009 @ 7:55pm
Ripper Bloke said | July 1st 2009 @ 7:55pm | Report comment
Greg you have to remeber Bellamy has a larger salary cap to work with so he’s used to buying in talent
Origin’s and Grand Finals are all about temperment and picking players with the Right Stuff
By this I mean the players that will get knockked down dust themselves off and knock the bastard back over with a little interest, They are constantly making the big hit ups and they keep going like a terrier down a rat hole.
Bellamy dosen’t knoe how to pick players on temperamnet
As far as i’m concerned Melbourne have been lucky rather than sucessfull. In 07 Manly had there worst game all season
on Grand Final Day. everyone was claiming Talent won the day. 08 manly’s on form What happened to the talent then they got muscled out of contention and that would have happen with or without Cameron Smith,
Because The Storm got lucky and are bimming with Talent everyone assummed Bellamy must be the Greatest couch on earth. The Storm is a Queensland side, They are fed by queensland all their stars are from Queensland. That makes Bellamy for all intents and purposes a Queensland coach. So why is he in charge of the NSW team?
You pick a team on temperament and they will piss all over talent and NSW in Brimming wth Temperatment
So it’s a simple matter to pick the players with the Right Stuff But you have to give the Boys someone who the boys can believe in .That won’t come from a coach who is esentially from Queenslander
The Team i have selected will get us over the line at Suncorp but they need someone that they belevie in
If we take em at Suncorp on Game 3 well take the series back the following year.
If a dumb arse like me can pick a side of The Right stuff surely The NSW selectors can, Maybe they have been to over awed by Talent than concentrating on what it really takes. Any way we’ll see how we go as I have forwarded a copy of my team to them may be it will get them thinking for once instead of reacting.
July 1st 2009 @ 8:39pm
westy said | July 1st 2009 @ 8:39pm | Report comment
QLD stick with players NSW kills them.
July 6th 2009 @ 4:35pm
joeb said | July 6th 2009 @ 4:35pm | Report comment
“That is right, NSW won 3 and there was a drawn series in there as well if I remember correctly.” Chop, you’ve got a better memory than Gus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_League_State_of_Origin#endnote_la-game
“QLD stick with players NSW kills them.” If only Bellamy had a clue, Westy. Greg’s quote:
“Here’s an example of a simple strategy, apparently suggested by Phil Gould well before the series. He reasoned that NSW cannot match Qld with skill, so instead they should try to bash them with size and physicality, much as NZ did to Australia in the WC final last year. So Gould suggested choosing players like Dean Young at 9, Luke Lewis at 7, and Trent Barrett at 6. In other words, just go for the biggest in-form players in every position. I am not saying this would have worked,”
It woulda worked, and will Wednesday week if they wake up in time.
July 6th 2009 @ 10:48pm
joeb said | July 6th 2009 @ 10:48pm | Report comment
NSW: Kurt Gidley (capt), Jarryd Hayne, Michael Jennings, Jamie Lyon, David Williams, Trent Barrett, Brett Kimmorley, Justin Poore, Michael Ennis, Josh Perry, Ben Creagh, Trent Waterhouse, Anthony Watmough. Interchange: Brett White, Craig Wing, Glenn Stewart, Tom Learoyd-Lahrs.
AAP
http://www.leaguehq.com.au/articles/2009/07/06/1246732282105.html