NSW's halves conundrum: When the best isn't good enough

The answers is not simply "he is the best we got". What is the halfbacks role in origin? What boxes should the 7 tick? Great kicking game - Pearces kicking game below average. Great orginisational skills and direction to set the NSW attack - Pearce has none of those in the origin arena. Communicational skills and leadership - no where to be seen in Origin 2 this year when they should of shut the gate. He is not there to run the fastest on the field, be the best support player in the team or run the most distance. They are a bonus for a halfback or any player. NSW need a 7 who can kick and challenge slater and find grass. Mid fields bombs will never and that's all Pearce has. Pearce is one of the worst kickers in the comp. They also need to set up attacking plays and raids to get the ball to specific players like Tedesco or Hayne in attack, something Pearce should be doing especially inside QLDs 20. NSW just don't get it. A team of champions will never beat a champion team. Pick players to get the job done, players who roll up their sleeves and don't care about their stats or scoring Tries and posing, but players who are willing to dig deep and do a job for their side to win. 11 out of 12 is not good enough. QLD would of never stood for this and after looking 3 the coach threaten to drop the great Lockyer. Why won't NSW especially Pearce?

There is absolutely no way Pearce should be considered for next year. Daley should have blooded a new half back while he had the chance. It's time to put faith in other players, it sounds ridiculous to say but Pearce has had his chances. He's had more than enough surely that's obvious. Surely

Souths are chasing Maloney, if he does come to Souths than Reynolds and Maloney for Souths and then for Origin may be a real chance... If in form. Reynolds was knocked around early on with that Appendicitis Operation and maybe coming back in Rd 2 was way too soon. He copped a knock against the Dogs also. Reynolds hasn't been that good this year but he has put in 3 good performances in a row to date. As far Halves performing is dependent on their forward pack and Souths forwards haven't been the best they can be for the first half of the year. That is starting to change now.

Pearce is never protected by the forwards how much time does Cronk Thurston smith have to kick etc where as qld bash pearse so why the hell arnt we doing the same

The halves can't do much when the forwards don't do their job. Woods is soft as a 2 minute egg and Fifita played one good game out of three, simply not good enough. Josh Jackson makes his tackles but offers nothing else, while Frizell and Cordner went into the game injured and should never have played. The writing was on the wall for NSW when the number one prop in the game at that stage, Paul Vaughn, couldn't even get a spot in the 17. Hard to see where NSW go from here, but I'd be getting rid of Ferguson, Woods, Jackson, Peats (makes a lot of tackles but has zero attacking skills), Graham, and Pearce needs to go, he isn't an Origin level halfback. Tom and Jake Trobojevic look the goods, as does Shannon Boyd from the Raiders. Nathan Cleary is raw but by Origin next year will be a lot more experienced, and for once, pick players who are in form, they bring that form and confidence into camp with them.

Why Alex Johnstone wasn't picked for game 3 is beyond me?? The bloke is a try scoring machine and that is saying something when he's playing for Souths. A. Reynolds is too hot and cold, prone to injury, but an exceptional kicker (when hes on) and would be a great asset if could harden up and show some consistent form.

I'm not in the "Pearce hating" camp but frankly speaking, he is the best halfback NSW have but would be lucky to be in the top 10 best in the competition. In no particular order from #1~#8 I would say: Johnson, Thurston, Foran, Marshall, Hunt, Cronk, Cherry-Evans, Norman, Pearce. Pearce is confirmation how important a good halfback is to a team these days.

I heard a really good interview with Cooper Cronk this morning. Whilst he stopped short of saying it - I got the impression that he doesn't think the rest of the NSW team will follow Pearce and Maloney's lead. It got me thinking, and the last time NSW had a great run was with Joey and/or Freddy. Now that is stating the obvious as they were great players but more importantly it would not have mattered who they had in the forwards as these guys were great leaders and the rest followed. It is also obvious that Queensland run their team this way. They did it again this year with Tim "who" Glasby and plenty of others. Have a look at the team talks after a try or a break in play - it's only Smith/Cronk/Thurston who do the talking the rest just listen and do what they are asked. NSW need to find the 2 or 3 players that want to run the side and have the "charisma" and can back it up with football ability so that others will follow and do what they ask of them. After that NSW need to pick the remainder of the team comprising palyers who will follow the directions and urging's of these leaders and put their own ego's aside. I think Cordner is one of those but NSW need one or both halves to be in a lead role. I really don't know who that is but I think Moylan is one of our best chances in this regard. I also think Jake Trbojevic fits that mould - albeit he is not a half. For this to work the other NSW "stars" need to park their ego and get in and do what they are told, and if they don't want to then pick someone who will. Queensland have done it this way for years. Players like Fifita, Woods, Graham, Hayne, Ferguson, Maloney, Pearce are far too concerned with their own game to fit this model. If picking a team tomorrow it would be something like. Tedesco Mansour Bird Croker T Trbojevic Moylan Reynolds (Cleary?) J Trbojevic Jackson Cordner Vaughn Peats Klemmer Bench - Frizell, Ryan James, Angus Crichton, Dugan

Perhaps he is the best available, but he's had enough chances now. Don't pick the best necessarily next year, just pick someone different. The one series Blues did win was with Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson. I think most people would agree that Pierce is a better player than either of them, but guess what, he's winless after 8 attempts and those less-gifted guys got it done. Adam Reynolds was pretty good Game 1 last year before he got injured, he's won a premiership, he's your guy.

Thurston Cronk Cherry evans Johnson Foran Marshall Pearce may be the 6th or 7th best half in the world that's the problem.

Fifita is a flat track bully with mental problems and Woods just lacks mongrel imo. Smith also carved them both to pieces in the ruck. I still believe if NSW pick the right forwards and bench and play to their strengths, not relying so much on the halves to create chances then NSW can dominate. Pearce and Maloney didn't do much at all in game 1 and didn't need to.

Woods! really? Vaughan to prop, Frizell and Debellin on the bench. Although, IMO, still a little early for Cleary so Maloney as he team guide and let Moylan create. Graham needs to mature in clubland next yr. He was the game changer in Qlds favour twice.

Adam Reynolds simply doesn't run the ball or take the line on. His one move is to crab sideways and pass it to a forward standing still. He is a good goal kicker though.

No disgrace for Pearce to be rated below players like Lockyer, Thurston or Cronk...most league halves are! As some have noted (and Pearce himself...) perhaps he debuted a bit too soon, but the damage is being done by the press/media hype and the subsequent backlash akin to a "lover spurned".eg the TV pundits would talk him up ad nauseum, and then NSW didn't win Pearce copped the flak. He may never be the best halfback in the game, but few teams can win if the forwards are not doing their work well enough.

Adam Reynolds is 10 times more creative than Mitchell Pearce and deserves an opportunity next year. Pearce does not produce anything to put the Queenslanders under pressure other than a bomb from halfway, then a bomb from the 40, then a bomb from the 22 and when he tries anything else he bombs it. He's had enough chances to prove his worth and all he's done is prove he's not an origin player. He does not deserve to try again next year and I don't care how good his club for is for the Roosters. While I'm here, NSW can stop picking players out of position. Ferguson plays wing like a centre and is constantly making errors in defense. Pick a specialist winger like Mansour (yes, he was injured this year), Tommy T or Alex Johnstone. We need speed on the wings to chase kicks and bring the ball out of defense. If they defend on the wing for 26 games a season they don't have to think about their defensive decisions they just do it on instinct. I'd also offer the same regarding our centres and tell Dugan & Hayne to play the position for their clubs or forget about Origin selection. Yes, they are useful in attack but defense wins Origin and I put this above all else. Besides, it's the halves who create the attack and the centres & wingers should be feeding of them. The forwards are fine. Fifita and Woods had a poor game because the Maroons developed & practiced defensive plans to neutralise them. I blame our coaches who should have expected this and devised a game plan for dummy-half attacks or decoys to exploit the Queenslanders increased attention for the big boppers. It all starts with the halves and the NSW selectors should be telling every eligible 6 and 7 to show off their bag of tricks for the rest of this season and early next year if they want to be selected.

Seen Penriths attack, especially inside the oppositions 20? Lets pick them when they do something for more then a half of football rather then what they promise to doo

NSW prob is picking there spine, selecting genuine halves is killings us, they crab too much away from there strengths and play into Q's. We need a big line Running 5/8 to run first pass 2nd, having 2 halves who pass first run 2nd will see the ball move away from the middle third. I've ranted about this for the past how many yrs now, game one was won because it was played in the middle third, hint hints ffs!

surely Cleary/Moylan is the future for NSW. Get them in there for 2018 I say. also, a left side of D.Walker and Turbo should be picked. 1. teddy 2. turbo 3. walker 4. j.bird 5. dugan (needs to be on wing because he cant pass) 6. moylan 7. Cleary 8. Klemmer 9. peats 10. woods 11. jackson/frizell 12. cordner 13. Jurbo 14. T.peachey 15. vaughan 16. fifita 17. graham/frizell

Mitchell's had a fair whipping, but he's also been over-adulated by the press. I'm no expert, but to me he runs bloody well and is very strong. But he also has a one-dimensional kicking game and for me there's a question mark over his defence, you see him clutching at air nearly every match. If Maloney's there next year as you suggest, why not Townsend ? He's done nothing wrong, and the Storm players have already demonstrated the value of cohesion between club squad players familiar with each others' moves, so a group of Sharks might be of similar use.

Pretty much. Lost the ruck. Had lazy markers, dropped too much ball and all that lead to bad defensive reads. When our halves finally got some chances they were in bad field position or fatigued. I'd be looking at Woods and Ferguson before Pearce.