- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
If there is one lesson that can be learnt from Sunday morning’s arrest of Roosters and New South Wales Origin star Mitchell Pearce, it is that every cloud has a silver lining.
The prayers of Blues fans far and wide have at last been answered, with this latest controversy possibly forcing Pearce out of the coveted No. 7 jumper.
At the start of the weekend’s NRL fixtures, Pearce at halfback seemed one of the few certainties for the NSW side. Now, even that has been thrown up into the air.
It appears that NSW has an unfortunate tendency to get caught up in controversies at the worst possible times.
More coverage:
Pearce ‘lunged at a woman’: report
How could Mitchell Pearce do what he did?
Who could forget Blake Ferguson and Josh Dugan’s infamous night of drinking on the eve of NSW’s Game 2 camp last year, in which Ferguson was courted for indecent sexual assault? Or James Tamou’s brainless indiscretion that saw him arrested for drink driving without a licence?
With the abundance of controversy plaguing the Blues, it is difficult to envision a scenario in which they emerge victorious this year.
The State of Origin arena is no ordinary arena, however. Anything can happen in the pressure-cooker confrontations between NSW and Queensland. Blues fans must not dwell on the negatives, but rather focus on the endless possibilities that will ensue after this latest controversy.
Who will fill the shoes of Mitchell Pearce? How will it affect the rest of the team?
Should the NRL Integrity Unit convict Mitchell Pearce and withdraw him from the opening encounter, the door will have burst wide open for a host of players including Adam Reynolds, Trent Hodkinson and Albert Kelly.
On form it would be impossible for Laurie Daley to overlook Hodkinson, who has steered Canterbury to a number of clutch, last-gasp wins against some of the potential premiership contenders. He has formed a lethal combination with five-eighth Josh Reynolds, together guiding the Bulldogs to the top of the NRL ladder.
This isn’t to count out Adam Reynolds, however. Since his debut for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in 2012, Reynolds has found himself on the cusp of NSW selection, only to be overlooked for the incumbent Pearce. He has been instrumental in South Sydney’s performance across the past three seasons.
Albert Kelly shapes as the least likely of the trio to replace Pearce in the NSW team, despite his name being thrown into the air on the back of some scintillating play for the Gold Coast Titans. He has been the catalyst of his club’s sensational early-season form, which sees them sitting in third place on the NRL ladder.
Pearce’s likely unavailability will undoubtedly have an effect on the make-up of the remainder of the NSW squad, particularly in the position of five-eighth.
In 2013, Blues coach Laurie Daley made it clear that James Maloney’s dangerous halves combination with his Roosters teammate was a significant factor behind his inclusion in the team.
With Pearce now in doubt to take part in Origin I this year and Maloney in a slight form slump, there is every chance that he will lose his No. 6 jersey to one of Jarrod Mullen, Josh Reynolds or John Sutton – all of whom are already in the frame for selection.
Just who finds themselves with the six on their back could well come down to who wears the seven on theirs.
Of course, this latest controversy is yet another spanner in the works for New South Wales – a vast contrast to Queensland’s Origin preparation, which is nothing short of seamless year in, year out.
If New South Wales were to win Game 1 without the services of Pearce, it could mark the beginning of a whole new era for the Blues.
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.