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Opinion
Everything started off so promisingly in 2017 when Freddy’s reign as NSW coach began. He guided his team to a 2 – 1 victory.
He backed it up in 2018 with some genius clipboard scribbling as NSW came from behind and finally gave Mitchell Pearce the chance to get closer to the trophy than just standing next to the King Wally statue.
Everything looked glorious. There was talk of dynasty, a three-peat, a Freddy Fittler free-for-all. He picked brave, young, fearless players born to play Origin.
In the first game of 2018 he blooded Nathan Cleary, Josh Addo-Carr, Damien Cook, Latrell Mitchell, James Roberts, Jack de Belin, Tobby ‘Turbo’ Trbojevic and Stephen Crichton, amongst others. And history shows that, after this triumph, Freddy discarded several of these debutants, his follies, and they never played another minute of Origin.
Blues coach Brad Fittler (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Most of these so-called follies are still around, still playing, still hurting and waiting for their time to seek vengeance. For themselves and for their state.
And this is their story: how more than 18 players, not quite born to play Origin, were picked and flicked by Freddy during his six series at the helm.
And from these brave souls we will pick a team of current players who could claim victory in Origin 3. To be eligible for Freddy’s Follies, the criteria is pretty simple: that they debuted during Freddy’s reign, played fewer than six Origins (rules out Daniel Siafiti and Tariq Sims), haven’t officially retired and were dropped at least once along the way.
All stats and player ratings are courtesy of The Roar.
So, in game 1 2018 Reagan Campbell-Gillard was on the run on team. He made 91 metres from 9 runs in positive start. But it was deemed not good enough so he was dropped for (I bet none of you remember this) Matt Prior.
Before we go Prior, we can’t forget to mention that Tyrone Peachey, who covered most positions on the paddock, played all three matches off the bench. And Jack de Belin started in the first two, then swapped a bench spot with Jurbo in game three.
But back to Matt Prior. The Sharks veteran (not to be confused with the former England wicket keeper) started in a winning effort where he played a total of 25 minutes for three runs. 25 minutes for three runs was all Matt Prior would chalk up in his entire Origin career.
So he was dumped and Paul Vaughan became the third prop to start with David Klemmer. NSW won the series, at which point there was nothing Peachey about Tyrone so he was gone.
It wasn’t known at the time, but de Belin’s legal issues ruled him out, and Broncos coach Anthony Seibold dumped Jimmy The Jet to reggies, so he also quietly informally retired from Origin.
Game 1, 2019 was when Nic Cotric played his sole Origin, and Cody Walker debuted at 6. Cotric played with lots of energy in the first half, but then hurt his leg in the second.
NSW lost by four, and it’s a well known fact you never pick a player not 100% for Origin, so Cotric’s career was mortally wounded. Walker was wiped by selectors for this series, and Dale Finucane made his debut at lock. After NSW won game two by 38-6, Finucane was dropped to the bench for the decider, which NSW won (hey, Dale’s got 100% win rate thus far!)
So after the 2019 triumph, obviously Finucane and Vaughan had to go in 2020. In came Clint Gutherson at centre, Luke Keary at 5/8 and Cody Walker off the bench for game one. NSW lost that match by four (again), so Keary understandably was gone forever.
For game two, Walker started while Dale Finucane and Nathan Brown were both picked for a bench spot. A NSW victory meant that Dale Finucane was 3 for 3 at Origin, and Nathan Brown 1 for 1. NSW lost the decider, so Keary and Brown (one Origin), Gutherson (three) and Walker (four) had their papers marked. And rightly so.
Onto 2021, aka the series where Turbo and Latrell dominated and scored four tries each. So it probably didn’t matter much that Finucane played the third match at prop and Mitchell Moses also made his debut as NSW went for a clean sweep.
Despite an aggregate score of 76-6 after two matches, the Moses-Wighton combo failed and NSW went down. It’s at this point we say farewell to Dale Finucane and thank him for his five matches in blue.
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
This is where it gets confusing. In game one 2022, Kotoni Staggs played quite well in his one and only game at centre, and Stephen Crichton struggled in his debut off the bench.
Oh and hey it’s time to call back Reagan Campbell-Gillard to start, and Ryan Matterson off the bench. NSW lost by six, so obviously Matterson had to go. His efforts were substandard and he was replaced by Siosifa Talakai.
Staggs, who did quite well and Crichton, who didn’t made it clear to Fred about selections for game 2, so it was that Freddy retired Staggs from Origin and promoted Crichton.
Oh, and Campbell-Gillard was also dumped. NSW won the 2nd by loads with Matt Burton scoring a try and very nearly claming man of the match, so in came Jacob Siafiti for his solitary game. NSW of course lost, and despite scoring a try and running for over 100 metres off the bench, Siafiti was considered not Origin standard.
And we don’t expect to see Talakai or Matterson back anytime ever. Matt Burton? Couldn’t even beat two Queenslanders in fight while his team mates watched from 50 metres away.
So far in 2023 we’ve seen the first and last of TPJ. It’s probably the only 13 minutes of Origin that Stefano Utoikamanu will ever play, so he’s been pencilled in as a pre-emptive retiree.
Nicho Hynes played less than Stefano in Origin one and he was so rubbish at centre it made Cookie look like Big Mal. But a wise choice by Freddy to bring the Rabbitohs hooker in to cover an unlikely injury to Tom Turbo while “Punchy” Burton remained 18th man.
Blues coach Brad Fittler. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Reece Robson? We need to stop copying Queensland’s two hooker system, or one hooker and one seldom centre. So Reece is on thin ice due to playing well at hooker for 80 minutes and just generally being a quality hooker who was picked as the hooker.
But Freddy is expected to pick him and Cookie in the centres for Origin 3, so he is lucky. The rest of this lot all need to go and have a long look in the mirror.
Still with me? No, I didn’t think so. So here’s where this leads us: it’s a squad of disgruntled players picked and flicked by Freddy in five games or fewer who were clearly born not quite to play origin.
1. Nicho Hynes (1 Origin)
2. Nic Cotric (1 Origin)
3. Clint Gutherson (3 Origins)
4. Matt Burton (2 Origins)
5. Kotoni Staggs (1 Origin)
6. Cody Walker (4 Origins)
7. Mitchell Moses (2 Origins)
13. Jack de Belin (3 Origins)
12. Ryan Matterson (1 Origin)
11. Dale Finucane (5 Origins) (C)
10. Reagan Campbell-Gillard (2 Origins)
9. Tyrone Peachey (3 Origins)
8. Tavita Pangai-Junior (1 Origin)
Res
14. Nathan Brown (1 Origin)
15. Jacob Siafiti (1 Origin)
16. Siosofa Talakai (2 Origins)
17. Stefano Utoikamanu (1 Origin)
NSW most capped player, Dale Finucane will skipper this team with between five and 80 minutes experience across 34 Origins (one Allan Langer.).
This team is all about passion, and given the chance they will no doubt run out in Game 3 as favourites. All 17 players will harness their disgruntlement and hate of Freddy’s pick and flick policy. Freddy, on the other hand will feed this anger and growl, “Go on then. Prove me wrong”
And in proving Freddy wrong, they will prove they were indeed born to play Origin, which will prove Freddy right for selecting them in the first place.
Go get em, Follies!
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