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Blues selectors, it's time to go for Croke

Ben Inglis new author
Roar Rookie
25th May, 2018
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The Raiders take on the Panthers in the NRL finals. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
Ben Inglis new author
Roar Rookie
25th May, 2018
31
1359 Reads

Wednesday June 6th, 2018. We are just weeks away from the first game of State of Origin this year and every man and his dog have been naming their sides since before the first football was kicked.

One of the positions that have been discussed the most is the left centre position. Curtis Scott, Latrell Mitchell and Jack Bird have been in discussion for this position but there’s one player who deserves to be named in this position, someone that I haven’t ever seen mentioned, Jarrod Croker.

One thing Jarrod Croker brings to the table is experience. This in my opinion is the most important factor when it comes to Origin. Croker has played seven representative games for Country, the PM’s XIII and the All Stars. He knows what to expect in the Origin arena.

Croker is capable of leading a successful team around, having displayed this throughout the 2016 season where he captained the Raiders to a preliminary final (which was almost a grand final).

Jarrod Croker running

Jarrod Croker will likely miss out on Origin, but deserves to be there. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)

Jarrod Croker has far better discipline that his left centre counterparts. He has made the second most tackles of all the left centres in contention, with his 124 tackles being beaten by only Nird (who has spent most of this season in the halves). His tackle efficiency is above 80 per cent, again second best of the left centre contenders.

Curtis Scott showed us last week what he can do when niggled (something to be expected in the Origin arena) and shouldn’t be picked. Mitchell has let his emotions get the better of him in the past in big games (such as kicking the ball out on the full twice in the preliminary final last year) and Fittler should blacklist him as a result. Croker on the other hand is immaculate when it comes to keeping his cool and would relish the chance to play origin.

Brad Fittler has made it clear he wants club combinations to play a key role in his Origin team. So why not fill his team up with some boom Raiders players? Nick Cotric can line up alongside him on the left edge, where they can form a combination with Shannon Boyd and Aidan Sezer. This Raiders edge has been very exciting this year and I’d love to see these players to show us what they are made of in State of Origin.

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There you have it. These are the reasons Jarrod Croker should be an origin certainty for not just 2018, but for years to come. The culture Fittler is building is exciting and I hope that he follows through with picking Jarrod Croker, who cannot step a foot wrong and would be a massive improvement over the past players who have lined up on the left edge.

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