And so the cycle continues.
Emotionally battered, mentally strained; what was that Joey? He just feels downright “sick”.
So alarming is the frequency of Wednesday night’s horror show, we should surely be used to it now. Origin though, doesn’t allow us to be.
The game that stops the nation. The game thats causes diehard AFL and rugby union fans to lie through their teeth and tell friends and colleagues they didn’t watch it.
The game that gives NSW fans a ray of optimism for the first six months of every year.
The game that breaks their hearts soon after.
And so the vitriol begins. Queenslanders laugh as their southern neighbours call for the heads of everyone from Mitchell Pearce to the orange peeler. Players who weren’t selected are thrown into the limelight as the saviour that never was. This achieves little.
I refuse to get involved in the slanging of individual NSW players, however collectively last night they were poor. While some might argue that, irrespective of who NSW pick, Queensland will still be too strong, I won’t buy into that mantra.
It’s defeatist, it’s futile and it’s weak.
[latest_videos_strip category=”rugby-league” name=”League”]
What I am starting to believe though, is that the NSW State of Origin side lacks belief. They can say whatever they want in the build up, they can act as cocky as they please in the pre-game pressers, but when push comes to shove on the big stage, the confidence just isn’t there.
1-17, NSW have a stronger side. Their forward pack showed for the first 120 minutes of the series that they are on a completely different level to their Maroon counterparts.
James Tedesco is the premier fullback in the game, Josh Dugan and Jarryd Hayne are absolute superstars. James Maloney will likely wear the Australian number 6 jumper at the World Cup. Still though, not quite there.
A team full of superstars, but not yet a superstar team.
As fans and media personnel flock to suggest names and changes that will lead us to victory next year, a far more holistic analysis and approach is needed. Forget the individuals, let’s address the sense of inferiority and hesitation that has rendered us winners of one series across 12 damn years.
Let’s address the systemic lack of belief that has seen us lose every decider since 2005. Let’s address the audacity, the boldness and the genuine arrogance that is needed to reinvigorate NSW rugby league.
Do we need to make changes to the squad to achieve this? Possibly, but not just changes for the sake of changes. Often we hear of NSW players being weighed down by the heartbreak and agony of the last decade. The scars of defeat are just too large.
While Laurie Daley has done a fine job in ushering in the new era, next year they will need to go all out if they are to stand any chance.
Young, explosive rookies who don’t know what Origin defeat tastes like. Who don’t care that they are up against Cameron Smith and Billy Slater.
Who genuinely believe they are better.
While I have plenty of respect for Laurie Daley, I would love nothing more than to see the Johns brothers front and centre next year.
As we all put away our Blue paraphernalia for another year, it’s back to the drawing board for the heavy hitters at NSW Rugby League.
We’ll find out in 12 months’ time if they’ve finally discovered the bigger picture.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Queensland often has the right mix of generational talent, playmaking brilliance and these nuts-and-bolts players that bind them together like glue.
Spudd hitting Kenty right between the eyes!
Despite a poor season by his own high standards, Latrell Mitchell is still a chance to force his way into the NSW team for…
Michael Maguire is saying all the right things about how he wants to guide NSW back to State of Origin supremacy but the inescapable…
Wayde Egan's rise to star hooker status at the Warriors should earn him a place in conversation to play at No.9 for NSW in…
Hilton Cartwright and Joel Paris have powered Western Australia to a five-wicket win over NSW in the one-day cup final, securing a historic third…
