The Roar
The Roar

League
Advertisement

State of Origin 2015 early edition: Queensland’s halfbacks
Riley Pettigrew
Roar Guru
14th April, 2015
7
Join the conversation
Advertisement
Write for The Roar

Anyone can contribute to The Roar and have their work featured alongside some of Australia’s most prominent sports journalists.

Cooper was cool, Cronk and collected when the time came. AAP Image/Paul Miller
Riley Pettigrew
Roar Guru
14th April, 2015
7

With Johnathan Thurston guaranteed a spot at five-eighth, who will Mal Meninga decided to accompany him in the halves? Will it be Daly Cherry-Evans, Cooper Cronk, Ben Hunt or a bolter?

Here is the next episode of our State of Origin selection preview series.

Daly Cherry-Evans (Manly Sea Eagles)
Cherry-Evans has played five games for Queensland however, his form of late could see him dropp out of the race for a sixth jersey. The Manly halfback is a regular on the big stage, having played for his country and state in front of huge audiences before and has also helped guide his team to an NRL premiership in 2011. He won the Clive Churchill Medal from the losing side in the 2013 NRL grand final.

It is now looking as though Cooper Cronk has secured a spot in the starting side at halfback, with Cherry-Evans in a two-horse race for the No. 14 jersey with Ben Hunt from the Brisbane Broncos. Cherry-Evans’ experience could be a huge advantage for the Manly No. 7, but could potentially be his downfall if he continues to play poor footy at Brookvale.

Cooper Cronk (Melbourne Storm)
2013 Dally M Medallist Cooper Cronk is one of the most experienced players in the National Rugby League. Since making his first grade debut with the Melbourne Storm in 2004, Cronk has played in five NRL grand finals (2006-09, 2012) winning three. He was instrumental in delivering the Maroons four State of Origin series between 2010 and 2014 where he has played 14 games.

The Australian representative has played 22 Tests has a strong partnership with fellow Storm and ex-North Devils players Billy Slater and Cameron Smith. It is near definite that Cronk will wear the No. 7 Queensland jersey again in 2015.

Ben Hunt (Brisbane Broncos)
Named in Meninga’s 22-man squad for Game 2 of the 2014 State of Origin series, Ben Hunt came close to earning his first Maroons jersey in 2014. Ben Hunt had his best year in 2014, finishing fourth in the race for the Dally M and playing three Tests for Australia in the 2014 Four Nations.

The Brisbane Broncos halfback has emulated last year’s form with a brilliant start to 2015, steering his side to a golden point win last Friday against the Roosters.

Advertisement

Ben Hunt is now in a two-horse race for the No. 14 jersey with the man he was touted to replace in the Maroons line-up last year, Daly Cherry-Evans, as he looks to earn his much deserved State of Origin debut.

Bolters
Chris Sandow (Parramatta Eels) has had a big season so far, being one of the stand-outs in the Parramatta Eels 2015 season as they look to move on from the loss of Jarryd Hayne to the NFL. Sandow seems to be a long shot for a Maroons jersey in 2015, however he could seriously shake-up Meninga’s selection if he puts in more work to deliver Parramatta a good start to the season.

Sandow has been in-and-out of first grade since coming to Parramatta and it is still unknown whether he will be able to compete on the big stage.

Michael Morgan (North Queensland Cowboys) has played alongside Johnathan Thurston at club level and is a part of Meninga’s future vision for the Maroons. Morgan was named as 18th man for Game 3 of last year’s State of Origin series.

The only question is whether he can handle the pressure that comes with playing State of Origin. Having previously played in an NYC grand final and a string of finals matches, Morgan has experience in big games.

7
Join the conversation

Reckon you can pick the winning team?  Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match.  For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp.  Imagine what you could be buying instead.  Set a deposit limit.

Related Posts

close