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It fascinates me that the blame for eight years of Blues pain is put entirely on the shoulders of one man, Mitchell Pearce.
For starters, in a rugby league side there are 13 players on the field and 4 reserves.
I find it very hard to believe that the blame can be put on one single player. Mitchell Pearce is a talented footballer, if he wasn’t he wouldn’t have played over 150 games at the young age of 25.
Yes, he has been involved in many consecutive losses for the blues however his presence doesn’t account for the blues’ heartache over the last eight years.
How quickly we all forget the talent Mitchell Pearce has. He in fact is probably the most adaptable player in NSW, having to play alongside Braith Anasta, Todd Carney, Trent Barrett and James Maloney at Origin level.
Not ever has he had the opportunity to gel with his number six and create a memorable Blues series win. It’s simple, if he isn’t good enough, drop him.
However, for some reason coaches Craig Bellamy, Ricky Stuart and Laurie Daley have all pursued Pearce. By bagging Pearce, you detractors are simply doubting the class and football knowledge of three Canberra premiership winners.
Okay, so maybe Pearce hasn’t performed sensationally well at Origin level, but to my knowledge the extent of his poor origin career is minimal and if NSW kept the same team for a while – as Queensland have done so successfully – maybe Pearce and his fellow team mates could’ve won at least one.
Pearce’s latest incident involving a wild night out was drastically exaggerated and compounded by the media.
For days we heard he may have been guilty of assault, which ended up being a total misconception of the facts. His fine and suspension by the Roosters was harsh and like a mature footballer should, he showed remorse and apologised for his so-called “wild night out”.
It would be difficult for you too if you were told to leave a nightclub after doing nothing wrong. I’d bet more than a dollar that you would resist exiting the club as well. It’s human nature to resist leaving as a result of not doing anything against the law.
The events of last weekend shouldn’t hinder Pearce’s retention of a Blues jumper
Yes I know you all read this thinking, “Pearce doesn’t deserve his spot, he’s done nothing in his career, it’s all his father and his influence”.
Well, I never saw Wayne Pearce win a grand final, and the skill and pressure it takes to win the grand final is astronomical.
My point is that we need to stop bagging Pearcey. If he wasn’t a good player he would’ve never played Origin.
If he gets dropped from Origin so be it, but don’t ridicule and torment Mitchell Pearce’s career. He’s a talented and gifted footy player.
Go ahead and pick Adam Reynolds or Jarrod Mullen and I can assure you, if NSW loses Game 1 they’ll cop it just as hard as Mitchell.
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