With Josh Morris ruled out of Game II, the Blues will be giving two young guns their chance to shine.
The omission of veteran Morris may look bad for New South Wales, but when you look a little deeper, it’s the right thing to do for the future of the team.
The reshuffle allows Dylan Walker to come into the starting side to right centre – his preferred and best position. It also means Sharks’ centre Jack Bird comes onto the bench to fulfil the utility role.
Both of these excite me for not only Game II but for the future.
While some may have their doubts over whether or not Dylan Walker has the gusto to handle Greg Inglis, the real question should be whether or not he can provide some much needed spark to New South Wales’ attack, which he definitely can do.
Things start to look better when you see who he’s lined up next to – former premiership-winning teammate Adam Reynolds. As a Rabbitohs supporter I cannot explain how proud I am to not only see these Souths boys don the jersey of our great state, but what former combinations they can bring to life in the toughest arena of them all.
Both of these guys have played football together since their schoolboy days, and formed a lethal right-edge combination at South Sydney, with Reynolds sending Walker through for tries on multiple occasions off his boot with a deft grubber. It’s definitely something I’d love to see the Blues try when they need to shake things up, and I think Walker will do himself proud with a better opportunity this time around.
The addition of Jack Bird to the bench as a utility is a move I welcome with open arms. Capable of playing anywhere on the field besides the front row, Bird has been a shining light for the top-of-the-table Sharks, and will be buoyed by the fact he will have four of his Cronulla teammates lining up with him when they walk onto Suncorp Stadium.
His versatility and determined style of play is exactly what the Blues need off the bench and he has the perfect balance of speed, strength, ball-playing ability and power.
The best asset of Bird’s game however is his timing. He knows when to pass the ball, he knows when to make a tackle, he knows when to put the afterburners on and runaway for a try, and this aspect of his game is exactly what a bench utility needs to have in order to be effective.
I have no doubt in my mind Jack Bird will be a mainstay for the Blues for years to come, and the opportunity has arisen for him to get a taste of the big time.
Walking out onto Suncorp Stadium in front of 50,000 screaming Maroons fans is going to be intimidating for these two youngsters (not to mention the other rookies that have been blooded this series), but for the Blues, they stand as the best chance they have of keeping the series and future of our state alive.
What do you think of the reshuffle? Let me know in the comments below!
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All the team list information for Round 9.
