Brilliant Maroons sweep the series against hapless Blues

What a great game this was!

Wow into the insults early there Dean. Firstly i'm going to tell you that when i dribble i can't help it, its a medical condition. Secondly Craig Bellamy can take all the credit for the grapple tackle techniques that the storm players used. Nsw were guilty of using them all through the series so im not sure what you meant by this "they introduced the grapple tackle in line with their Melbourne Storm counterparts". Thirdly i did read your previous posts and was agreeing with you on the soward issue. Fourthly Qld are there to play rugby league not engage in one on ones with the Nsw players. They all come in to let the blues players know that if they want to fight with one of them then they have to fight all of them. Its a damn good deterrent. Last but not least Qld were superior in the first 2 games. They were light years out in front of NSW. The third game was a much better contest where reffing decisions went against either team but were pretty even. It was class that shone through in the end. Dont blame costly reffing , blame selectors. NSW have the team to win a series you just need the selectors to pick them in their right positions.

ah, how about that. So am I.

Curtis, for a minute there you almost bored me to death.......harping on like a parrot that's been listening to too much talkback radio. NSW with their supposedly inferior team went oh so close to winning games 1 and 3 of this series. I agree with you in regards to Jamie Soward, and if you bother to take the time to read previous posts then you will find that I have been promoting his talents for some time. Again - you dribbler....I have made no mention of penalties........just costly decisions that turned the game in favour of QLD. And don't get all high and mighty of how QLD are a fair team.....they introduced the grapple tackle in line with their Melbourne Storm counterparts. When ever there is a one-on-one fight you will also see a swarm of Maroon jerseys flock to the altercation to protect their "buddy" who is usually coming off second best. This reminds me somehow of the Italian and Lebanese gangs who used to roam around the city looking for trouble in numbers - but were too afraid to confront people one-on-one.

Lets face it, QLD have won 5 in a row and no amount of bad reffing could account for 5 straight series losses to the blues. Get over it. QLD are a much better side with players who want to play the game and not do stupid dirty things. Its not QLD fault that NSW get penalised for doing the wrong things. If the blues want to start winning then they have to select match winners like soward. Open your eyes and see that QLD are the best and probably will another couple of series until NSW get serious and select a team that will threaten QLD. PS NSW were never going to win origin 1. Not a chance.

No mention was made of penalties Kimmy. I simply believe that NSW were the better side in Origin 3, and came within a whisker of wining in Origin 1. As the writer of this original article suggests, "NSW were hapless". Definition of hapless for those to lazy to look it up - unfortunate and without luck - AND I AGREE 100%.

Kim (chief), did you partake in a few doubles before posting this mush ???? I prefer flat whites, and usually brew my own with the aid of plunger. I'd prefer not to get in an argument with you as I always remember the good advice my Mother once told me...."Dean, remember son....all women are mental".

I have a lot of time for Hayne the player (Hayne the personality is a pain in the arse) but a fullback has two primary responsibilities. 1. Catching bombs and otherwise diffusing attacking kicks in play. 2. Making those last line of defence one on one tackles. All the attacking flair in the world won't make up for the fact that in defence he is a turnstile. That is why Slater is the Australian Fullback and Hayne is not.

Hang on you're counting the tries the Blues failed to score as evidence that they would have won by a wide margin. I think what your trying to say is that they would have won if they were any good. Folks from Surry Hills should stick to drinking lattes at art galleries.

Loser, just like your team and typical of NSW supporters who refuse to admit that QLD has ever won a game without the referees help. For the record the Maroons went about 30 minutes without a penalty and still won.

Hate to break it to you mate but Gallens post tackle technique (ie kneeing the player in the head every single time is far from legal. My second point is that I reckon Thaiday could knock you into next year. Third point is that Ennis punching a bloke before he is on his feet is the definition of cowardly. Last point is that there were cheap shots from both sides but you make a point about 'brutal' defence which is amusing as it let in so many points.

61 thousand odd officially

While I would agree that Monday nights performance was not setting the world on fire, there were a few hints that hitting top form in a week or two will not be out of the question. As for picking blokes on form, I thought abandoning that concept and sticking with the blokes who had done it before was one of the reasons Queensland have been so strong in Origin over the years.

Too old - I think he is 28 - next thing you will be saying the same about Lockyer and Petro. I understand the focus on youth element and building for the future in some key positions but to overlook key top performers with plenty of experience would be a mistake.

Good side... I think Idris is still a couple of years off - still has a kids physique (admittedly a massive kid) and has a few mistakes in his game. A couple of years maturity (physically and mentally) and he'll be great. We could have a dynamic 3/4 line with a combo of Hayne, Morris, Morris, Jennings, Gasnier that could score tries from anywhere. Fight fire with fire. I would have Bird at 5/8 and Lewis at lock or alternatively Sutton at 5/8 and Bird at lock. I think the Blues need a big ball running 5/8 at the moment. Stick with Pearce at half. Soward has struggled for the Dragons playing in the 7. Forwards I would leave much the same - I like big Tom L-L of the bench. Watmough was great last year but ordinary at times this year - his goal line defence still seems to be an issue just like it was a couple of seasons ago - he would still make the cut though. I liked Mannah's game off the bench - he can build some more minutes next year. I agree about forwards receiving the ball flat footed - seems to be a trend in the NRL now perhaps to conserve energy and reduce interchange that forwards get the ball standing shallow or at half pace. 10+ years ago forwards would charge onto the ball. Maybe it's to do with training methods and vene big men have quicker acceleration these days but the flat foot approach doesn't cut it at Origin. I think it's taken Tom L-L a couple of games to realise.

OK – here is the team and the blueprint for success in the series next year. Simple and smart. 1. Jarryd Hayne – play him in his corerect position from the start, even if his club form is suspect. He will rise to the occasion. 2. Morris (OK he had a bad game but he is very good) 3. Jennings or Idriss (the guy is a physical beast and will come to dominate Origin, given a couple of years) 4. Gasnier (if he shows his class) or Idriss 5. Jennings (you can’t ignore his speed and game-breaking skills) or Gordon 6. Carney (strong, quick and skilled – a must-pick if his head is together, and it should be by then) 7. Soward (can play one pass closer in. It wouldn’t hurt to add a little bulk in the off-season to help his defence. Consistently shown to be one of the most skilled in the comp) 8. Learoyd-Lahrs – getting better every outing and starting to dominate – so start him 9. Farah (you need flair and someone who can create a try) 10. King 11. Lewis 12. Gallen – you need his mongrel 13. Bird – mongrel, size, speed and skill – what a great combination 14. Gidley – showed he is very good off the bench and can cover 1, 6, 7 and 9 15. There must be a big brute to fill this spot 16. Manna – worth another go 17. Watmough – a must-pick. Tough as nails, fit, quick, tackles and can make breaks GONE: Beau Scott – what were they thinking? Creagh – too soft I’m afraid There you go. The team has: • Toughness (Gallen, Bird, L-L, Watmough) • Speed (Morris and Jennings) • Line-breaking out wide (Jennings, Gasnier, Idriss) • Skilful and strong-kicking halves who can both direct a game The two most important things to teach them – not that they shouldn’t know this, but it doesn’t show: • teach the wingers not to come in off their wing and leave their man open. How many tries did Qld score from this throughout the series? Number up in defence properly boys • big forwards hit the ball up from depth so you hit it at pace. Time your run and give the dummy-half two options each time. Too often our forwards are getting the ball close to stationary, and they don't seem to want it enough. Honestly – get those two things right, select smart and for the next 3-4 years, and the rest will fall into place.

Spot on Davo

Barba is a Qlder - from Mackay...

Billy's tackle on a much bigger man was nothing short of brilliant, Izzy's interception was a good reading of the play and this is Not the first time that Morris has dropped the ball plus the ref created two chances for NSW tries. just watched it again with my glasses o ($10 bought from reject shop just to be fair to you) c'mon Dean look at both sides. Maybe Queensland only allowed Galen, Bird and Gidley to score tries then they will be picked for game one next year. hehehe

Yep - without doubt. Take away QLD's two tries from refs errors, add a try when Morris dropped the ball with the line open, add another with Billy The Kids miraculous save on Watmoughs attempt, and then a final try from a pass thrown resulting in an inercept for QLD. That's a tally of five tries. NSW should have won by at least 13+. Watch the game again - but this time wear YOUR spectacles !!!!!!!