How is it having it both ways? Blokes like Nightingale, Hoffman, Beale and Pritchard all have Kiwi heritage, and therefore, should have the right to choose between NZ and Australia (as long as they stick with whatever choice they make). The only truly dodgy selections that NZ have made in recent years (on the same scale as Inglis playing for QLD, Tamou playing for Aus and NSW, and Kasiano possibly playing for QLD and Aus) are Nathan Fien and Brent Webb (especially Fien as he previously played for QLD). NZ selecting Nightingale, Hoffman, Beale and Pritchard isn’t anything like Australia selecting Tamou and Kasiano. Kasiano came here when he was 16, having played all his junior footy in NZ. Although Tamou has spent a good 10 years in Australia, he still played for the NZ Maori and he was part of the NZ training squad for last year’s Four Nations. Forget the fact that he only came here when he was 13. He got selected for NZ’s extended squad last year. That alone should disqualify him from playing for NSW and Australia. Not to mention the letter of intent he (and Kasiano) signed to play for NZ.

Just to clarify, when I say NZ Origin I mean they have their own Origin series – either Auckland vs the Rest of NZ (including players like Nightingale, Hoffman, Jeremy Smith etc who were born and raised in Australia) or North Island vs South Island. I actually believe making SOO a tri-series devalues the whole concept of State of Origin. State of Origin should only ever be expanded beyond NSW and QLD when/if Victoria or WA have the depth to field SOO standard teams; we are a long long way from this becoming a reality, with the Storm only just beginning to produce Melbourne born and bred players in their U20s side.

With regards to the Kiwis playing Origin, I think common sense needs to prevail. We’ve heard a lot about the new commission’s eligibility rules, in which a player needs to answer a series of questions (completely honestly unlike Inglis when he lied about playing his first senior footy for Norths Devils), and that will determine which team they play for. These eligibility rules need to be implemented asap. And just on the 3 players mentioned in the article (Taumalolo, Kasiano and Tamou), I believe Taumalolo actually turned down an offer from Mal earlier in the year, saying that he didn’t want to take the place of a true Qlder. And with Tamou and Kasiano, while I believe neither should be allowed to play Origin, Tamou does have more of a claim to an Origin jersey than Kasiano. Firstly, Tamou came here as a 13 year old, while Kasiano came here as a 16 year old. At that age, 3 years is a massive difference. Also, Tamou never played league in NZ. He played all his junior footy for Paddo Tigers in the Souths/Easts junior competitions. Kasiano on the other hand played all his juniors in NZ. NZ Origin also needs to be introduced to help convince Kiwis to play for NZ. Also, another NZ team needs to gain admission into the NRL. That will help keep aspiring Kiwi league players in NZ. So many young Kiwis get picked up by Aussie clubs because there is only 1 NZ team. You don’t hear Shaun Johnson or Kevin Locke going on about wanting to play Origin. Tighter eligibility laws + NZ Origin + 2nd NZ NRL team = problem solved.

In 2002 when Gallop was appointed CEO the NRL was an absolute mess. If you look at the way the game was back then and compare it to the way it is now, Gallop has done an excellent job. Gallop’s reactive rather than proactive management style meant that he was the perfect man for the job of bringing the NRL back from the brink. However, it also meant he would never be right for the job of waking up the sleeping giant that is the NRL. With the exception of bringing in the Gold Coast Titans and the Toyota Cup (both of which are a credit to David Gallop’s time as the game’s CEO) Gallop never did anything proactive. His “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” attitude was exactly what was required to treat the wounds left by the Super League War. The one criticism I have of David Gallop’s time as NRL CEO is that it should have ended a year or 2 ago.

Let me take you back to mid-early 2010. With the new TV deal just over 2 and a half years away, expansion was a hot topic, especially considering the rapid rise of the Central Coast Bears. They had plenty of sponsorship money and they had the backing of the Central Coast and the North Sydney community. There was also talk of a Perth team (WARL, not Benny Elias and Tony Sage), an Ipswich team, a second NZ team and even a PNG team (the same sort of talk exists today). The Gold Coast Titans were in the middle of their most successful season to date, and they had cemented their place as an NRL team (they still are today; the cause of their problems is their property arm – the football club itself is financially secure). As the previous expansion team was now successful, it was seemingly time to expand again. However, when Gallop set expansion back to (at least) 2015, it became clear that he was not the right man to lead the NRL into the next decade and into the new TV deal. Perhaps if the Independent Commission had not been delayed for so long, and it had come in when it was supposed to (November 2010), the NRL would be expanding next year, as it should be.

Back to the present day, a decision needs to be made on expansion ASAP. The new TV deal will be signed within the next 6-8 weeks (if not sooner) and we need to use expansion as a tool to increase the value of our TV deal. At the moment, we are taking the wrong approach by using the new TV deal as a means to secure expansion. The Commissioners need to realize that this TV deal will more than likely exceed the $1 billion mark (or at least come very very close to the mark). If the AFL’s product (which is only club footy I might add) is worth $1.2 billion, then it stands to reason that the NRL’s product (including test footy, City Vs Country, a possible NZ Origin match, and the nationwide phenomena that is State of Origin) would be worth at least as much as that. Even taking into account my personal opinion that league is much better to watch on tv than AFL (not trying to ignite a code-war here), I reckon $1 billion is a pretty reasonable figure. If the $1 billion mark is reached, the NRL will easily be able to fund expansion. Seeing as that mark is pretty much a foregone conclusion, we should sort out expansion now so that we can say to the networks “we’re adding a Perth team in 2015. The time difference means you’ll be able to show 3 live Saturday night games instead of 1 live game at 5:30 and the other two on viewers choice, which = higher ratings”. The NRL needs this kind of proactive thinking. Our decision on expansion should not be a reaction to the value of the new TV deal. We should be using expansion to maximize our TV deal.

But somebody did lie. You said it yourself in the article. Greg Inglis played his first senior footy for Newcastle Hunter as a 16 year old – in NSW. Yes he did play senior footy for Norths in Brisbane. It wasn’t his first senior footy though. Add to that the fact that Inglis was born, raised and educated in NSW, not to mention he played all his juniors in NSW.

The Aussie kids representing NZ is totally different to NZ kids representing Australia. All these guys like Nightingale, Pritchard, Gerard Beale, Josh Hoffman etc have NZ heritage (the only dodgy selection is Nathan Fien). But there’s nothing Aussie about Hunt, Tamou or Kasiano. They were all born in NZ, they have no Aussie heritage and they all migrated to Australia in their teens. They’re Kiwis, fullstop.

Call it a hunch, but I really don’t think Jamie Soward cares if people think he looks ridiculous when he lines up conversions. He’s been kicking like that since he joined St George 5 years ago. If people’s opinions bothered him I’m sure he would’ve changed his approach years ago.

Bennett’s Knights team has plenty of internationals and/or Origin players. Boyd, Buderus, Costigan, Gidley, Mullen, Willie Mason, Mullen, Mcmanus, Wes Naiqama, Junior Sau, Timana Tahu, Kade Snowden and Uate have all played international or Origin footy. 13 rep players isn’t bad. Bennett certainly didn’t have that many rep players when he started at the Dragons. In fact, the likes of Michael Weyman, Beau Scott, Trent Merrin, Brett Morris and Jamie Soward all became rep players under Bennett’s guidance.

Barring injury and suspension, the starting 13 for Origin 2 will be the same as for Origin 1. Ben Creagh and Trent Merrin will almost certainly keep their bench spots too. I don’t think Buhrer will keep his spot because he is simply not needed. I’d have Watmough come in for Buhrer. The really big question is how to replace T-Rex. There’s been suggestion of picking another specialist prop on the bench (e.g. Woods, Galloway or Grant) and giving Tamou a 10-15 minute spell on the left edge. I have no doubt that Tamou could handle the assignment, but I’d be reluctant to move him from the middle third to the left edge simply because he was so effective up the middle. I think there are only three possible candidates to fill the role of “bench beast”: Jamal, Mason and Tom Learoyd-Lahrs. I’m leaning towards Learoyd-Larhs at the moment simply because selecting the other two seems so ridiculous. But the more I think about Mason, the less ridiculous it seems. He was great against the Titans, playing 50 minutes for 14 hit ups, 15 tackles and 144 meters. It should be noted too that he has not made a single error since returning to the NRL. I would have no objection to picking Mason if he could replicate or improve on these stats against Brisbane on the weekend.

Of course Inglis was playing at the ball. His eyes were locked on the ball. He was trying to regather after it was dislodged by Farah, so that he could ground it and score. It may have technically been a try but the rule needs to be changed because it was a deadset knock on

Yeh QLDers don’t whinge at all *cough* rats and filth *cough*

It’s funny because every single New South Welshman thinks that it was no try, but maybe only half or two-thirds of Queenslanders think it was a try. That says it all I reckon. When you have guys like Fatty Vautin, Matt Ballin and even Greg Inglis (who admitted he fumbled it, http://www.foxsports.com.au/league/state-of-origin/greg-inglis-says-he-fumbled-the-ball-before-controversial-origin-try-nate-myles-man-of-the-match/story-fn31yxah-1226365086842 ) agreeing with the entire NSW population, you know that it’s no-try. The rest of the QLDers are just being one-eyed Maroons supporters. Clearly Inglis knocked the ball on. Even if Farah did play at the ball, Inglis knocked on after the ball hit Farah’s foot.

Merrin was good I thought. He made 30 tackles in 38 minutes – the 4th most of any NSW player. The guys who beat him were Gallen (33), G Stewart (34) and Farah (38). Thats a huge effort by Merrin considering he only played 38 minutes while Gallen and Stewart played 80 and Farah played 73. Merrin also made 8 hitups for 77 meters (close to 10m per run). He’s definitely got a big future ahead of him with NSW. While Creagh was a bit disappointing in his limited game time, I’d prefer to see him retain his place with Watmough coming in for Buhrer as he doesn’t really add anything to the team. It’s one thing to have a bench utility when he’s a world class utility player like Gidley (although I know I’m in a minority with this opinion). But having a utility for the sake of having a utility is just stupid.

If you don’t care then why are you reading and commenting on an article that is entirely about State of Origin? Peanut

If the Phil Rothfield and the Telegraph are to be believed, the NSW side will look something like this:

1. Brett Stewart
2. Akuila Uate
3. Jarryd Hayne
4. Josh Morris
5. Brett Morris
6. Todd Carney
7. Mitchell Pearce
8. James Tamou
9. Robbie Farah
10. Paul Gallen (C)
11. Luke Lewis
12. Greg Bird
13. Glenn Stewart
14. Jamie Buhrer
15. Anthony Watmough
16. Trent Merrin/Michael Weyman
17. Tariq Sims
18. Tony Williams

Michael Jennings looks set to miss out due to a lingering shoulder problem. Should he prove his fitness, I daresay Hayne will be pushed out to the left wing and Brett Morris will miss out, which is unfortunate because he is in arguably career best form. I also think that with Glenn Stewart’s successful return from injury, and the fact that Tariq Sims is demanding selection, Tony Williams will miss out on a bench spot due to lack of match fitness. But should any of the NSW forwards under perform or get injured in Origin 1, expect to see the big T-Rex for Origin 2.

Whose position would he take? Lewis, Watmough or Bird? Lewis and Watmough are both certainties because they played for Australia and they are both proven performers at Origin level. While Bird hasn’t been in great form for the Titans, he always delivers for NSW. You’re kidding yourself if you have a NSW team without Bird, Lewis and Watmough. You couldn’t put Stewart on the bench either because he doesn’t provide the same spark as T-Rex and Tariq Sims.

“Ricky Stuart’s out-of-position selections leave much to be desired”

You mean like his selection of Paul Gallen at prop (not his regular club position) in games 2 and 3? Yeah, that was a real flop…..

1. B Stewart (won himself the jersey last night)
2. Uate
3. Jennings
4. J Morris
5. B Morris (will combine well with his twin brother on the left edge, and he can cover for Stewart, who has a history of knee problems, should he break down)
6. Carney
7. Pearce
8. Weyman
9. Buderus
10. Gallen (C)
11. Lewis
12. Bird
13. Watmough
14. Gidley (VC)
15. Williams
16. Tamou
17. Sims
18. G Stewart
19. Hayne

Obviously I’ve decided to go with impact off the bench seeing as the forward pack (except Weyman and Buderus) are all capable of playing big minutes. Weyman and Tamou will rotate regularly, playing about 35 minutes each, with Anthony Watmough playing front row for the remaining 10 minutes. This will allow Stuart to inject Sims and Williams into the game in short bursts (especially Williams given his lack of match fitness). Both Sims and Williams will probably play only about 30 mins each: 10 mins either side of halftime and then the last 10 mins of the game. Buderus will swap with Gidley around the 25 minute mark, then he will come back on with around 20 mins to go.

The backline I picked is purely based on form. With that in mind, I can’t justify picking Jarryd Hayne. However, his versatility gets him a place in the squad, and should any one of the outside backs break down in camp, Hayne should replace them.

He’ll only play a small role off the bench. But that’s really all NSW need out of him given that we have so many 80 minute players as back row options (Gallen, Lewis, Bird, Watmough, Beau Scott, Creagh etc). Throw him on around the 30 minute mark then take him off around 50 minutes. Then put him back on with 10-15 minutes to go. It’s not like he’s coming back from an injury. He’s still very fit (just not match fit). I’m sure he can handle 10 mins before half time, 10 mins after half time and 10-15 mins before fulltime.

I agree with your points on Pearce and Carney, Woods, Sims and Ferguson. But Jarryd Hayne is clearly playing injured. I’m not saying his best position is five-eighth. But it’s not fair to judge his ability as a five eighth based on his performance on the weekend, given the state of his knee. And with Farah, I wouldn’t consider him as a realistic option for the Blues unless Buderus gets injured. And even then, Ennis is probably second to Buderus due to him having played in the last 7 games.

Hayne won’t play. I agree that he is our best fullback. I actually think that on his day he is more damaging than any player in the world (including Slater, Marshall, Thurston, Smith, Cronk etc.). But he’s playing on one leg. Picking him now won’t benefit him or NSW.

There is a huge difference between Tamou playing for Aus and Nightingale, Beale, Pritchard, Mckendry and Hoffman playing for the Kiwis (although the whole Fien situation is more of a farce than Tamou’s situation). Nightingale, Beale, Pritchard, McKendry and Hoffman all have NZ parents. They qualify for NZ by heritage, and they are well within their rights to choose to play for NZ (just as they would be well within their rights if they had chosen to play for Aus). For me, there are 2 ways to qualify for a country. Birth and heritage. The only time when residency should come into the equation is if someone migrates to another country when they are very young (e.g. Petero Civoniceva moving here when he was 1). With that in mind, there is absolutely nothing Australian about James Tamou. He does not deserve to wear sky blue or green and gold. The only thing he deserves is an arse kicking from the NZ forwards.

That’s why we need to ask, who is more likely to win the game for NSW? Bird or Snowden? Bird is a proven performer in Origin. I think the only current player who hates QLD more than he does is Paul Gallen. Bird bleeds blue. In stark contrast, Snowden crumbled in Origin 1 last year. We have the luxury of being able to move Paul Gallen between the front and back rows to accommodate different players. I reckon it is far more beneficial for NSW to have Gal up front so as to accommodate Bird as he is arguably far more valuable to the Blues than Snowden is.

Great article. Love how you justify every player – makes it hard to argue. I just want to make a few points. Beau Scott is horribly out of form for the Dragons at the moment, and has been basically since he signed for the Knights (I am a Dragons supporter and I watch every game). He’s been dropping the ball a lot, he’s been missing tackles and he hasn’t been making a lot of meters. At his best he has to be in the NSW team. He is a deadset enforcer on the right edge. He’s proven in his previous Origin outings that he will take no sh!t from the likes of Third Man Thaiday and Justin Hodges (the two biggest dogs in the QLD side). Should he find some form between now and Origin I’d say pick him. But if the side was picked tomorrow you simply could not pick Beau Scott.

For fullback I think it needs to be Hayne. The reason I say this is because if Hayne is not picked at fullback they will probably pick him in the centres or on the wing which presents a huge problem defensively as Hayne doesn’t play those positions week in week out. I have nothing against Brett Stewart or Josh Dugan, but Hayne on his day at fullback is the best in the world – bar NONE. At his best he’s better than Benji, Thurston, Lockyer, Cronk, Smith and yes, even Billy Slater (however, the difference is that Slater is at his best far more often than Hayne is, but this is an argument for another day). Not only is Hayne a huge defensive liability out wide, but his ball playing skills and his long kicking game go to waste out on the wing.

For years NSW’s biggest strength has been in the back row. We need to play to our strengths and pick Gallen up front so that we can pick more back rowers. Really, the only props who are demanding selection are Michael Weyman and possibly Aiden Tolman. The rest have been either injured (Galloway) or average (Mannah). The flow on effect of picking Gallen at lock (where he essentially does the same thing as he would in the front row) and a guy like Snowden to partner Weyman in the front row, is that a game breaker like T-rex or Tariq Sims could miss out on a spot on the bench. Regardless of positions, who is more likely to produce a game changing tackle or run: blokes like Trex and Sims, or Kade Snowden. 9 times out of 10 i think it’d be T-rex and Sims. That’s why Gallen must play prop.

Finally, i just want to name my side:
1. Hayne
2. Uate
3. Jennings
4. J Morris
5. B Morris
6. Carney
7. Pearce
8. Weyman
9. Buderus
10. Gallen (C)
11. Lewis
12. Bird
13. G Stewart
14. Gidley (VC)
15. Watmough (he can play front row when Weyman needs a break)
16. T Williams
17. T Sims
18. Tamou

Tolman, Weyman and Graham?