If we put aside a couple of contentious decisions that took place in Origin 2 and look at the big picture, Laurie Daley’s decision to go with youth in this year’s series may turn out to be a masterstroke.
If Mal Meninga stays true to his word and remains loyal to those who have served him so well during his reign as the Queensland State of Origin coach, that may well be his undoing because the youthful exuberance, aggression and growing self-belief that is clearly evident in the NSW team must have the Queensland players worried heading in to the decider at Suncorp Stadium.
With Billy Slater ruled out, Dane Gagai should come in at centre or on the wing, and the halves should be Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston. If Cronk is ruled out through injury then Michael Morgan should partner Thurston in the halves. Dylan Nappa and Josh Papalii should be added to provide some starch and impact off the bench.
Should NSW clinch this series it could well signal the end for a number of Queensland’s elder statesmen and put NSW on the way to equalling Queensland’s record sequence.
In this series Daley has taken a leaf out of Meninga’s book by showing loyalty to a number of his players even after they underperformed in Origin 1, yet if Meninga doesn’t make some tough selection decisions regarding his ageing roster, he could well be handing the series to Daley on a silver platter.
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