Queensland State of Origin coach Mal Meninga (right) and an injured Darren Lockyer (left) during the Queensland team training session. AAP Image/Dave Hunt
The dust has settled on yet another State of Origin series, with all the experts having had their say, and clearly it is NSW which has the most soul searching to do.
Having had a week to digest Queensland’s whitewash, I have come to the conclusion that it is time that the great state formally honoured Darren Lockyer in the same manner in which they honoured Wally Lewis.
Yes, I believe it is time for Locky to have a statue of him erected next to King Wally’s, particularly if last Wednesday’s match turns out to be the last Origin match for him.
And here’s why.
Until recently, when Mal Meninga took over, to be precise, I seriously doubted that Queensland could ever ‘dominate’ Origin again like it did in the 1980s.
While it is unfair to attribute all the credit for Queensland’s domination in the 1980s on one player, it certainly can’t be disputed that Wally Lewis was the most instrumental. Likewise, I would say that Darren Lockyer has been the most instrumental (and there have been many) in Queensland’s recent spell of domination.
Lockyer has now played a whopping 33 games for Queensland, compared to Lewis with 30.
Moreover, Lockyer is equal second behind Lewis with the highest number of Man of the Match awards with four in total.
Furthermore, at club level, Darren Lockyer has now accumulated the highest number of NRL matches for a player at one club. It’s a record which could stand for some time given the frequency of players moving clubs in today’s game.
I could go on with more, but I don’t think I need a mountain of statistics to persuade people of the brilliance of Darren Lockyer.
Keep in mind also that Lockyer has done what few players in the history of the game have been able to do. That is being the best in the world at one position, originally at full back, only then to be the best 5/8 in the world.
He showed the similar mental resilience to that of Wally Lewis when, in 2006, he overcame an avalanche of criticism of his personal game to captain Queensland to its first series victory in four years and recapture both his form and his standing in the game.
Give the man what he deserves and give him a statue next to Wally.
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