I’ll start this article by congratulating Queensland and their supporters on a deserving victory.
A memorable win for three future immortals that without doubt would be the highlight of their Origin careers. Origin being Origin though, they won’t get the time to celebrate which they have thoroughly earned.
The opposite must be said for NSW. Changes must now be made. No ifs no buts, that was the wake-up call of all wake-up calls. Coach Laurie Daley needs to make tough choices or resign.
I feel as if last year’s team was assembled purely to try and halt Queensland’s dominant run. This was not a team which would carry us to victory in the following years. And that objective of ending Queensland’s consecutive run of wins was reached, with a bit of luck coming in the way of Cooper Cronk being injured.
The rebuilding should have started this series. Sure we more than likely would have lost this series and perhaps another one or two but our focus should be the long-term.
Now we have hit rock bottom. I can’t think of any positives anybody from NSW could get out last night’s game other than the only way to go is up from here. If we had begun the changing of the guard this year we NSW fans would at least be comforted by the fact that next year will be better.
Unfortunately that is not the case. It is not all doom and gloom however. New Zealand made necessary changes to their squad after the huge loss to the Kangaroos in the RLWC and that has turned out wonders for them. I hope and pray the relevant people from NSWRL take a leaf out of their book.
As they say night is darkest right before the dawn. That and hopefully Cam Smith, Billy Slater, Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk hang up their Origin boots sometime soon.
Wolly
Roar Guru
Yes it's not pretty but desperate times call for desperate measures.
matth
Guest
So 10 changes - wow
art pagonis
Guest
New South Wales forwards are bent on hurting people . Qld players are intent only on hitting hard, legally and being efficient in getting players to the ground. And that is true in the NRL with the League leading Broncos and Cowboys. They have far more discipline than their NSW counterparts. They could both be leading the competition by 3 games with an ounce of luck. Coaches from NSW need to take a good , long look at their illegal tackling and why they are losing close games. DISCIPLINE. Coaches such as Bennett, Meninga and Paul Green have always understood this difference and applied it because most referees were from NSW. The AFL has a huge issue with umpires/referees from Victoria in a similar context to a point where many people believe that Neutral Umpires are required to officiate matches involving interstate teams. Qld had home ground advantage (HGA) for the crucial game. The result might have been different at ANZ Stadium in Sydney, believe it or not. 100,000 Blues fans can lift the roof. Pressure in Melbourne by the Blues tackling led to that win for NSW (extra Blues possession killed Qld in that game) and a great tackling effort and field goal won the opening clash for Qld at ANZ. So these series are often closer than one thinks when one sees a 46 point loss in Game 3. Also, games 1 and 2 were played on slippery and wet surfaces. Lang Park was dry as a bone by comparison...and Qld stayed on top of the ground. Qld had 12-5 penalty advantage from NSW illegalities that didn’t need to happen. They had 70% possession at key times near the NSW line. They just had to run the right play to score tries. Jonathan Thurston kicked 10 from 10 and Qld scored 8 tries to 1. How can you beat that? The NRL is a fantastic breeding ground for young Coaches and young men who play the game. Because RL is only played in England and New Zealand and Australia predominantly, it has no chance to expand greatly. I personally believe that a Rugby Hybrid involving 20-40 countries would have a chance to become a world rated sport…but only if the rules are designed for mobility and continuous action. 20 metres between teams, the speed and strength aspects, scrums that are meaningful and provide equal competition, bomb laws, lineouts…it could be terrific. There is a great argument for taking the Origin games to New Zealand and England and the USA in time. It is a world class spectacle that ranks with the Superbowl etc.
Wolly
Roar Guru
Sorry about that, here are my suggestions: Get a coach who can instil proper pride in the jumper and get the fire in the belly of the players Consider taking promising up and coming NSW players to Lang Park for Origin so they know what their in for when it is them playing in the future. Might sound silly to some but victory loves preparation. I hate pointing fingers but changes to the squad must be made. If I were a selector here is what the NSW team would look like. 1. Moylan 2. Walker 3. J. Morris 4. Dugan 5. Roberts 6. Austin 7. A. Reynolds 8. Woods 9. Peats 10. Klemmer 11. Frizell 12. Sims 13. Graham 14. Scott 15. Tamou 16. Cartwright 17. Cordner This is what I could think of without having the chance of taking time that is needed as I start work in a bit and still need a coffee. Changes may be made if I sat for a while and had a good think about it.
Jay C
Roar Guru
I said yesterday that they should look at Bellamy, as he has said he will give up full time coaching after his current Storm contract. The changes should come from the top. The selectors and coach have a lot to answer for.
Jay C
Roar Guru
In all reality NSW has rebuilt like 20 times. When push comes to shove it means more to QLD to win than it does to NSW. This goes for players and fans. It was the collective will of the state of QLD that won the game on Wednesday and NSW just don't have an answer.
KillaKanga
Roar Rookie
The only way forward for NSW is to GET RID OF Daley immediately and appoint any of the following Toovey Hasler or Bellamy all three are coaches with a respectable track record and all three would bring a passion and fire to win...something that Daley obviously LACKS ! As for the team, where do you start ? Wholesale axe job comes to mind ......BUT, there is a name I NEVER want to see associated with the NSW Blues again...JuJu Pearce. Hell , I'd prefer to see Flipper Cherry Evans play for us than that muppet !
Dexter The Hamster
Guest
I kind of agree, but you haven't made any suggestions. For me, Mansour, Walker and Moylan are all options in the backline, but all had injury issues through the season, and in the forwards, maybe Cartwright??
Doug Graves
Guest
"Changes must now be made. No ifs no buts, that was the wake-up call of all wake-up calls. Coach Laurie Daley needs to make tough choices or resign." Sadly, Daley has already stated the NSW halves are safe....... Only 1 thing left to say. SOS Phil Gould!