NSW has got to do something different to improve its chances of winning State of Origin 2. Picking Blake Austin on the bench would be a good start.
Austin has got the potential to be a Craig Wing-type player for the Blues. The versatile Wing played 12 games for NSW from 2003 to ’09 and all of them were from the bench.
Wing first came into the team when Phil Gould was coach. He could cover the halves and hooker – and a couple of other positions at a pinch – but that wasn’t necessarily the key to his being there.
There were times when Gould sent him on for someone other than a key-position player with the task of just being busy.
Wing would just position himself near the ball and either use his playmaking skills to try to make something happen or be a potentially dangerous support player. Either way, his presence usually pepped the team up and gave NSW another option that Queensland was forced to worry about.
Blues coach Laurie Daley said straight after the 11-10 loss to the Maroons in Origin 1 that he was going to stick with Mitchell Pearce and Trent Hodkinson as his halves for Game 2 in Melbourne on Wednesday week. Presuming he is not planning to go back on that statement when he names his 17-man squad on Tuesday morning, there is no point in anyone spruiking Austin as a potential starter in the halves.
But the bench is an entirely different subject and the very nature of Austin as a player means that putting him there at the expense of a forward wouldn’t mean there was a risk of a spot being wasted.
Austin wouldn’t just be there as a player to cover for injury in the halves or to give the starting hooker a short break.
He would be there as an attacking livewire who could take advantage of the NSW forward pack doing well, or the opposition defence getting tired. Or purely as a potential game-breaker if it was in the balance and the Blues needed to try to find that something extra.
And, like Wing was, Austin is capable of doing his share of defence.
This is obviously a must-win game for the Blues and there is a train of thought that it is not a game where you blood an Origin rookie. That would be an understandable consideration if we were talking about the starting side – and particularly if it were one of the so-called ‘spine’ positions.
But we’re not. We’re talking about someone who could be sent out there with a bit of freedom to hang around the action in attack and look for the right time to become directly involved.
Austin isn’t too young to get his chance. He’s 24 and has been playing first grade since 2011. It’s just that, as promising as he looked, he didn’t really find the right club for him until this year.
Playing five-eighth at Canberra, he has quickly developed into that club’s most important player and one of the most exciting players in the competition.
NSW defended very well in Origin 1, but it wasn’t enough to get them a win and that was at home at ANZ Stadium. Now they have to win at a neutral venue – the MCG – to keep the series alive. It would be a big ask to rely on another huge defensive effort to do that.
Not against a Queensland side in which a Johnathan Thurston, or a Greg Inglis, or a Billy Slater could potentially cut loose at any time.
The Blues must come up with more than that. Austin could give them the bit of the x-factor they need.
Patrick Effeney
Editor
BANTER
GTW
Guest
Actually, it's nice to be told I'm completely wrong without you being rude. Thanks Alex L.
James T
Guest
personally I'm losing interest in origin as Daley, Stuart, johns and Fittler seem to think that Pearce is the second coming of Lewis. That's why nsw will do nothing until Pearce retires. Peter Wallace and Sam Williams are better options.
James T
Guest
personally I'd have Pearce on the bench with Wallace at half. Wallace I'm confident will take the right option to close the game out. Pearce is a good defender and runner but please don't put put the team in his hands.
pjm
Roar Rookie
It's funny because QLD has screwed NSW with it. It was easy for QLD to show loyalty to future immortals where they could paper over the cracks of some of the other less than stellar players. Now they've painted NSW into a corner with it and they're showing loyalty to players who can't make the grade.
pjm
Roar Rookie
Meninga and Daley are both terrible at using their bench, you can tell they lack the experience of even a rookie NRL coach in that regard as they don't do it week in week out.
soreloser
Guest
After Hodkinson, Pearce and Gallen performances for the Dogs, Roosters and the Sharks, how can you pick them? Hodkinson had a shocker for the Dogs, Pearce wasn't seen against the Sharks and Gallen was just not up there for even this NRL club game against the Roosters (for gods sake) how can you pick them? All these players will be picked for the decider of SOO II. What a joke.
Michael Keeffe
Guest
As a Queenslander I don't want you to pick him. Every time Craig Wing used to come off the bench I would get nervous because he could create something. The same used to go for Luke Lewis who is now a bit long in the tooth. No one really scares me in the blues side but Austin would make me a little nervous.
Peter Beckwith
Roar Rookie
Ragnar Lothbrock? Love it!!! :-)
Peter Beckwith
Roar Rookie
I don't know whether Austin will be picked for SOO but as a knights fan I watched him absolutely demolish Newcastle on Saturday. That was one of the most dominant performances that i have seen for a long time.
Jamieson Murphy
Roar Guru
I'd pick Ragnar Lothbrok any day of the week but unfortunately I doubt it will happen. Josh Jackson can cover the halves and hooker (obviously not to the extent that Austin could, but he fits in with the one-up, kind of footy we see in origin). If they are deadset on keeping Pearce they need to give him a halves partner that is a threat with the ball in hand, aka Austin.
Raugeee
Guest
:)
Raugeee
Guest
Big news. Cronk is out of Origin 2. I would reinstate JT to half back and put DCE in at 5/8. Jt a bit too slow for 5/8 at rep level these days.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
His defence isn't "pretty damned good", his missed tackles per game is higher than that of Jamie Soward and more than a couple of teams have used the "run at Austin" plan to good effect this season and given the turnstile showroom that is the Raiders defensive line, the fact some teams have singled him out to run at isn't a good sign.
Charles NSW
Guest
At the end of the day Laurie Daley chooses his team despite what the fans may think Many would chooose a different team including me. I for one feel NSW will not progress for the future until their selection criteria improves
josh
Roar Rookie
The second game is at the MCG, with his AFL haircut Blake Austin would fit right in.
Kris Swales
Expert
It makes so much sense that I can't possibly see NSW doing it. But if they lose this one, expect some new wingers to be brought in for Game 3.
jamesb
Guest
Reynolds is expected back in a week or two.
GTW
Guest
His defence is pretty damned good in reality, but he isn't going to be able to "hit" like Greg Bird or Luke Lewis. Then again, they can't run like him either.
GTW
Guest
Austin doesn't fit in with many of the other Blues, he is a very good speaker, respectful to men and women, is a family man despite his young age and doesn't seem to have any nasty baggage. He has had only half a season as a regular five-eight too.