- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
If they don’t pick Luke Brooks in the NSW Origin team this year, I just hope it’s not because they think the Blues are so close to breaking their State of Origin drought they don’t want to jinx it by including a rookie halfback.
On one hand I can’t believe I’m even thinking Brooks and Origin as an option in 2014. Common sense tells me it’s way too early in his career to even consider it – he has only played three first-grade games.
But then thoughts about the wow factor the kid has take over.
I understand why NSW coaches Ricky Stuart and, most recently, Laurie Daley have persevered with Mitchell Pearce at halfback in recent years – he’s been the Blues’ best option. There was no point in discarding him unless there was an alternative who could do better.
Adam Reynolds has been widely-touted as an alternative, but at no stage has he ever been a better option than Pearce. He still isn’t. Reynolds lost some ground with a poor finals series last year.
NSW is just unfortunate great halfbacks who are eligible to represent the Blues have been so thin on the ground lately.
Queensland, meanwhile, had Darren Lockyer at five-eighth and Johnathan Thurston at halfback, and when Lockyer retired Thurston went to five-eighth and Cooper Cronk came in at halfback.
The Maroons are travelling so well in the halves that Daly Cherry-Evans, whom many believe is the best player in the NRL, can’t get in their starting side.
NSW powerbrokers and Pearce himself have copped plenty of criticism for the fact he keeps getting picked for the Blues. Many onlookers think he shouldn’t have been anywhere near an Origin jumper in the last series or two.
Some of that criticism has been a bit rough. Pearce did a reasonable job for NSW across last year’s series.
And what’s the justification for criticising Pearce for being selected? After all, he doesn’t pick himself in the NSW side and he’s been a very good NRL footballer for Sydney Roosters, even winning a premiership last year.
But who wants to settle for very good if you can have wow factor? It’s just that wow factor hasn’t come along until now.
There are several unanswered questions here.
One, we don’t know what kind of form Brooks is going to produce for Wests Tigers between now and when the team for Origin I is named.
Two, even if he were in great form and was picked for NSW, we wouldn’t know how he would handle it.
And three, would the powers-that-be have the guts to pick him, or would they stick with the incumbent in the belief the Blues are that close to ending eight years of misery.
It’s the third question that worries me.
The wraps on 19-year-old Brooks are huge. You’ve all heard what good judges have said about him.
I just hope that if NSW doesn’t pick him, it’s not a case of the Blues being cautious just because it’s easy to be cautious.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.