This is what a Blues side should look like
Roar Rookie By bhtumai, 1 Apr 2010 bhtumai is a Roar Rookie
- Tagged:
- NRL, NSW Blues, Rugby League, State Of Origin
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Jaime Lyon captain? NO! I was appalled when i read an article about Jaime Lyon wanting to be the New South Wales captain. This guy should not even make the Origin squad.
Time and time again he has shown he is not up to Origin level, nor is he worth the pay-packet that he is getting.
The ideal captain that New South Wales needs is Nathan Hindmarsh, a workhorse who sets an example and standard that every other player should look up to.
Hindmarsh would be a captain that would lead from the front, make tackle after tackle, and put in a 80 minute performance every Origin game. He is a role model, a rough round the edges type of character.
A player that is not afraid to get his hands dirty.
With players such as Morris, Jennings, Tahu, and Soward around, there is simply no room for a player like Jaime Lyon. I will admit he has been in some good form, but even this is not going to be enough when he comes up against the likes of Greg Inglis or Darren Lockyer.
The New South Wales side should read:
1. Jarryd Hayne (Parramatta Eels)
2. Brett Morris (St. George Illawarra Dragons)
3. Michael Jennings (Penrith Panthers)
4. Josh Morris (Canterbury Bulldogs)
5. Timana Tahu (Paramatta Eels)
6. Jaime Soward (St George Illawarra Dragons)
7. Mitchell Pearce (Sydney City Roosters)
8. Justin Poore (Paramatta Eels)
9. Robbie Farah (Wests Tigers)
10. Michael Weyman (St George Illawarra Dragons)
11. Nathan Hindmarsh (C) (Paramatta Eels)
12. Anthony Watmaugh (Manly Sea-Eagles)
13. Greg Bird (Gold Coast Titans)
14. Kurt Gidley (Newcastle Knights)
15. Brett Kite (Manly Sea-Eagles)
16. Willie Mason (North Queensland Cowboys)
17. Tom Learoyd-Lahrs (Canberra Raiders)
18th Man: Luke Lewis (Penrith Panthers)
The Back Three: Jarryd Hayne, Brett Morris and Timana Tahu
This back three is exciting, dangerous and defensively sound, if you take a player like Jarryd Hayne, he has to be playing in the right position and that is definitely fullback.
This is where he will be at his most dangerous.
Brett Morris finishes from anywhere, and with the inside backs, you can count on this man dotting down at least once a game. Tahu is a player who has hit the ground running, back from Rugby Union, he has picked up exactly where he left off.
The Centers: Josh Morris and Michael Jennings
These two players are well developed centers in the modern game. Josh is big and quick, and he runs great lines. If anyone saw the Bulldogs Vs Roosters game, he showed you there and then what he is capable of.
Jennings is quick, lightning quick in fact, and will be a handful for any team he comes up against. He is also good at putting his outsides away.
The Halves Combination: Jaime Soward and Mitchell Pearce
Jaime Soward is a player of the future for New South Wales, and if he keeps his form going, he should be the leading playmaker for NSW this year. He will be assisted by Mitchell Pearce or Brett Kimmorley.
The Back Row: Nathan Hindmarsh, Anthony Watmaugh and Greg Bird
This is a no nonsense type of back row, three hard men that will go out and do the business. Hindmarsh, the tackling machine, will lead from the front. Greg Bird is the enforcer, the guy who goes in to ruffle the feathers of the likes of Thurston and Lockyer. He is also a player who can be used in the playmaker role, which would add value to the New South Wales side.
The Front Rowers: Justin Poore, Michael Weyman
These three players are hard: they run hard and their defence is solid. They don’t do anything flash other than front up with one job and that is to gain meters.
Hooker: Robbie Farah
He is an exciting player, who is in rich form. He is dangerous around the flanks and his kicking game is exceptional. He has the confidence to take this side to a winning series, demanding his troops around, and he gives good service from the ruck. He will take pressure off Soward and Pearce on last tackle options and defends full-heartedly.
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April 1st 2010 @ 5:41am
M1tch said | April 1st 2010 @ 5:41am | Report comment
We have tried Brent Kite and he has failed every single time, he should be black listed from rep footy, Id give Aiden Tolman a go
April 1st 2010 @ 6:05am
bhtumai said | April 1st 2010 @ 6:05am | Report comment
Yeah true i agree with that brother. Even Scott Logan i just thought they would go with Kite. I cant believe Lyon wants to be Captain!
April 1st 2010 @ 6:44am
MyGeneration said | April 1st 2010 @ 6:44am | Report comment
Here’s a quote from the Jamie Lyon story: “I haven’t really thought about it but if it popped up I think anyone would want to take it.”
http://sportal.com.au/league-news-display/lyon-tipped-for-top-job-88576
Sounds like he was just responding to a question with an honest answer. Doubt that this means he has been “tipped” for the job. The story sounds like a fishing exhibition designed to stir controversy.
And, having said that, I agree with you, bhtumai. Give it to someone who’ll bleed for the team. Hindy’s the man, even if he wouldn’t be the first player picked these days. I like that you’ve left the over-rated grub Gallen out of your team as well, but get rid of Kite and Mason. Glenn Stewart is a must, and Luke Bailey is still good enough (although I haven’t seen much of the Titans yet this year). Would like to see Jarrod Mullen find some form.
April 1st 2010 @ 6:48am
Strucy said | April 1st 2010 @ 6:48am | Report comment
Is this the team that you would pick or is it the team you think that they will pick? If it’s the latter then you’ve missed the mark by a mile.
April 1st 2010 @ 7:03am
alan nicolea said | April 1st 2010 @ 7:03am | Report comment
I would definetly put Glenn Stewart in there instead of Greg Bird. I am surprised there is no Ben Creagh either. Willie Mason is no where near the form necessary to deserve a crack at Origin. His time has passed IMO. I do not know about Timana Tahu on the wing. He is a much better centre but the likes of Jennings and Morris will make it difficult for him to crack into the side. Steve Turner has been one of the Bulldogs best this season and if his form persists, i think he should deserve a recall.
April 1st 2010 @ 7:35am
sledgeross said | April 1st 2010 @ 7:35am | Report comment
Im sure as hell Roar readers are not selectors, we would have no chance in hell of even winning a game with that team.
Has any watched any games this year? Justin has been pretty ‘Poore” for the Eels, Brent Kite often goes missing for long stretches, Willie will need to do a hell of a lot more to be even considered, and Tom Learoyd has been injured. Gidley is going to struggle to be picked given his injury and the fact there are better players in positions that he can cover, his versatilty is probably a curse.
Greg Bird over Gallen at lock? Give me a break. Gallens close to statistically the best forward in the comp, while Bird hasnt been anywhere near impressive for the Titans.
Hindmarsh? I certainly wouldnt begrudge him being captain, cos I think he would be fantastic. But the fact is there are better allround players than him at the moment. This isnt the Hindy of 10 years ago, this bloke tackles his guts out but offers very little in attack. Maybe Alan is right and pick Glenn Stewart, at least he runs some good lines.
What do you guys think about Bennetts talking up of Beau Scott? Hes a tough player and dirtier than Gallen or Watmough.
April 1st 2010 @ 7:43am
Strucy said | April 1st 2010 @ 7:43am | Report comment
Beau Scott does less with ball-in-hand then Hindmarsh and he calls himself a centre. I’d pick Cooper before Scott if I had to pick a Dragons centre for NSW but having said that, I still wouldn’t pick Cooper.
April 1st 2010 @ 9:25am
Springs said | April 1st 2010 @ 9:25am | Report comment
Hindmarsh > Gallen, easily. Please sledgeross all I hear is how Hindmarsh doesn’t offer anything in attack and how Gallen is so good or whatever, despite the fact the Sharks are hardly excellent pointscorers. We picked a team based on attack last year for the first two games and we scored what? 32 points? And how many of them came from Jarryd Hayne? It was supposedly our best attacking forward pack last year with Watmough, Gallen, Creag, Poore, Weyman, O’Donnell etc but they did nothing. If we pick players like Hindmarsh then at least we won’t leak as many points, and with a good attacking backline and halves we should at least be able to score more than 20 points against a Queensland team that had no bench!
April 4th 2010 @ 6:04pm
bhtumai said | April 4th 2010 @ 6:04pm | Report comment
Gallen is no Nathan Hindmarsh.
Do you not watch rugby league? Hindmarsh is a workhorse that needs no break through an 80 minute game nor does he seek any reward goes about doing the hard yard and making the tackles.
Gallen is aggressive i will give him that be too much of a hot head is not what you need. i tossed up between Bird and Gallen but Bird offers more of a attacking game.
April 1st 2010 @ 8:36am
Ken said | April 1st 2010 @ 8:36am | Report comment
He was Dally M 5/8th of the year, leads the league in heaps of stats and as a Dragon fan I think he’s dynamite but does anyone really think Soward is going to be selected? NSW Origin selectors have consistently overlooked smaller players despite their acheivements (Merritt & Blacklock come to mind, although be clear that I’m alleging sizism rather than racism…). It’s true that as a smaller bloke he doesn’t hit as hard in defence as Bird or Barrett but I think he’s been demonised by that time he was smashed by Inglis (he’s certainly not the only bloke Inglis has run over)
April 1st 2010 @ 9:14am
Strucy said | April 1st 2010 @ 9:14am | Report comment
I’d like to think that Soward gets picked this year. The main thing in his corner is this; Who will kick goals for NSW? I think it comes down to Lyon or Soward.
April 1st 2010 @ 12:08pm
Chris said | April 1st 2010 @ 12:08pm | Report comment
As far as sizeism is concerned I think Preston Campbell should definitely have played Origin in his heyday – as should Matt Orford. That said they don’t seem to be consistently sizeist – Kimmorley for example isn’t very big.
April 1st 2010 @ 9:20am
Springs said | April 1st 2010 @ 9:20am | Report comment
Ah bhtumai, smart man, finally. Except for the bench, Mason seriously should not be considered. But we are very short of front rowers. Don’t know if Poore or Weyman should make it either. I would pick experienced oldies ahead of flavour of the month forwards that NSW usually picks like Kite, White, Mason etc. Pick Ryan, Simpson, Hindmarsh, Tongue etc
April 1st 2010 @ 9:47am
Tinnie said | April 1st 2010 @ 9:47am | Report comment
Ryan seems to be the forgotten man the last few years, he’s never let the Blue’s down in the past and he would be an excellent captain.
April 1st 2010 @ 10:00am
Springs said | April 1st 2010 @ 10:00am | Report comment
Exactly, but speak to some people and their attitude is ‘if they’re old it means they’re past it’. To counter that ye only have to look at Queensland’s props.
April 1st 2010 @ 9:38am
Greg said | April 1st 2010 @ 9:38am | Report comment
Your side would get thrashed. Creagh will be the first forward picked.
April 1st 2010 @ 2:07pm
Matt said | April 1st 2010 @ 2:07pm | Report comment
I agree Creagh has to be in Origin.
Halves:
6 Carney
7 Pearce
14 Hornby takes Giddley’s bench spot. Much better utility.
April 4th 2010 @ 6:00pm
bhtumai said | April 4th 2010 @ 6:00pm | Report comment
Hornby no longrt plays rep football.
Soward steered the Dragons to be the Minor Preimers last year would like to think he gets his shot this year after Barret hasn’t performed.
Carney is playing Fullback and i dont think he’s hard enough to be playing Origin he has got lucky in the roosters side.
April 1st 2010 @ 9:46am
sledgeross said | April 1st 2010 @ 9:46am | Report comment
Springs, I wasnt comparing Gallen to Hindmarsh at all. I would pick Hindy as skipper no dramas.
Im just tired of people bagging Gallen when the bloke is a hell of a player, if you dont like the blokes character, then fine, but anyone who wouldnt have him as a top backrower/lock is ignorant.
People love Hindy, and Ive no problems with that. This year he has made 106 tackles, and run 221 metres for 6 offloads. gallen has made 91 tackles, run for 420 metres with 6 offloads. I would say that Gallen is a pretty decent player by those stats.
April 1st 2010 @ 9:59am
Springs said | April 1st 2010 @ 9:59am | Report comment
Oh okay then. Yes Gallen is a decent player and probably deserves to be picked based on his heart and workload. But he has not proved himself at Origin level yet. And both are far beter than Glenn Stewart.