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Laurie Daley is to be congratulated on being a loyal coach and a pick-and-stick selector, a double trait Mal Meninga deployed with such outstanding success for Queensland for a decade.
But there are times when loyalty has run its course, as Daley showed with his Origin 1 squad.
Hooker Robbie Farah was a loyalty selection, even though Michael Ennis was the form hooker in the NRL.
On the other side of the coin, backrower Beau Scott has been always been an 80-minute Origin rep in Blue, but his name was missing for Origin 1.
Go figure.
Centre-fullback Josh Dugan was picked as a centre even though his recent elbow injury made him questionable. In the end, the Dragon was a non-starter, and in came another loyalty selection in Josh Morris, even though Jack Bird was the form centre.
Now we await selection for Origin 2, where a win for NSW is an obvious must to keep the series alive, having lost the first set 6-4.
For starters, Ennis to replace Farah.
Boyd Cordner’s foot injury means he’s out for four to six weeks if surgery is not required, and as long as 12 months if he goes under the knife.
Scott is the automatic replacement. The way he played last round was typically non-stop in attack and defence, and instrumental in Parramatta’s 20-18 win over the Knights.
NSW needs Scott on duty. I have no doubts the Blues would have won Origin 1 had Scott been his destructive best.
Out the back, the Morris loyalty has run its race, especially as Bird had a blinder for the Sharks in their last-minute 20-18 win over the Bulldogs
The way Bird’s slick footwork accounted for Moses Mbye, Curtis Rona, and Josh Morris was proof enough, but his freakish flick pass to an unmarked Valentine Holmes to touch down was pure class.
That takes care of the Origin 2 starting lineup, with only a replacement for benchman Dylan Walker required.
How Walker was selected in the first place defied description, and the fact he didn’t surface until late in Origin 1 suggests he wasn’t Daley’s suggestion.
Waiting to be recognised is Bryce Cartwright, one of the most exciting youngsters in the NRL.
If ever a 21-year-old has Origin written all over him it’s the tearaway Panther. And from Daley’s point of view, he’s a big bonus on the bench as a backrower or a pivot – he’s multi-talented, big, and quick.
That squad can win Origin 1 at Suncorp, then head to ANZ for the decider.