It’s that time of year again ladies and gentleman, State of Origin is back. The Blues are favourites to take Game 1 as the Maroons are without Johnathan Thurston, Matt Scott and Greg Inglis.
Each year there is plenty of debate when the teams are chosen, mainly from the NSW fans, as they are sick of the Queensland dominance. When we all pick our sides, you would think that some of the players that had represented Australia in past would be shoe-ins for an Origin call-up. But that is not always the case.
Here are ten players who represented the Kangaroos but never made it (or are yet to make it) to the Origin arena.
State of Origin Game 1 coverage
» Blues annihilate Maroons to steal series opener
» State of Origin scores, highlights, result
» WATCH: James Maloney opens the scoring with an early try
» WATCH: Commentators forget where the game’s being played
» WATCH: Jarryd Hayne and Cooper Cronk trade moments of brilliance
» WATCH: Mitchell Pearce knocked out in sickening collision
1. Valentine Holmes
The Sharks winger knows exactly how to find the try line and is at home on the wing or at fullback, but due to Queensland’s loyalty when it comes to picking a side he misses out this year. Holmes represented the Kangaroos in this year’s Anzac Test as well as the Four Nations in 2016. Holmes is 21 years old so there is still plenty of time for him to make it.
(AAP Image/Craig Golding)
2. Shannon Boyd
Like Holmes, Boyd was part of the Kangaroos side for the Four Nations last year and while he was part of the squad for the Anzac Test it took an incident that saw Josh Papalii being dropped for him to make it. While the Raiders’ indifferent start to the season hasn’t helped him, if there are any injuries in the Blues camp Boyd should be one of the first picked.
3. Chris Lawrence
The Tigers second-rower made it into the Australian Four Nations squad back in 2010 when the Tigers had a ripper of a year, finishing one game short of the grand final and losing out to the Roosters. Back then, Lawrence was running around in the centres and could score a try or two, however since then Lawrence has been hit pretty hard by injuries. Plying his trade in the back row these days, Lawrence may not get the chance to play Origin with the depth that NSW has in their back-row.
4. Ben Hunt
Hunt made his Kangaroos debut back in 2014 in the Four Nations tournament due to Johnathan Thurston being ruled out. After being stuck behind Cooper Cronk and Thurston, Hunt may find it difficult to make his Maroons debut with players like Anthony Milford, Ash Taylor and Daly Cherry-Evans in the fold for the future.
5. Joel Clinton
The former Panthers and Broncos enforcer was one of the keys to Penrith breaking through to their first grand final win since 1991 and that form saw him claim a Test jumper in 2004. Unfortunately, Clinton never got to wear the sky blue jumper with his only other rep cap coming for City Origin.
6. Richard Villasanti
The former Tigers and Warriors hard man (who was born in Canberra) was the first New Zealand-based player to make the Kangaroos side when he was a part of the Australian squad that toured Great Britain and France in 2003. Villasanti had a rugged tackling style that helped the Warriors to the 2002 grand final and saw him split open Roosters captain Brad Fittler. A knee injury saw Villasanti’s career cut short at 27.
7. Nathan Blacklock
The flying winger from Tingha was one of the games most prolific try scorers in the 90s and 2000s, amassing an amazing 96 tries in four seasons for St George. Blacklock made his Test debut against the Papua New Guinea Kumuls in 2001, scoring two tries, then he was given his second start against Great Britain in the third ‘Ashes’ Test.
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8. Andrew Walker
Andrew Walker was an incredibly talented player; such was his talent that he actually kept Brad Fittler out of the number six jersey when ‘Freddy’ moved to the Roosters. Walker represented both the Kangaroos and Wallabies; a sky blue jumper is one that eluded him, however. Walker returned to league in 2004 with Manly and showed that he was still capable of running rings around the opposition.
9. Reni Maitua
What can you say about Reni Maitua? He was a talented back-rower that was part of a fearsome premiership-winning Bulldogs pack, but his international career with the Kangaroos lasted only one game due to an ankle injury. Maitua never got to play for NSW but he did manage to get a blue representative jersey, but it was the blue of Samoa, who he represented twice.
10. Sione Mata’utia
Definitely a shock selection in 2014, Mata’utia was selected after only seven NRL games. He was 18 years old when then-coach Tim Sheens selected him for the Four Nations. A lack of form and a poorly performing club has cost Mata’utia from representative duties but, like Holmes, he has plenty of time to not only reclaim his Kangaroos jersey but also a NSW one.
While some of the players on this list have well and truly missed the opportunity to play in rugby league’s toughest arena, others still have time but only time will tell. Let me know in the comments who should have been on the list.
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