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Take a bow Blues selectors – I reckon you’ve chosen the best team possible.
New South Wales is staring down the barrel of a ninth straight series loss to Queensland and you have come up with a team which can contain – and ultimately overwhelm – a steamroller that has deservedly won a place in rugby league folklore.
You have given the nod to form players along with those who have served you well in the past.
You have been brave in punting your scrum-base combination, which goes against your much-publicised pick-and-stick philosophy of recent seasons.
You have given us Blues’ fans many extra reasons to hope for a change in State of Origin results.
And I firmly believe, NSW will win Game 1 and lay the foundations for a series win at last.
Mitchell Pearce’s omission is obviously the big talking point.
He has been given many, many chances but it has become clear that he gets overawed in the Origin arena and cannot produce the class and composure he shows consistently at club level.
Mitchell’s recent misbehaviour at Kings Cross went down badly with coach Laurie Daley and he has gone for Bulldogs’ star Trent Hodkinson at seven.
It’s a really huge call by Daley as Trent has never been sighted in the Origin cauldron before, but the coach feels he can handle it and I am on the same page.
Hodkinson has really come to the fore as an organising halfback this year. He has been credited with many try assists for the table-topping Bulldogs and his defence has been from the top drawer.
His general play kicking has been bordering on perfect and as a goal-kicker and field goal exponent, well, you’ve got to hunt far and wide to find anyone near to him.
I believe he is ready for this big step up in class and become a match-winner in his own right for the Blues.
Having his Bulldogs’ teammate, Josh Reynolds, stationed outside is another bonus for NSW. These guys have worked superbly together at club level and have the drive and skills set to at least match Queensland’s Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston.
I know these guys really well. They relish a challenge and respond to them like no other combination. They can turn the Maroon tide and produce a Blue bombora.
Three players in this NSW line-up have a heck of a lot in common.
Jarryd Hayne, Tony Williams and Hodkinson played junior football together at the Cabramatta club and this sort of background can only help the Blues’ combination.
As a former Origin winger, I am excited for Roosters flier Daniel Tupou. He is a fantastic finisher with amazing skills in the air. His presence up high will worry the Maroons. I am thrilled that the selectors have given him a shot at the big time.
Aaron Woods’ selection was also richly deserved. He has been outstanding in almost every game this year for the Wests Tigers. I see him as a long-term Origin player. This guy is a big part of the current Blues’ team and their future.
I think the NSW bench is outstanding and there’s every chance victory will come from these four guys.
Anthony Watmough, Trent Merrin, Luke Lewis and Tony ‘T-Rex’ Williams cover many bases. Each can produce a flash of brilliance in attack or defence that can spur the Blues to victory.
NSW hasn’t had the smoothest of preparations for the opening game but I think we Blues people should be able to sprout a reasonable degree of confidence in the lead-up to Origin 2014.
The selectors have gone for form and not so much reputation or “continuity.”
I think they’ve got it right. They have given NSW every conceivable chance to bring down a rugby league juggernaut.
And I am really excited.
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