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As we are now well aware, New South Wales are in a spot of bother. Greg Bird faces a possible two-week suspension for a dangerous tackle, while Mitchell Pearce, the only ‘certainty’ for a Blues jersey, is in deep trouble with the NSW Police.
I’m sure the Roosters and the NRL Integrity Unit will be ‘fair and just’ with his punishment, like many other NRL stars who’ve copped extended times on the sidelines for poor conduct both on the field and off.
But if NSW do lose Bird and Pearce, have Queensland won already?
The Blues have a better chance without Pearce than they do with him. On form, I’d have Josh Reynolds getting promoted from the bench to take Pearce’s spot.
So who does he partner in the halves? James Maloney? Adam Reynolds?
Not for Josh. If NSW want to win, they need a strong tactical kicker; someone who can play off Reynolds.
My money is on Jarrod Mullen. He is certainly Newcastle’s best player at the moment, and Adam Reynolds is down on form, as is Maloney. You could bring in Todd Carney if he weren’t injured, but he is Mullen gets the nod. Although Jamie Soward is certainly finding his old form and guiding Penrith well, too many people don’t like him and Daley will not pick him.
A lot of people ‘in the know’ have said many things about playing people out of position, but if NSW want to win they need to play Paul Gallen at prop and Greg Bird at lock. Hell, Gallen could play five-eighth and still get 50 tackles, plenty of hit ups, offloads and line breaks.
I just don’t know if he can kick, but it’s Gallen – I’m sure he can. What can’t he do? We Queenslanders might hate him, but we would never wish to not play against him.
Even if Bird is in the second row, who does replace him if he is suspended? Luke Lewis, at lock or in the second row. And who goes on the bench in place of Lewis? That’s not so easy.
This is the team I think NSW should pick should Pearce and Bird be unavailable.
1. Josh Dugan
2. Brett Morris
3. Josh Morris
4. Michael Jennings
5. Jarryd Hayne
6. Jarrod Mullen
7. Josh Reynolds
8. James Tamou
9. Robbie Farah
10. Boyd Cordner
11. Ryan Hoffman
12. Luke Lewis
13. Paul Gallen
14. Andrew Fitifa
15. Wade Graham
16. Tariq Sims
17. John Sutton
What makes this a unique situation is that NSW actually have a chance to see how rubbish Pearce is. The guy is obviously a decent player otherwise he would not be in first grade, but he never has been Origin quality. The sooner NSW drop him, the sooner Queensland will have an actual test on their hands.
With the above side, they might actually have a chance of breaking the streak. But is team selection the Blues’ main problem or is it the coach? It’s all and none of the above.
Firstly, New South Wales have forgotten how to win. You saw it last year when they had the series in the bag, and then lost in three games. Queensland didn’t win, as much as it pains me to say it, and they didn’t win in 2012 either.
The Blues panic and throw away chances when they are in the lead. That panic comes from poor coaching preparation. Laurie Daley is no coach, and his record is as poor as predecessor Ricky Stuart’s.
If New South Wales want a good coach, they’ll have to try convince Craig Bellamy to sign up for Origin when he retires from the Storm at the end of 2016. Otherwise, Andrew Johns might just be your man.
The next factor is poor on-field leadership. Gallen isn’t a captain, and neither is Hayne. Bird is next in line and he has the skills and quality, but next down on the list would be Farah. If Glenn Stewart was fit and performing, I’d have him as a run-on forward and captain.
That option is out, so Farah it is. His performances of late show he might just be able to do the job.
Following on from lack of leadership is the halves combination, which might solve itself with the likelihood of Pearce being suspended for several weeks. If he is out and the above team is picked, the Origin series we have all been waiting for might finally be here.
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