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Following on from Tuesday’s analysis of the Queensland squad for State of Origin, here is the analysis of the New South Wales squad.
NSW have been afforded an extra day to name their squad for Origin 1, and there is no doubt that this side was more widely debated than the Queensland team.
I am now going to go through the selections position by position, looking the strengths and weaknesses of each player and the team. So let’s have a look at who has been selected for the NSW Blues to try and end Queensland’s eight-year dynasty.
Fullback – Jarryd Hayne (Parramatta Eels)
Is it the right call to have Jarryd Hayne at fullback? This question has been debated for what seems like almost the length of the season. On a personal level I believe Josh Dugan should be at the back, with Hayne in the centres, to give the Blues a little bit more power in attack, but only time will tell if this is the right move.
Wingers – Brett Morris (St. George Illawarra Dragons) and Daniel Tupou (Sydney Roosters)
Brett Morris was an obvious selection and has always been one of the first picked for the Blues over the last couple of seasons. The other wing option seems to be a little less obvious though. In the end Daniel Tupou wins the race against quality players such as Will Hopoate, Jorge Tafua and Pat Richards, who can all count themselves unlucky not to be included in the team.
Centres – Josh Morris (Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs) and Michael Jennings (Sydney Roosters)
Michael Jennings was always going to be selected as one of the centres for the NSW Blues. On the other hand Josh Morris’s spot was placed in question, and at the end of the day it more than likely came down to a question of “who would we rather, Josh Dugan or Josh Morris?” If they had have selected Dugan then Morris would have been out and Hayne would be in the centres, but the selectors have gone with the alternative.
Five Eighth – Josh Reynolds (Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs)
Josh Reynolds is probably the form five-eighth of the competition and with the Roosters’ halves out of form and out of favour it opened the path for Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson to take starting spots in the NSW team. James Maloney was really the only serious challenger.
Halfback – Trent Hodkinson (Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs)
Trent Hodkinson is a lot luckier to make it to the Blues squad as halfback than his Canterbury teammate Reynolds. First, he had to get over the hurdle of Mitchell Pearce. Then he had to hold off Adam Reynolds for the spot. A very interesting decision from the Blues selectors and will be interesting to see if having two halves from the same team pays off.
Front Rowers – Aaron Woods (Wests Tigers) and James Tamou (North Queensland Cowboys)
Aaron Woods has worked hard and played some good rugby league for the Tigers this year, and as such has earned and deserves his spot in the front row. As for James Tamou, I think he is very lucky to be in the starting team. With two reserve locks on the bench it is interesting to see Paul Gallen starting at lock and Tamou in the front row. Very interesting decision indeed.
Hooker – Robbie Farah (Wests Tigers)
The hooker was always going to be Robbie Farah, with challengers such as Michael Ennis, Mitch Rein and Nathan Peats on another planet compared to Farah in terms of getting selected for the NSW team.
Second Rowers – Ryan Hoffman (Melbourne Storm) and Beau Scott (Newcastle Knights)
The second row is easily one of, if not the most questionable area of selection. Ryan Hoffman played Origin last year, but he under performed and hasn’t had the greatest of club form in the build up.
Beau Scott was in and out of the Origin team a couple of seasons ago but really doesn’t have any sort of form in recent times to make the squad. Challengers for the second row would have included bench players Anthony Watmough and Luke Lewis, as well as Tariq Sims and Wade Graham. Two very questionable selections.
Lock – Paul Gallen (c) (Cronulla Sutherland Sharks)
The only thing questionable about Paul Gallen’s selection is which position he should have filled in the forward pack? With both Trent Merrin and Luke Lewis on the interchange bench, it would have been more appropriate to start Gallen in the front row and drop either Aaron Woods or James Tamou back to the bench.
Extended Interchange
Trent Merrin (St. George Illawarra Dragons), Anthony Watmough (Manly – Warringah Sea Eagles), Luke Lewis (Cronulla Sutherland Sharks) and Tony Williams (Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs) and Josh Jackson (Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs).
From the bench for the Blues, Trent Merrin and Luke Lewis can count themselves both unlucky to not have made the starting side, because of the fact that they are both locks. Paul Gallen is starting at lock, which he hasn’t done in a long time in the Origin arena.
Anthony Watmough can also count himself unlucky not be a starter. Has been a long-time player for the Blues and based on Origin experience and club form deserves the starting spot in the second row a lot more than either Beau Scott or Ryan Hoffman.
Tony Williams’s selection is probably the most interesting of the lot. The selectors could have done a number of things with the fourth bench spot and Tony Williams probably is not the right option for the Blues. The selectors really should have looked at another front rower here such as Tim Mannah or Tim Grant.
Another option would have been to get Shaun Fensom into the team, or if they really needed a utility the selectors should have looked at John Sutton or Jamal Idris. I can’t help but feel that Tony Williams is the wrong option.
The Blues have included Josh Jackson as 18th man, which will be a smart move. He gets to spend some time with the squad and see how it all works before he is needed to play for the Blues somewhere in the not-too-distant future.
So what are the strengths for the Blues?
The first and most obvious strength will be their advantage under the high ball on the wings. Brett Morris and Daniel Tupou are two of the best in the NRL under the high ball, so look for plenty of high kicks from halves Reynolds and Hodkinson. Expect the Blues to really exploit this high and leaping ability and go to the air every time they get the chance.
The strengths are far and few between unfortunately for the Blues, but their club links will be key. With four players from the Bulldogs and plenty of teams supplying two players it could combine well. From a Blues point of view this should hopefully make things flow a lot better on the field.
Having looked at the strengths of the NSW squad let’s look at the weaknesses.
The first of these would have to be the inexperience of the squad, especially when comparing it to the Maroons. With three debutants in the starting side – Daniel Tupou, Josh Reynolds [starting side only] and Trent Hodkinson – and a number of others who have limited Origin experience such as Ryan Hoffman, Aaron Woods and James Tamou, it could hurt the Blues.
The second weakness I can see with the Blues is their front row rotation. With no genuine front rowers on the bench, the only thing I can see happening is that when Woods and Tamou come off Gallen will have to move into the front row with Trent Merrin and Luke Lewis coming into lock. It doesn’t seem smart at all to not have a top class front rower on the bench.
Another weakness for the Blues is injuries and suspension. With Greg Bird, Andrew Fifita and Boyd Cordner all out for the first game but due back for the second it will be interesting to see what happens with selection for Game 2. All of them would have probably made the team. It could seriously disrupt the momentum of the Blues camp, especially as a number of players know they are in a battle to keep their spot for Game 2.
Finally, Tony Williams. You might be asking how he is a weakness, but he can be a serious liability, as he has shown with his form at the Bulldogs over the last season and a half. How he gets a spot on the bench when the Blues obviously need another front rower is completely beyond me.
So there you have it, the two squads for this year’s Origin series have been deconstructed and analysed, plus some major issues and strengths for each team. It should be a great series. Let the 2014 State Of Origin begin.