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A few years ago some of the Origin greats from NSW were saying ‘We need to be more like Queensland’. A few years down the track, has it worked? The 7-0 scoreboard says no.
It’s time to get back to what NSW did when we were winning. This involved taking City Country seriously, mixing our team up and being blue, not trying to be maroon.
Queensland have a solid incumbency, and structured play. We need to do the exact opposite, because we have been trying the Queensland way and it hasn’t worked.
It’s great we have a full-time coach now, that was necessary as Origin is now a class of its own. But when NSW greats speak of playing and selecting like Queensland it infuriates me.
Take for example the Storm v Warriors on ANZAC Day. Everyone talks about playing like the Storm, but the Storm are just so good at playing against teams that try to play like them.
The Tigers and the Warriors have two very ad-lib playing styles that test the Storm extremely well, and Queensland have the spine of the storm.
So, taking that into account, NSW should get away from this attempt at structure, get our extremely talented team together and just throw the ball around like they used too.
Secondly, is the notion of incumbency. I’m not a massive fan of it according to our halves. But what I have been seeing lately is great combinations between James Maloney and Mitchell Pearce.
Not only those two, there is also Paul Gallen and Luke Lewis, Robbie Farrah and Keith Woods as strike combinations that are used to each others’ game.
Throw in Michael Jennings with the two chook halves, then Greg Bird with Gal and Lewis, these combinations will start to work for us.
A lot of New South Welshman are in good form. Although I say it every year, with two home games, and only losing last year by one point on enemy territory, the tide is turning.
We just have to remember to do it our way, not Queensland’s way. Pick combinations and play unstructured, ad-lib, combination plays.
My team so far: 1. Jarryd Hayne 2. Brett Morris 3. Jennings 4. Josh Morris 5. Akuila Uate 6. Maloney 7. Pearce 8. Woods 9. Farrah 10. James Tamou 11. Bird 12. Lewis 13. Gallen 14. Kurt Gidley 15. Anthony Watmough 16. Tim Grant 17. Trent Merrin (18th. Shaun Fensom)
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