No room for the top three in Freddy's New South Wales team

I agree with Dugan at fullback but Hayne,Pearce,Tamou,Fifita all overrated Farah has proven over the years not up to origin anymore,Mitchell not yet maybe in a couple more years,and Peachey shouldn't even be in the conversation he just not good enough ever.I am a staunch Dragon's supporter but i think Vaughan was great at the beginning of last season but fell away lots from the middle to end of season and showed he was a bit soft so he wouldn't be up to this class either.

If that's the team Fittler is wanting well you might as well give the trophy to Queensland now.

I think that the NSW brains trust have Cleary & Moylan earmarked as the key halves combination in their hopes of a Blues dynasty coming up . Whether they use them in 2018 or give them another year to further develop we will see in 6 months time. I think Cleary is ready now, and if Moylan can avoid the Cronulla distractions, I think he should go in as well. Whilst Moylan would have put Gus' nose out of joint leaving the Panthers, Fittler, Brandy & Gus all know how good a player he is, if he is fit and happy. I think it would be a backwards step reverting back to Pearce & Maloney again when you a trying to build a new Blues dynasty that Fittler keeps talking about.

Hi Scott, Happy to; coaching is a results based business where winning games is pretty much the only way to ensure another contract, media is an eyeballs based business that's really about getting people watching, clicking, and commenting. So a person in a media role has different motives to a coach when asked to list a team, and, I think importantly, has much less personally riding on their decisions. It doesn't count against Brad Fittler as a commentator and columnist to make some unusual decisions in a team list if they make for an interesting discussion point that engages the viewer, as a coach though making an unusual choice is a much riskier venture.

In fairness to Fittler he picked this team early season (May?) whereas these rankings (2018?) I can only assume were done at the end of the year? As you stated, Tom was unavailable (and he still has a lot of errors in his game) and Moylan (not sure how he ranks so highly) has had a year to forget (or explain) on a number of levels. Whilst I would have gone with Tedesco it was not a gimme selection pre game 1 (and really he didn't come close to matching that performance in the other games). He is also not a renowned passer either. Tamou just has not picked up his game this year but if he was a Qldr would certainly have been picked for game 1 based on past service. The rest of the selections were either in the team selected or picked by a vast majority of "experts" in their sides so not really many surprises there. Besides form can be fleeting. RCG got better as the year went on (Latrell & Tyrone didn't) and who would have thought Michael Morgan wouldn't turn up in the RLWC final. I just hope he hasn't penciled in 80% of his side in preseason like Laurie does. I also hope he is objective and we don't end up with the Penrith/Easts/Newy blues team.

The role of a commentator / panellist is at times that of a provocateur, I think that needs to be considered a bit with any team someone in that position lists.

Nope Scott, it takes out what I call, the "NSW Pearce factor" that has been crippling NSW for years, where the retired experts pick the team in the media weeks before the first game which is completely devoid of any current form. Supercoach weighs up the positives and the negatives and tell you who is in form at the crucial time.

Hasn't Thurston retired from rep footy as well? Or has he put his hand up for one more run around if needed?

Moylan and Maloney played in the halves G3 2016, why not another crack like that?

This system has put "food on (your) plate since 2000''? Which brand is your favourite, Chum or Pal?

There is a fair bet that Slater will join his mate Cronk in representative retirement and, as you say, Inglis coming back to top form from his knee injury is certainly not a certainty. Boyd, Oates, Chambers, Gagai and Holmes would make up my backline for next year. The Cooper/JT-less halves is where the selectors are going to have some serious thinking to do and will certainly depend massively on the early season form of Ben Hunt/Ash Taylor/DCE to see who partners either Munster or Morgan in the halves. Both the M's are ball running type #6's, not creative players, so need proper #7 as a foil. On the forwards front, a successful return by Matt Scott would be absolutely massive for Qld's chances as there is daylight between him and players like Napa, Wallace and Glasby and precious little else on the horizon for the prop dept at the Maroons. Is it June yet??

I would just pick the best NSW supercoach players. That way you get the form players. Also gets rid of the politics and club loyalties from Fittler and Brandy.

I'd assume they'd go with someone they'd blooded, but form could come into it. If morgan gets halfback, you'd probably put munster (or mbye) on the bench. very similar player, offering the same injury cover. A relatively junior halfback might bring DCE into consideration. The halves and forwards questions are interesting, but this year was something of a warning in terms of the dangers of injury. And we've not seen if scott and Inglis will be the players they were. they'll have barely been seen on a paddock in about a year and a half.

In regards to your influential list,I’d change your bottom 3,based on this years form to 1. Luke Keary,who scares me(as an opposing teams fan) every time he touches it and runs to Latrelles wing...2. Gareth Widdop,who had a sensational year considering who was partnered with..and 3. Sean Johnson who is the pulse of that side..when he disappears so do his sides chances,which unfortunately happened too often this past season..at least equal to Cherry anyway...