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There is little wonder so much anger and amazement came from Queensland Origin fans after selectors left out Billy Slater for Game 1 of the series next Wednesday.
The decision was plain bloody stupid.
Just look at the selection panel who have such a wealth of experience and knowledge:
Gene Miles (57) is been in the chair with 17 years of selection experience along with 14 Kangaroo caps and 23 Origins between 1982 and 1989.
Darren Lockyer (40), is an Immortal-in-waiting and first-time selector, with a record 59 caps and 36 Origins between 1998 and 2011, while Kevin Walters (49) is the coach who played 20 Origins between 1989 and 1999.
How could they possibly come up with no Billy Slater?
Walters is a top-class bloke who tried in vain to explain on two vastly different counts.
The first was Darius Boyd couldn’t be moved from fullback where he was voted Queensland’s best player last season, and again performed excellently when the Kangaroos regained the Four Nations.
Of course, Boyd excelled moving from wing to fullback with more room to move because the world’s best fullback was out injured.
The second attempt was even more feeble.
“We didn’t want to put added pressure onto Billy after being out of the game for so long”.
Really?
Pressure is Billy Slater’s middle name – the more pressure he is under, the better he plays. That’s why he’s one of the best fullbacks in the history of the code.
(AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
He’s right up there with Clive Churchill and Graeme Langlands.
I was privileged as a kid to see Churchill in action and marvelled how such a small bloke, with his long sleeves pushed up to the elbow, could be so devastating in attack, defend so brilliantly and kick goals from anywhere in the opposition half.
Churchill was brilliant and the first Immortal.
Interviewing Bobby Fulton and Artie Beetson for the ABC NewsRadio Green and Gold Greats series, when both were asked who was the best they had played with and against, they both took a nanosecond to answer Graeme Langlands.
And “Changa” is an Immortal as well.
If I had to rate the five contenders for the back three in the Queensland team for next Wednesday at Suncorp, it would be Slater ten, Boyd seven, Corey Oates five, Valentine Homes four, and Dane Gagai three.
That would put Slater at fullback, with Boyd and Oates on the wings, instead of Boyd, Oates and Gagai, which is the combination the selectors went with.
And there wouldn’t be a peep out of the squad, nor the fans. In short, Queensland has given NSW a massive morale boost and momentum winner.
If NSW loses this first game, it will be their fault, because a week out it all points to NSW with no Billy Slater or potentially Johnathan Thurston to deal with.
That’s an early Christmas present.