Queensland State of Origin team named; expert reaction

Queensland player Sam Thaiday picked for Queensland

The Queensland selectors strategy could easily be summed up by the old saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Rewarding tough, hard working, team-first players has always been a hallmark of the Maroon’s selections, right back to when State of Origin first started.

Looking for the Queensland Origin II team?
Read our expert analysis of the QLD team for Origin Two.

Even when they weren’t going so well, they normally resisted the urge to panic, or chop and change.

It’s had a lot to do with building the famous Queensland spirit.

The majority of changes have been forced via injury, and Queensland will be without first-choice centres, Justin Hodges and Greg Inglis.

But before NSW get too excited, their replacements are hardly scrubs.

Fullback: Billy Slater
Potentially the most in-form player in the NRL. And has been for three seasons. Consistently dangerous in attack, brilliant in defence, and can sniff a try out of nowhere. To say he’s a key player would be an understatement.

Right Wing: Jharal Yow Yeh
Showed during the Test match that he is ready for Origin football. Whilst many argue that it’s an easy job playing on the end of this backline, no one can question that he has earned it.

Right Centre: Dane Neilsen
Such has been Neilsen’s improvement this year, that after round 5 I was motivated to check his eligibility for NSW State of Origin, as I thought he had representative player potential.

Sadly for the Blues, it was soon evident to me that Queensland had yet another star centre in their ranks.

His selection may raise a few eyebrows, but anyone who has watched Melbourne play this year would admit that Greg Inglis’ potential replacement is a brilliant decision by the Queensland selectors.

Left Centre: Willie Tonga

Justin Hodges injury woes means that Tonga gets a Maroons call-up. It speaks volumes of Queensland’s depth that they replace one Australian centre with another.

Needless to say, Tonga won’t let anyone down. In fact, he could even dominate, considering his size advantage over Jennings.

Left Winger: Darius Boyd
Slater’s stranglehold on the fullback position means Boyd returns to the wing at Origin level. A try scoring machine for Queensland, it would be foolish to think he won’t add to his already impressive tally of 6 tries in 8 games.

Five Eighth: Darren Lockyer
Words don’t do him justice, so I won’t try. An all-time legend, guaranteed to be a Rugby League Immortal, and keen to leave the Origin arena as a winner.

Halfback: Johnathan Thurston
JT has the Cowboys sitting nicely on the NRL ladder, and no one enjoys playing with the abundance of Queensland talent more than their halfback. Once again, will challenge for player-of-the-series.

Lock: Ashley Harrison
The lock is the rock in the Queensland pack. A quiet achiever who doesn’t do anything flashy, but performs his job, personifies ‘reliability’, and works his butt off all game long.

Second Row: Sam Thaiday
The most damaging forward in the competition loves nothing more than knocking down NSW Blues like ten pins. Always itching for a fight; always there for his mates; always running as hard in the first minute as he is in the eightieth. Thaiday is the living representation of Queensland’s attitude to Origin.

Second Row: Nate Myles
Gives a dominant Queensland pack even more size. Myles unique skill set means that Queensland will essentially start three props, but without sacrificing any mobility in the back row. His ability to play almost anywhere in the forwards gives Coach Meninga great flexibility and cover.

Front Row: Petero Civoniceva
The old warhorse prepares himself for yet another Origin battle. As good now as he ever was, Petero just keeps on keeping on. The Queensland prop is an inspiration to his teammates, and if the Blues have a defensive weakness in the middle of the park, Petero will find it and run at it all game long.

Hooker: Cameron Smith
The classy Melbourne number 9 hardly has a bad game, and his running and kicking from dummy half is a highlight of the Maroon’s attack. His combination with his halves, and Billy Slater, will be dissected and talked about at length in the NSW changeroom. But that doesn’t mean they’ll be able to stop it.

Front Row: Matt Scott
Probably the most in-form prop in the NRL, Scott will spearhead the Queensland attack with bustling hit-ups and bruising tackles. The NSW physio will be kept busy dealing with any Blues that get in the big prop’s way.

Interchange:

Cooper Cronk
It’s a real luxury to have a player of his class coming off the bench, and as the NSW forwards begin to fatigue in the second half, look for Cronk to enter the game and capitalise. In a team full of X-factors, he could have the biggest influence on the game.

Corey Parker
Consistent, reliable and a brilliant off-loader, Parker thoroughly deserves his call-up to the Maroon’s team. The fact he hasn’t played State of Origin since 2005, and will start on the bench, tells you everything you need to know about Queensland’s depth. There will be little respite for NSW when Parker substitutes in.

Ben Hannant
Gives the Maroons yet another quality prop, ensuring that the Queensland pack will be relentless in its go-forward. Big, strong and unafraid of the hard work, his impact off the bench will be a key to the front-row forward battle.

Jacob Lillyman
A bit of a surprise selection, but the hard-working forward has played Origin before, and, in this star-studded line-up, won’t be asked to do anything he isn’t capable of.

Missing out:

Greg Inglis
GI is keen to play, but Souths, already concerned about the return on their considerable investment, are worried about Inglis injuring his hip again.

If he is indeed ruled out, it’s a real shame, because pulling on the Maroon jersey brings out the best in him, and it may have been the catalyst to him regaining his mantle as the best player in the world. It also robs fans of the Gasnier/Inglis match-up.

Dallas Johnson
The workaholic lock returned from the Super League with an ambition to play Origin football again. His form for North Queensland, along with Mal’s loyalty to this tacking machine, was said to be enough to earn back his Maroon jersey, but he was overlooked for game one.

Dave Taylor
The words ‘potential’ and ‘consistency’ still linger when discussing Taylor, but an impassioned plea by the behemoth to be picked fell on deaf ears. NSW will probably be relieved, as no one wanted Taylor, with fresh legs, running at them out wide in the second half.

David Shillington
Canberra’s woes, and Shillington’s fitness, have combined to exclude him from game one, but he still may have a role to play in the series.

Justin Hodges
Long, strong and with a devastating right foot step, Hodges’ return from an injury induced lay-off has been fantastic to witness. After missing Origin last year, the big centre was keen to stamp his class on Origin again, so it’s disappointing that he’ll have to overcome his injury if he wants to be picked for game two.

Ryano’s Rant & Rave for NRL’s Round 10

Rant:
I will never understand how video referees can make blatant and obvious mistakes. They have the ability to watch replays, and are allowed to watch the vision as many times as needed to get the call right.

So how could anyone watch Beau Scott be tackled, held, with his back on the ground, then pass the ball to a teammate for a try, and rule it a legal play? I’m fairly certain Friday night’s game wasn’t played under rugby union rules, so I don’t know what the video ref was thinking.

It was a truly horrible decision, and in the context of the match, ended up being a significant mistake. Absolutely baffling.

Rave:
Actually, forget the rave, I’m going to have another rant. I’ve given Jamie Soward plenty of wraps over the last couple of weeks for his attacking play, but he deserves a roasting for his drop goal attempts on Friday night.

With his team leading by 5 points at the time, a successful drop goal would have merely put the Dragons up by 6 points.

Since the Bulldogs were always going to need a converted try anyway, Soward was essentially playing for the draw. Such negative play even disappointed the Dragons fans sitting near me.