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With State of Origin drawing closer and closer, plenty of attention has turned to who should line up for the Blues and Maroons in Game 1, and Mitchell Pearce’s match-winning field goal has skyrocketed him into contention for the Blues’ halfback jersey.
In keeping with The Roar’s theme of rigorous discussion around the big sporting issues, we’re going to keep the ball rolling on this topic, with our Editor, BJ Conkey, and Assistant Editor, Daniel Jeffrey, arguing over whether Pearce should be directing the Blues around the park on May 31 or not.
It’s then up to you to continue the debate in the comments section and let us know who you thought made the better argument.
Let’s get to it!
Daniel Jeffrey
I can’t say I ever thought I’d be arguing for Pearce to be included in the Blues’ Origin side, but he is New South Wales’ best option in the seven jersey this year.
Unlike in the forwards, the Blues aren’t blessed with a plethora of halves to select in Game 1. Some have called for Laurie Daley to stick with the combination of James Maloney and Matt Moylan that helped New South Wales to a Game 3 win last year, but with Moylan woefully out of form with the Panthers, that would be a poor move.
Maloney should definitely be in the side, but at his natural position of five-eighth. That leaves Pearce and Adam Reynolds as they two main contenders for the halfback spot.
Reynolds is certainly a viable option given his kicking game, an area in which Pearce has struggled in his Origin appearances to date. However, the stats tell us that, this year at least, Pearce’s kicking game has been very good. And no, that’s not just on the back of his field goal against the Dragons.
At the end of Round 8, No player in the NRL has as many kicking metres as Pearce’s 3160, which have come from 102 kicks for an average of just under 31 metres per kick. Reynolds, on the other hand, is averaging 26.7 per kick, with 2083 metres from 78 kicks.
Reynolds is obviously a far superior goal-kicker, but with Maloney in the side that shouldn’t be a priority.
Other than that, it’s hard to see where Reynolds can edge Pearce. The Roosters’ halfback is both a far better runner and defender than his South Sydney counterpart, and he’s played no small role in leading the Roosters to third on the table, just the single win behind ladder-leaders the Storm.
Reynolds’ Rabbitohs, on the other hand, are currently languishing in 11th spot on the ladder.
Yes, Pearce’s form in his previous Origins leaves plenty to be desired. But prior to rifling over the winning one-pointer on Anzac Day, he’d missed 18 straight field goal attempts. Point is, his past Origin form is exactly that: in the past.
His current form, on the other hand, demands selection.
BJ Conkey
Mitchell Pearce kicks one match-winning field goal for the Roosters and everyone loses their mind!
Okay, he had more than a few good moments in the Anzac Day game and yes it was against the in-form Dragons.
But let’s not forget they had inspirational skipper Gareth Widdop out for a half.
Let’s also not forget that Pearce could so easily have been the villain in that game after appearing to bomb a crucial try 15 minutes from full-time.
Even Pearce himself assumed he’d spilt the lollies, only for the replay to reveal a flukey juggle to regain possession just in time.
The thing is, if Pearce did bomb that try would he even be talked about as an Origin contender?
He hasn’t played at halfback for the Blues since 2013 and that ended badly after a shocking pass at a crucial time when the Blues had the momentum.
Phil Gould has questioned whether Pearce would even want to play Origin, given the scars he’d still have from his last encounter in 2015 when he played at five-eighth and Queensland won the decider 52-6.
He’s playing good club football but under the microscope of an Origin encounter, someone else needs to be handed the opportunity to shine.
The combination of James Maloney and Matt Moylan worked in Game 3 last year after an injury to Adam Reynolds. Laurie Daley has always been about sticking with a winning formula.
The truth is Pearce has had 15 opportunities at Origin level and hasn’t made the impact the Blues needed him to.
You can always hope for a player to finally announce himself on the biggest stage, but hope doesn’t deliver results.
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So Roarers, it’s over to you now. Should Pearce be on Laurie’s team sheet for Game 1? Or should his prior shortcomings in the Origin arena see him miss out? Let us know in the comments below!
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