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The Blues will be back, trust me

Roar Guru
24th July, 2017
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Boyd Cordner of the NSW Blues. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Roar Guru
24th July, 2017
22
1117 Reads

Their day is coming, as sure as night follows day. The wheel is just starting to turn, and it will turn.

The Blues will be back.

As a proud Queenslander I hate saying it but we must be realistic and look at the facts.

I don’t blame you for thinking I’ve been on the drink, but just bear with me and hear me out.

Sure,I admit the Blues are in complete turmoil and chaos at the present time.

The media is ripping and tearing into the players, coaches, support staff and anyone else who crosses their path.

The players themselves are doing a bit of finger-pointing while running for cover.

And as for the supporters and fans, it’s the same old scenario of mate against mate.

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So how the hell can they possibly be a threat you’re asking?

Well let me try and justify my opinion.

Probably the fall-out from the turmoil they are in at present is the best thing that can happen to them.

Usually after a wild storm there is destruction and a mess to clean up.

And often, after the not too fun clean-up, when things return to normal you can see new shoots staring to appear.

This is why I feel it’s a great chance for the Blues to regroup, have a good look at what has happened and then start planing for a new series.

A new broom sweeps clean and that is what they need to do. Clean everything up, get rid of the rubbish and start afresh.

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If they haven’t learned anything from this latest upheaval then they really do have a big problem.

Fair enough, their confidence,their culture and their supporters have taken a big hit.

But they still have the nucleus of a good side,and they did show some good early form this series.

And if the right foundations are laid and built on, I feel they will be back sooner than later.

So who will the coach be to supervise the building of this new foundation?

That is the biggest and most important problem they have.

I think Laurie Daley has given it his best shot and should pass the baton on.

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The new coach should not be selected because he is popular and a nice guy.

He should be experienced and strong minded with a ‘take no prisoner’ attitude on the way to the goals he has set for himself and the team.

And he must know the character of every player he wants to make up his team.

He also needs the right mix of players to feed and grow their culture.

The man that comes to mind – and he’s not the most popular man here in Queensland – is the type of coach I’m talking about.

Phil Gould.

His knowledge of the game and his ability to analyse a player and sum up a game is hard to find.

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As Phil Gould has stated he is not available, then they should seek his advice on who he thinks may have similar skills and values to what he uses.

Once they overcome their coaching problems they can then go about laying their new foundation and start rebuilding.

And surely by now they must realise that the selecting and mix of the team’s make-up should be made on the principles that each player has to be compatible and fit in with the new structure,and all sing from the same sheet.

This is probably the trickiest problem .

Selecting the right mix,then instilling and feeding the culture they want the team to adopt.

To get the right mix some talented players may have to be overlooked due to amount of ‘baggage’ that comes with them. A top side can’t afford to carry too much ‘baggage’.

As I said previously they do have the side there, and a great young talent pool to choose from.

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So if they do pick the right coach, a team with not too much baggage and keen to learn the culture they will be back sooner than later.

Well let’s fast forward just two years to 2020.

I’d say by then ‘old father time’ would have taken the rest of our famous ‘spine’ as we know today. We will have a brand new spine.

I’m not saying it won’t be a good spine but let’s be honest.

We have been blessed to have had, without doubt,the greatest spine State Of Origin and Australia has ever seen and will never see again in our time.

Cam Smith, Johnathan Thurston, Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and Darren Lockyer – and then throw in the support players – and boy words can’t explain what they have given Queensland over the term of their dynasty.

Losing one of these players out of our spine is hard enough, but when we lose them all, it’s huge.

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The good news is they will still be around to groom our new spine and make sure the ‘culture’ is well feed and alive and thriving.

And we will always have the booming voice of Billy Moore ringing in our ears reminding us that we are Queenslanders and we will take up the challenge and we will survive.

State Of Origin will still be there waiting.

The rivalry will be still as fierce and passionate as ever.

But I don’t know if we will every see either side create another dynasty like this one.

So they are some of my reasons I say the Blues will be back and it will be ‘game on’ again.

And I feel it will be back to the days of the old arm wrestle again.

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So let’s sit back and enjoy the rest of the ride. It ain’t over yet.

And who knows how long it will last?

And I’ll tell you what, it’s been a great ride so far.

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