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Eight years is a really, really long time in rugby league. Eight years ago, Benji Marshall had just exploded onto the scene, winning the Wests Tigers their first premiership.
Eight years ago, Luke Brooks, the prodigy who will replace Benji leading the Tigers around the park, was eleven years old.
Eight years ago, Joey Johns was still playing.
And eight years ago was the last time the Blues tasted Origin success. Enough is enough.
Hopefully.
In my opinion, the Blues have a good enough team to win this series, as they have the last two years.
Our forward pack is a lot better than Queensland’s, and our backs must put the finishing touches on the big guys’ efforts, which they’ve failed to do for so long.
For mine, Mitchell Pearce is the bloke to lead the team around at halfback.
Winning his first premiership will be an enormous boost to his confidence, and I honestly don’t rate Adam Reynolds enough to think he deserves to be in that coveted No. 7 jersey.
His kicking game is excellent, but he has really benefited from an enormous and dominant Rabbitohs forward pack.
He won’t have that much go forward in Origin, plus he would be absolutely belted around the park.
No, it’s Pearce again this year for me.
At 5/8, provided he recovers in time, it’s Jarrod Mullen. He has been absolutely superb for the Knights for the last two seasons, and he’s all round game is very good.
He has suffered in the selectors scoresheet for his forgettable debut as a 19-year-old, but that is a seriously unfair assessment on him.
And if it’s not Mullen, it’s got to be Todd Carney.
I would also resist the urge to put Hayne in the centres. Sure he two great games against the USA and New Zealand in the World Cup, but are you honestly in favour of dropping Michael Jennings or Josh Morris?
I shouldn’t think so.
My team to break the drought
1. Dugan
2. Hayne
3. Morris
4. Jennings
5. Morris
6. Mullen
7. Pearce
8. Gallen
9. Farah
10. Tamou
11. Watmough
12. Lewis
13. Bird
14. Fifita
15. Cordner
16. Hoffman
17. Sutton
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