Blues must take a huge punt and have a go

One old gentle giant who trucked it up all day and had pride in his jersey in the past was good old Lazzo - you're right we don't have anyone like him as a prop these days but how badly we need one!

The games were close, except for game 3 of 04 and 05. The Queensland period of dominance we are in now has the games still fairly close, even with the big score the other night, it was no more than the scorelines NSW put on QLD in the 2003-2005 series. And it was nowhere near 56-16. At the moment Queensland are on top by far, yet with such a superior team in the last two years we still got within ten last year, and within four in game 1. So with a right coach and right mix of players, we could easily turn this around. Even with the five series wins, I remember what Gould said game 3 last year, Origin never ends, a never-ending battle, we still fight to win each and every game. The real tally is what? 46-41? Queenslands way. We are still fighting to make it 46-42 in the next game.

re the mix of players...exactly what I mean. I do think Johns' influence is overstated but that's only an observer's opinion. And a QLDer at that. Re origin football being dead had NSW won so many more, maybe. But I don't think 5 in a row from either side means it's dead. From what I recall those years of blue dominance the games were still fairly close (with the odd blow out) so it can always be a close competition. Cycles of talent come and go. It will only die when one side/state no longer cares or starts to think they've got no chance. I really don't think QLD will ever think that.

The thing is, NSW had that exact right mix of players when we were winning. Does anyone think that a backrow of Hindmarsh, Fitzgibbon, Ryan, Menzies is flashy? Yet it won us games, along with Joey of course, Minichiello, Gasnier, Gidley (the better one), Lewis etc in the backline. Just reliable players that never let us down. And we can't even say Joey won it for us. He wasn't there in 04, and often Kimmorley was chosen in front of him. Just well balanced sides that played like a champion team, with the help of a champion coach of course. And we won, simple. In fact from 1999 to 2005 we lost one series, with two lucky draws for the Queensland team. Plus another lucky win in what I thought we were easily the better side in 2006. I wonder if we had won 99, 02 and 06 would Queensland have pronounced Origin as dead? Oh well, we had our chances.

Personally, I think balance is the most important thing that NSW blithely ignore when selecting teams. If you've got a supposed defensive centre in Matt Cooper on one side, why have another defensive centre in Beau Scott on the other? Where's the strike power? Inglis and Tonga aren't noted defenders. They're obviously not turnstyles either, but teams can and do score tries through them every week. So send something at them. Same goes for the halves. We need at the very least, one creative half paired with an organiser. In game one, we had an organiser and his presense was obvious in the structure when compared with game two, but then we had him paired with a stop gap option, when there was no gap to stop. In game two, we had two blokes who aren't organisers, and only one with any creative flair and we were a rabble. Then you look at the forwards, and we don't have the right balance there either. We were well short on front rowers, and had too many blokes who shirk hard work in favour of niggle. If we can strike that balance, then all we need to do is keep the team together and eventually they'll get up to QLDs standard.

Forwards like Douglas, Mannah actually go forward...Weyman and White have been poor give us no momentum Hindy should keep his spot until he retires, a true 80 type player we need Farah v Ennis is interesting..Farah gives better kicking option and almost a Smith like player

Hopefully Jennings would be able to teach Idris how to play rugby league. He seems to have learnt how to run through gaps instead of at players - hopefully he could pass this skill onto Jamal

"He is a NSW version of Harrison or Myles, or Dallas Johnson." Or Chris Flanagan or Gary Larson or Trevor Gillmeister...the list goes on. Fair dinkum, NSW don't seem to understand you need hard workers as well as brutes. I dunno, NSW really don't seem to get it. As much as I hate saying it, Ricky Stuart and Gus seem to be the only two influential blues who have understood what Origin means and how different the game is. Sure you need gamebreakers (like Lockyer, Thurston, Hayne, Johns, Fittler, Inglis), sure you need aggressive hitmen (like Thaiday, Harrogan, Geyer) but you also need hard selfless hard workers (like Johnson, Harrison, Hindmarsh) and the gentle giants who don't go looking for a fight but will truck it up all day (like Webke, Petero, Price - can't think of any NSW like that). Above all you need a team of selfless players who put the team above themselves. Look at all the famous Origin tries, you can find some great compilations on youtube, 90% of them it's sensational support play that allows them to be scored. Selfless players supporting their mates in the run of play so that some other bloke 8 passes down the line can score. Hindmarsh is that sort of a bloke. Not too many others from NSW the other night are.

If you listen to those close to the NSW camp (Fittler and Johns) when they speak on the footy show etc, they have too much glowing praise for certain players. They have obvious favouritism. I can't help but think that Fittler would date Mitchell Pierce after the drivel he was going on with about him prior to the game. Fittler is associated with the Roosters. Johns loves Gidley and constantly harps on about how good Mullins is, despite both being out of form for some time. Johns is from Newcastle. See what I am getting at? The people who seem to have influence aren't looking at things subjectively at all. I am actually surprised Bellamy has been given so long at the helm. Many have gone well before him due to losing. Is he a protected species for some reason? I don't understand the reasoning behind not picking one of the form 5/8s who can actually create something from nothing, Jamie Soward? So they think his defence is weak? Enter one D Lockyer. Doesn't seem to bother him or the QLD team much. Soward isn't that weak in defense anyway. I notice Hayne didn't stop Inglis close to the line either. He is quick, has a good passing game, can kick well, is young. Ticks all the boxes. He was even used by Gus as a shadow Lockyer when he was a teenager for the NSW camps. I have said before, if Hindmarsh was from QLD, he would have the record of origin appearances. He is everything that we love. Goes all day, honest toiler, no frills, no fuss. He is a NSW version of Harrison or Myles, or Dallas Johnson. All of them are fantastic and step up every time, yet NSW dropped him for the glamour players who have obviously gone missing time and time again. Why keep selecting Cooper at centre? I don't get it. He is not that good in attack, and his supposedly strong defensive game has been shown up time and again in Origin anyway. Actually scratch that, it isn't all his fault, because a centre can't be blamed for his winger constantly rushing in 40 metres off his man, when it is a simple 2 on 2 situation.

I would put Jennings and Idris in the centres, and leave them there for 5 years. :) Let them gel, speed and power baby.

Those six players (although I would have Gallen instead of O'Donnell) need to stay in the team for the next four games at least. Pick a five-eighth along the lines of Sutton or Soward and stick with them for the whole series as well. Pick at least two props to play the whole series, Snowden, Mannah, Galloway, Weyman etc. And for the backline, well Morris should stay, the others, no. Make either Hindmarsh or Lewis captain. And then the most important thing, pick players that care, which means at least no Jamie Lyon, all the others at least care, but it's obvious from last year that Lyon does not hold the jersey in that high regard.

You are part right. Except for Lewis though I would punt them all. Guaranteeing Hayne a spot is the worst thing you could. Let him fight it out with dugan. Besides why would he be guaranteed after that display? Did you see dugan in the city country? With odonnell just leave him out. No player is worth that much when they give away 3 penalties a game (add in gallen and there's the game). As a qlder it makes me laugh to constantly hear about gallen's 'suitability for origin'. Look at every game he has played and at pivotal points he is there stuffing up somehow. Stats don' t mean squat in his case. To leave Jennings and idris out was criminal in my opinion. Thanks Wayne for telling the selectors that Scott was good enough for origin!