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The New South Wales‘ team to play in Game 1 of the 2015 State of Origin series is set to be announced on Monday, May 18, but we thought we’d give Roarers the chance to become Laurie Daley (just for a minute!) and pick the Blues team.
So tell us, who should line up 1-17 for NSW in State of Origin I this year?
More State of Origin:
» State of Origin News
» State of Origin team news
» The Roar’s NSW Blues team for Origin 1
» The Roar’s Queensland Maroons team for Origin 1
Who do you think should be the side to run out at ANZ Stadium on May 27 and attempt to create a new Blues dynasty after last year’s series victory?
We’ll do the number-crunching and come out with a Roar NSW State of Origin team for comparison with the side picked by NSW selectors on Monday night.
There are plenty of contentious spots in the NSW team at the moment.
With Greg Bird out of calculations, it will put the pressure on backrowers to step up in his absence. It also puts another question in Daley’s mind about what to do with Paul Gallen, and whether he should play front row or lock. If he plays at all, given he is still troubled by a hip/gluteal injury, putting in him major doubt.
“I spoke to Gall on Monday and he still hasn’t been able to do a lot of running,” Daley said on Wednesday.
The halves are also a big point of debate, with Mitchell Pearce and James Maloney putting their hands up after an average start to the season from incumbents Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson.
Coach Laurie Daley has indicated he has a good idea of who will be in his team, but has been less forthcoming than Queensland mentor Mal Meninga in putting names to positions.
One area where that cageyness could come into play is the fullback position, where a giant, Jarryd Hayne-sized hole is left for the Blues to fill. The likely candidate is Josh Dugan, who Daley has said will be in the team somewhere after he played on the wing for the Kangaroos against New Zealand.
The forwards are one area where there is no shortage of talent for New South Wales, even without Greg Bird.
They have options with in-form back and front rowers, any of whom could do the job if called up by the coach.
One that’s likely to be picked somewhere is in-form Dragon Trent Merrin, but just where he fits into Laurie Daley’s plans is still unknown.
So Roarers, have a look at your options, and fill out the form below. We’ll announce The Roar‘s NSW Origin team before the real thing, so tune in for that next Monday.
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