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During the lead-up to last year’s State of Origin series, I was bewildered by the apparent inconsistencies and contradictions of New South Wales Blues coach Ricky Stuart.
It seemed like not a day went by without a head scratching soundbite from the Origin coach.
There was the admission from Stuart that the Blues weren’t going to win the series, which sounded like the team was defeated before the games had even begun.
He also stated that he would never pick a player out of their club position, then proceeded to do just that, highlighted by the selection of Sharks lock Paul Gallen at prop.
He strongly affirmed that he regarded Jarryd Hayne as a five-eight only, before selecting him at centre. And so it went on.
It was all slightly amusing, if not baffling. It gave the impression that the Blues coach had no idea what he was doing.
However, as the series unfolded, the Blues ended up giving the Queensland Maroons all they could handle, and despite losing their sixth series in a row, there was a renewed optimism from everyone associated with NSW, their fans included.
It seemed there was some method to Stuart’s madness.
At the end of the series, it was clear that much of what came out Ricky’s mouth added up to gamesmanship. Whilst at times it was difficult to decipher exactly who the mind games were actually aimed at, the objective was to motivate his side, throw off the media, and confuse Queensland.
Now, as we enter the lead-up to the 2012 series, it seems that Ricky Stuart is warming up to the task once again.
Last week on NRL on Fox, Stuart claimed that there were only two locks for the 2012 State of Origin team, namely Paul Gallen and Kurt Gidley.
My first reaction to that comment was surprise.
Stuart has preached loyalty since taking over the NSW Blues coaching position last year. He has claimed that selection stability is the key to defeating Queensland, and that NSW needs to keep the faith in players and stick with them instead of continuously making changes.
If he truly believes that, then surely nominating more than just two players from last year’s series would be appropriate? I would suggest that isn’t exactly showing loyalty and selection consistency towards the other 15 players from last year’s final game.
My second reaction was utter bewilderment, as I was totally perplexed as to why Kurt Gidley is a certainty to be picked in the Blues side.
It’s not that I don’t rate Gidley. I actually think he’s a great player. Astute readers will even remember that I predicted he would win the Dally M Medal this year.
But for the same reason that my prediction is looking extremely unlikely, Gidley shouldn’t be considered an automatic selection for NSW. Quite simply, Gidley has already had two stints on the sidelines this year due to injury, and is currently still a few weeks away from returning. Furthermore, he hasn’t been in sparkling form even when he has been able to stay on the field.
Combine this with the fact that Gidley is the one consistent player across NSW’s six year losing streak, and you seriously have to wonder why he would be given a walk-up start to the Origin team.
Funnily enough, I actually would pick Gidley as a utility player of the bench, if he can prove his fitness. But I think it sets a dangerous precedence to announce a player as a certain selection when they’re injured, out-of-form, and also happen to be a common denominator in previous losses.
What message does that send to every other Blues candidate?
Is Stuart simply up to his old tricks?
In any case, it didn’t take long for Stuart to once again change his mind anyway.
In an article he wrote for the Sunday Telegraph, it would appear Stuart has suddenly increased his NSW certainties to five, with Luke Lewis, Michael Jennings and Akuila Uate joining Gallen and Gidley.
This was despite the fact that the three new additions hadn’t played in between Stuart’s original comments on Fox, and his article on Sunday. It’s pretty impressive for a player to be upgraded to a ‘certainty’ without playing a game.
Mind games? Contradictions? Mixed messages? Gamesmanship? Selection confusion?
State of Origin must be just around the corner…