With the representative weekend now behind us, State of Origin hopefuls have only a handful of opportunities left at club level to convince coaches Laurie Daley and Mal Meninga that they deserve to pull on their state’s colours in the toughest arena of all.
Just as they have for the best part of a decade, Meninga’s Maroons yet again pick themselves, with the Queensland core playing group firing on all cylinders – for their clubs, that is.
The Australian Kangaroos, however – who consist of the very same brains trust of Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk, Cameron Smith and Greg Inglis – were torn apart and out-enthused by an energetic display from the New Zealand Kiwis.
For the first time years, Queensland’s legends were unable to pull the game out of the fire and, while performing admirably, simply did not look threatening enough in attack. At times, they were made to look foolish and lethargic, with Inglis’ unnecessary blunder in his own in-goal resulting in a momentum-swinging Kiwi try and raising questions over GI’s ‘greatness’.
Of course, we could be kind to Queensland and put the loss down to an off-night, a handful of debutants, a fantastic Kiwi performance and even the absence of more Maroon greats, Billy Slater and Justin Hodges. In all likelihood, this could well be the case, and the minds of the Sunshine State will be put at ease with some sparkling performances this weekend.
Despite losing the series last year, there shouldn’t be too many changes from the side that crushed NSW in the final fixture of the series, with Will Chambers set to retain his sport in the backline after debuting for Australia, and Dane Gagai likely to fill in for the injured Darius Boyd – although rumours are circulating that he could return in the coming weeks.
Gun forward Josh McGuire could also steal a bench spot and an Origin debut due to some outstanding form for the Broncos.
Predicted Queensland side
1. Billy Slater
2. Dane Gagai
3. Greg Inglis
4. Justin Hodges
5. Will Chambers
6. Johnathan Thurston
7. Cooper Cronk
8. Matt Scott
9. Cameron Smith
10. Nate Myles
11. Aidan Guerra
12. Sam Thaiday
13. Corey Parker
14. Daly Cherry-Evans
15. Matt Gillett
16. Jacob Lillyman
17. Josh McGuire
That’s just about the extent of Queensland’s concerns. The picture gets a tad murkier when we head south of the Tweed.
Laurie Daley not only had the Test match to garner further information on potential Blues, but also the sold-out affair between City and Country.
Daley’s chief concern to emerge from the Kangaroos’ loss to the Kiwis is that Greg Bird is set to miss up to eight weeks due to a grade two dangerous throw charge.
Meanwhile, Josh Dugan sustained an ugly knee injury, and while Australian coach Tim Sheens played down the seriousness of it, the Dragons star is set to at least miss this game’s match, if not more. Apart from that, the remaining Blues to play in the Test had little impact, and like their Queensland counterparts, were unable to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
The City vs Country game, however, created more questions than it answered, particularly for the heavily debated composition of the NSW halves pairing. James Maloney put in a man of the match performance for Country, proving that he can lead a team around the park without the services of his Roosters halves partner Mitchell Pearce, while the complete opposite occurred for City five-eighth Josh Reynolds.
After heading into the match as the favourite to retain his Blues jumper alongside clubmate Trent Hodkinson, the Bulldogs playmaker managed to get himself placed on report twice, undoing a solid performance in which he was controlling the game nicely. While Hodkinson and Reynolds are hopelessly out of form at the moment, they have incumbency on their side. Pearce and Maloney on the other hand are in comparatively good form, but while tried and tested in the Origin arena they are not the halves who broke the Queensland stranglehold.
For the first time in eight years, NSW finally has the opportunity to maintain some harmony in Origin camp, and reward the players that have done the job for them. As a result, Hodkinson and Reynolds should still be picked – at least for Origin I.
If they don’t fire first-up however, there are ready-made replacements waiting. And not just the Roosters’ halves – should Adam Reynolds be successful in his return from injury and turn in a few eye-catching performances, that may well be enough to get both him and his club halves partner Luke Keary in.
Other players to put their hand up for selection included impressive young forwards Tariq Sims and Josh Jackson. The two Country backrowers have been on the cusp of NSW selection for over a near now, with Jackson making an appearance for the Kangaroos in last year’s Four Nations tournament. With Bird now effectively ruled out of Origin I, the door has slammed open for the Bulldogs star to make his mark in State of Origin. The same applies to his clubmate, David Klemmer, who alongside Andrew Fifita was enormous for City.
In terms of the fullback position, Josh Dugan must be selected as the successor to Jarryd Hayne, despite the fantastic performances of Penrith’s Matt Moylan over the course of the season. There’s no doubt that his dancing footwork and silky ball-playing skills would be an asset to the Blues, but there is too much doubt over whether these qualities can be translated into the toughness and grit of the Origin arena, not to mention his at times flimsy defence.
Predicted NSW side
1. Josh Dugan
2. Daniel Tupou
3. Michael Jennings
4. Josh Morris
5. Alex Johnston
6. Josh Reynolds
7. Trent Hodkinson
8. Paul Gallen
9. Robbie Farah
10. Aaron Woods
11. Ryan Hoffman
12. Beau Scott
13. Trent Merrin
14. Andrew Fifita
15. James Tamou
16. Luke Lewis
17. Josh Jackson
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
Ryan 'The Thundercat' Hall!
Pomoz
Roar Rookie
Just reviewing that list. There would be a hell of a lot of grunt in that forward pack. They all play big minutes and are tougher than a Pitbull with a flick-knife and so skilful. I would pay money to go and see them play another rep side.
Pomoz
Roar Rookie
I dunno, what do you think? A world Xvii might look something like this if we include SBW and Burgess. 1. Slater, 2. Hayne 3. Whare 4. Inglis 5. Hall 6. Thurston 7. Johnson 8. Graham 9. Smith 10. Bromwich 11. Burgess 12. SBW 13. Gallen 14. Parker 15. Matulino 16. Cronk (can play hooker too) 17. Proctor 6 x Kiwis 8 x Aussies 3 x Poms Based on results we have seen over the last few years, that would seem about right in terms of mix. Plenty of debate about who should be in. Vatuvei? Luke instead of Cronk? Regardless, it is hard to argue that Australia completely dominates the best player list at the moment.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
And the rest of the best players?
theHunter
Guest
Whoever gets picked in place of Darius Boyd won't make any difference at all....Boyd does nothing except catch the ball with no player in front of him and scores. All the work was done by the halves and the centres, so I wouldn't be bordered if another wing is selected. With Alex Johnston, I would say the same thing. They just catch and score and he is just Merrit 2.0. I would choose Morris (Brett), Uate or even Mead over Johnston for the Blues
Casper
Guest
Well Christian, if there's one thing you haven't learned from watching the test match it's that you don't pick guys on the wing who aren't club wingers or have played their a lot. Gagai is not a winger and would be too big a risk. I'm a big fan of Edrick Lee from the Raiders, who has the height advantage when the ball goes in the air, but Darius Boyd looks like getting back in time and Mal is loyal. Qld need to bring Gagai and Valentine Holmes into the training camp to give them an introduction to origin for the future Looks like Gagai will fight it out with Chambers for Hodges job next year. Your side isn't far off the mark but I can't see DCE as the best bench option when Michael Morgan is bigger, faster and can cover more positions. DCE might have to hold off until Cronk or Thurston give it away, although Cronk looked ordinary in the test match. Inglis is definitely a better centre option for Qld, with Billy Slater unchallenged as fullback. i think all the running required from fullback has blunted his brilliance, plus the fact that Souths use him as a battering ram in some of their plays. I'd also start McGuire in the second row ahead of Sam Thaiday and then move him up front when Scott or Myles need a spell, he plays big minutes but is not an impact bench player and might burn too much nervous energy watching the early battle. Sam is killing it as an impact bench player coming on at the 20 minute mark, so use those Bennett tactics in SOO. I prefer Josh Papalii to Jacob Lillyman, only because the bench forwards will probably only get 20 minutes and Papalii has more impact and is going ok this season. For the sake of regeneration of the team, he's 23 and seems to have become more consistent this season. Lillyman is the fallback if Myles or Scott are injured during the series, he's not really a bench player.
Pomoz
Roar Rookie
Hmm. I think most would agree that the best two players at international level last year were Shaun Johnson (who won the Golden Boot) and Sam Burgess (who should of won the Golden Boot). Neither of whom are Aussies. Your comment was spot on a few years ago, but as somebody with a dreadful voice once sang " the times, they are a changing".
Back to back
Guest
Up to Loz, this team is assuming Bird is gonski. 1. Dugan (Moylan if injured) 2. Tupou 3. Jennings 4. Morris 5. Richards 6. Austin 7. Hodkinson 8. Tamou 9. Farah 10. Woods 11. Scott 12. Hoffman 13. Merrin 14. Fafita 15. Sims 16. Jackson 17. Lewis 18. Croker 19. Thompson Why I hope he goes Richards (BTW I hate the Tigers).... Big game experience, solid defender, boot from hell... He would be the Brent Tate of NSW in terms of getting a job done
Trevor Heiniger
Guest
McGuire and a dozen others either Qld or NSW. I don't know what the beef is about McGuire.
TahDan
Roar Guru
Didn't really look like that on Sunday... gotta say, Inglis in particular just looks over-rated in internationals lately. Some of his mistakes are just embarrassing when he wears the green and gold.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
A year of poor performances lacking in physicality primarily, people got excited about Cordner on the back of him being in a really strong pack where he was able to mostly make attacking runs in space and not have to tackle much. He's also in direct competition with Ryan Hoffman for a spot, and Hoffman has a good track record.
Gad
Guest
Nate Myles has done too many miles,the Titans are holding off, offering him a new contract. He may be the first casualty of the changing of the guard
Bronco Juggernaut
Guest
Best of the rest even though the 5 best players in the world are Aussies.
Bronco Juggernaut
Guest
SOO is becoming irrelevant? About 10 Million people disagree.
matth
Guest
What it showed to me: QLD are getting older (yes, I'm Captain Obvious). Cronk and even Smith do not look as great without Slater providing their attacking options. Inglis needs to be in the centres and, believe it or not, he needs Darius Boyd beside him. Gagai misses too many tackles, and Dugan showed us the result of picking a young centre to do a winger's job. They do not have the adaptability. Josh McGuire is overdue for an Origin spot, and QLD need the youth. Nate Myles is not a bench player. NSW need Klemmer and Fifita. they have the size and aggression to upset the older QLD side. Josh Jackson is better than I thought he was. When you have a bunch of halves who are just "good" it is really tricky to actually pick a couple for NSW.
matth
Guest
In other words it feels like a state game should. A level down from the pinnacle of test football.
AA
Guest
Can somebody please explain to me the sudden cooling off on Boyd Cordner? All NSW Fans seem to be excluding him in their 17s...
Jack
Guest
You know I'm probably a little less pumped for Origin this year after Sunday's test... some how feels like a battle of the also-rans after the Kiwis exposed a star studded Aussie side as being no where near worthy of the hype they receive in their Origin roles. It's an awesome grudge match, so I'm definitely watching, but it's not the best of the best by a long shot... more of a best of the rest.
Dayer
Guest
i am with you CW... with the current contract with nine, SOO will remain as is ... I hope in the next Negotiation NRL can tell all bidders that SOO will be played on a stand alone weekend with other rep games chucked in to fill the weekend. At the current rate the SOO demeans the NRL comp.. or kills it.
Cedric
Guest
yes your better off recruiting a Blake Austin, who most likely won't make origin this or next year. Jeez, just remembered Warriors recruited Hoffman!!!!!!!!!!! ( he's tooooo old Laurie ). Gotta say, the international rep round was awesome, but maybe cause we don't see alot of it! As a kiwi I don't get too excited about SOO, I can't pick NSW or Qld, cause I don't belong to either. So like a few kiwis', I watch with interest only. But when the Kiwis' are on, that has my interest and passion pumping! Can't wait for that silly SOO eligabilty rule to go. I know some say they grew up here (Oz), played their footy here, so they should play for Oz. Well, there's the other side, when you've got your parents and or grandfather whispering in your ear about culture and his roots and your roots, can you blame the boys for pulling on their Island jerseys. I don't think so.