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Opinion
Before I go any further, it’s important for me to announce my bias. I enjoy men’s State of Origin, but the result does not bother me at all.
I know that in my lifetime, I will see the NSW Blues win the series plenty of times. I’ve already seen them win several times. With a 50 per cent chance of my team winning each year, I like those odds.
My club team on the other hand, I may never see win a premiership, so when it comes to State of Origin conversations, I tend to preference the needs of my club over the needs of my state.
After Mitchell Moses’ outstanding performance against the Canterbury Bulldogs where he set up two tries and led the Parramatta Eels to a 34-12 win, I had a feeling he would be selected for the Blues.
Deservedly so.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
His game has matured greatly over the past couple of years at the Eels. In the past his performances have been erratic, but he has developed control over his own game, particularly in last year’s finals series when he was able to guide the Eels to the Grand Final.
His kicking game has become a real strength and his decision-making has improved considerably, knowing when to run versus knowing when to kick.
After the dominant Queensland performance in Game I, the series now sits on a knife’s edge and my view is that Moses being selected places him in a no-win situation.
Take the best case scenario. Moses plays Game II and the Blues surprise us all and win at Suncorp Stadium.
Nathan Cleary is unavailable for Game III too, due to his hamstring injury, so let the fairytale continue with Moses playing Game III, the Blues winning and then lifting the trophy at ANZ Stadium.
Moses will have had the thrill of helping his team to a State of Origin victory, but will unlikely ever be selected again (unless Cleary is again unavailable).
No matter how well Moses performs, he will always be behind Cleary. There is almost nothing that Moses can do in these next two games which would see him unseat Cleary.
Other than personal pride and a desire to win, that doesn’t give much incentive for a player to push for selection. What if the opposite happens and Moses has an average game and the Blues lose Game II?
Will the knives be out for Moses? Probably. Rationality seems to fly out the window when we talk about State of Origin.
We’ve seen how quickly fans and the media can turn and we need look no further than Nicho Hynes.
He has been part of the extended squad for the past two years. You would assume that is because NSW saw him as part of their future plans and thought there was benefit to him being part of the camp.
After being put on the field for 12 minutes during Game I (out of position to cover an injury), Hynes was criticised for a lacklustre performance.
In the last couple of weeks there has also been increased pressure on the Cronulla Sharks due to their poor record against top eight teams. Hynes has come under the microscope and has not played his best footy.
He’s now been completely dropped from the squad, labelled ‘not an Origin player’ and also called ‘fragile’ in the media. Incredible how all it takes is an average 12 minutes in a position that isn’t your own to be called ‘not an Origin player’.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
I have no interest in any player that plays for my team (or any player at all for that matter) to go through that.
The reasons above are why I would have chosen Adam Reynolds for that jersey.
Reynolds is an older, experienced player who is also having an exceptional season. Even with a quieter game against the Newcastle Knights, he still scored the match winner. He also apparently knows every single blade of grass at Suncorp. (Rumour has it that he he individually inspects them each time with a tiny magnifying glass.)
Reynolds is towards the end of his career, so he would be under no misapprehension that he was simply filling a spot until Cleary was fit again.
But regardless of who is wearing that No.7 jersey, I have fingers and toes crossed for a Blues win next Wednesday because I certainly don’t want any of my players subject to the roasting that will take place after another series loss.