The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Time for NSW to accept the past and embrace the future

State of Origin kicks off when the New South Wales Blues take on the Queensland Maroons at ANZ Stadium tonight! (AAP Image/Chris Hyde)
Expert
22nd May, 2016
103
1958 Reads

Sometimes I wish Jarryd Hayne had never played in that 2014 State of Origin series – the only one NSW have won in the last decade.

Hayne was the overwhelming reason the Blues won that series, with his brilliant performances in games one and two.

More:
» State of Origin teams
» NSW State of Origin team for Game 1: Expert reaction
» Origin news
» The Roar’s NSW Blues team
» Origin greats – the best ever NSW Blues team

Had he not played, Queensland would have won that series, the same as the other nine, but the Blues winning distorted people’s view of the team.

Hard decisions that would have surely been made a on a few players going into last year’s series weren’t made, because NSW were the defending champions after all.

They ended up being thrashed 52-6 in the series-deciding game three, but even a result like that has been largely written off as an aberration, a one-off where the game just got away from the Blues and things snowballed. One of those nights.

If the Maroons had won that 2014 series, the NSW side would surely have looked very different last year. There may have been a major overhaul with the accent on youth, a start-again philosophy.

We could have been one series down the track with that now.

Advertisement

Fortunately, there is going to be some new blood – and a return to a couple of players used only briefly in the past – in the NSW team that will be named today for Origin I on Wednesday week, but I still doubt they will go far enough.

When you’ve lost nine of the last ten series and one player, who is no longer available to play, was hugely responsible for your sole series win in that time, dramatic change is the only option.

I’m not convinced NSW can pick any team capable of beating Queensland in this series, even with two games at ANZ Stadium. Each of the last three times NSW have had two games in Sydney, they have lost the series – in 2008, 2010 and 2013.

But I am convinced they need to do something quite different.

There is no point in going with some of the same players who have been there for many series losses.

I wish James Tedesco was fit, because I’d love to see him at fullback, but in his absence I’d go for Matt Moylan. I like Josh Mansour on one wing, but I’m less than thrilled with how Blake Ferguson is going at the moment. I’d pick Tom Trbojevic on the other wing.

It wouldn’t bother me which two out of Michael Jennings, Josh Dugan and Josh Morris played in the centres, so with Jennings and Dugan being the likely pair I can accept that.

Advertisement

James Maloney has to be the five-eighth because he is clearly the most in-form halves player in the NRL who is eligible to represent NSW.

Adam Reynolds is a fair enough selection at halfback, mainly in the hope that his kicking game can put the Maroons under pressure.

Unfortunately, we are struggling for halves players when Queensland have them growing on trees.

Paul Gallen and Robbie Farah have been in mostly losing NSW teams for a long time now, so what is the obsession with picking them? Aaron Woods and James Tamou to be the starting props and here’s one out of left field – Peter Wallace at hooker.

Call me irresponsible if you like, but Wallace is a very smart and disciplined player who wouldn’t get in the way of the halves.

Boyd Cordner, Josh Jackson and Greg Bird in the back row – a combination of a bit of athleticism, a bit of worker and a bit of skill.

The bench? Andrew Fifita had a rocking good game for Cronulla against Manly on Saturday night and when he’s in that sort of form he’s irresistible. He’s a game-breaker, so he should be there.

Advertisement

David Klemmer brings size and menace, while Bryce Cartwright and Jack Bird should both come in because it is simply time for each of them. There is no point in waiting.

close