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For the first time in five Origin series, Laurie Daley’s NSW squad scored more points than Queensland this season, despite losing the series 2-1.
On that basis alone, Daley deserves another crack.
Even in Daley’s sole series success, in 2014, Queensland scored 44 points to 26 – the overall total bolstered by the Maroons’ 32-8 victory to avoid a whitewash.
But let’s return to this season to break down the points.
NSW won the first 28-4 at Suncorp, no mean feat, by playing superb rugby league. They also led 16-6 at halftime in the second, with a series win only 40 minutes away.
But for some inexplicable reason, NSW took the foot off the pedal.
Let’s break the points down into 40-minute halves.
In the first 120 minutes, NSW scored 44 points to 10 – emphatic.
For the next 120 minutes, Queensland scored 34-6 for the Blues to lose yet another series – pathetic.
How NSW fell in such a big hole could only be poor captaincy, or being too cocky for their own good. Neither reason can be attributed to Daley, he wasn’t on the field.
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But the coach can take some solace, however small, in the fact NSW scored 50 points to Queensland’s 44 in the series.
That stat deserves another crack, on two provisos.
That Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson have their papers stamped ‘never to play Origin again’.
They had such scant respect for their coach and teammates they took off for Lennox Head to get on the drink just five days before the Origin decider.
NSW hasn’t a culture like Queensland, no-one would dare do that to Mal Meninga or Kevin Walters.
Because there’s no culture in NSW, stick and pick mustn’t apply, Daley must select form players only, irrespective of age, or experience.
Just form.
If Luke Lewis, Nathan Cleary, James Roberts, Mitchell Moses, and Akuila Uate are playing as well next season as they have been this season, they must be in the squad.
Lewis, in particular, must be Origin reinstated after a four-year gap, and as captain. There wouldn’t have been that dramatic fallout in the last 120 minutes this season had Lewis been skipper, and not Boyd Cordner.
Lewis will be 34 years young, and despite having passed the 300-game mark in the NRL he’s playing the rugby league of his life.
Cleary is the hottest young player in the NRL and, barring injury, will be a leading light for NSW and eventually Australia for a decade.
As an added bonus, Cleary will be a very handy second-string goal-kicker as well.
Moses is tailor-made for Origin, with Benny Elias’ genes in his make-up as the son of Elias’ sister. Moses is also a natural and, like Cleary, will be around for a long time.
AAP Image/Dean Lewins
A reappointed Daley will need to tell Jarryd Hayne and Andrew Fifita the facts of Origin life. Both are electric game-breakers on their day, but those days aren’t close.
An edict from Daley prior to Origin 1 next season would be get cracking, or run the risk of missing Origin 2. A simple case of shape up, or ship out.
The more you think about it, Laurie Daley is set to win his second series in six attempts. But only if he dumps the pick and stick plan, and selects form players irrespective of age and experience.