Opinion
Seriously, do we stand a chance?
Every year us Queenslanders like to give the middle finger to the NSW Blues after we win a State of Origin series.
Some sections of the media are saying they are seeing shades of 1995 purely because Channel Nine are worried that viewership will be down because of the time of the year and also the master Wayne Bennett is back.
But when actually breaking it down, unfortunately I can’t see miracles happening twice.
Kalyn Ponga – the so-called next Darren Lockyer – is out with a shoulder injury that requires immediate surgery.
The question is where are the Maroons’ players for the 2020 series are coming from? The Wynnum Manly Seagulls?
Queensland supporters and possibly players in leadership positions in the Queensland team were probably asking the same question back in ’95.
But with the stocks in most departments low, it is hard to see us Queenslanders getting over the line.
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
When putting the probable teams on paper side by side, the only player who could win their position would be Cameron Munster, yet he still has an asterisk next to his name because of a recurring knee injury.
David Fifita, Kalyn Ponga, Ethan Lowe, Moses Mbye, Will Chambers, Michael Morgan and Josh McGuire are all players who played in Game 3 of last year’s series, but they are missing the 2020 series either through injury, non-selection or in Will Chambers’ case being in a different code.
It is clear to see the chances on paper are numbered. This isn’t even including the fact that the Brisbane Broncos finished 16th, the North Queensland Cowboys finished 14th and the Gold Coast Titans finished ninth in the 2020 season.
Wally Lewis, are you willing to pull the boots on again?
On the other side of the border, the New South Wales team is stacked. James Tedesco is the best player in the competition.
Cody Walker is in career-best form and is only second in the pecking order for the number six jersey behind two-time premiership winner, Clive Churchill medalist and former Queenslander Luke Keary.
In the forward pack, David Klemmer – former NSW Blues shoo-in – isn’t even picked in the squad and is behind the likes of Payne Haas, Junior Paulo, Paul Vaughan, Jake Trbojevic and Reagan Campbell-Gillard.
Queensland have emerging players such as Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, David Fifita, Moeaki Fotuaika, AJ Brimson, Jadyn Su’A and Xavier Coates.
I can see the reason why people are saying they see 1995 all over again but I can’t see it occurring again, unfortunately.
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.
The only real selection debate for Billy Slater has been settled by Kalyn Ponga’s untimely foot injury. Newcastle’s captain was probably unlikely to get…
Queensland often has the right mix of generational talent, playmaking brilliance and these nuts-and-bolts players that bind them together like glue.
Despite a poor season by his own high standards, Latrell Mitchell is still a chance to force his way into the NSW team for…
Veteran Queensland trio Felise Kaufusi, Dane Gagai and Kurt Capewell have been included in a 34-man Maroons squad that will meet in Brisbane to…
Matt Ballin will replace Cameron Smith on the Queensland coaching staff this State of Origin series. An assistant coach at Brisbane since late 2021,…
Proposed rule changes to Origin eligibility might be that rarest of things: a solution that works for everyone.
