This Sunday, City will face Country for the 20th time since it was deemed a State of Origin selection trial back in 1987. There are some origin jumpers still up in the air and … Wait, isn’t that what’s said every year?
The one off-fixture creates more headaches than help for New South Wales coach Ricky Stuart.
There’s one word that defines News South Wales and its selection process: uncertainty.
Laurie Daley says it best when he says: “He’s in the mix.” But how big is the mix? Are there too many players in it?
Which leads me to asking: If you have a great City-Country game, are you on your way to an Origin berth? Ask Ryan Hinchcliffe.
Last year, Ryan Hinchcliffe delivered a man-of-the-match performance and was quickly publicised as a possible Origin bolter. One month later and he’s not in the state’s top 18 players.
Granted, NSW’s biggest strength is their back row given the likes of Lewis and Creagh and that Hinchcliffe started the game from the bench.
However Peter Wallace was man of the match for City in 2008 and was presented the Blues number 7 jersey.
Which begs the question: Is City Country a problem for NSW’s Origin selections?
City Country teams throw up new selection questions every year, with the teams changing drastically every year.
For example only 5 out of 17 Country players retained their spots from last year. I have taken injuries and Australian selection into account, but surely that didn’t influence all 12 selections.
The new positional changes have asked a whole set of new questions to New South Wales selectors, which do not have enough time to be answered by the time the New South Wales team is named for game one.
Selections such as Jarryd Hayne as the City five-eighth has the rugby league world baffled. It is highly unlikely Jarryd Hayne will be selected at five-eighth one would imagine, given the likes of Maloney, Mullen and Carney knocking on Stuart’s door.
But, does Stuart believe the Parramatta fullback had a solid season with an inexperienced side and some horrendous team performances, marring opinions that the Eels superstar has another string to his bow?
My biggest concern is in the halves, with two of the four halves retaining their spots from last year. The five-eighth for Country Jamie Soward and the halfback for City Mitchell Pearce were NSW’s halves combination in Game one last year.
Fast-forward a year later and Mitchell Pearce is City halfback but Jamie Soward has not been selected as Country Origin’s number 6. A solid game will see Pearce be retained as New South Wales halfback, but Jamie Soward isn’t even shortlisted in the New South Wales five-eighth conversation.
Reports suggest a solid performance by Todd Carney will grant him with his maiden state of origin birth at five eighth, once again creating a new New South Wales halves combination.
Meanwhile, in Queensland, no City versus Country type games are played. The Queensland Origin team is concerned with one thing: Consistency.
The Queensland ‘spine’ has rarely changed since Mal Meninga lead his side on their way to six straight series victories back in 2006.
I don’t think New South Wales would change their spine either, if it contained four of the best players in the world.
But even the minute after Darren Lockyer retired Queensland knew Cooper Cronk would be partnering Johnathan Thurston in the halves.
City Country does ask questions about possible New South Wales selections. However, it asks too many new questions, which make the New South Wales selectors confused, which force them to make unnecessary changes.
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