Opinion
Jeremiah Nanai can make a difference for the Maroons after getting his recall while another Cowboy in Reece Robson won’t let anyone down in the Blues camp however they use him in Origin II.
I’m not surprised Nanai has been brought back into the Queensland team given they’ve had a few injuries and his form for the Cowboys last week plus the way he handled his first three games at Origin level last year.
He wasn’t at his best at the start of the season and there’s an ongoing argument around how much NRL form plays a part in Origin selection.
Some guys are Origin type players, and Nanai, especially given he’s only just turned 20 but has already shown his quality for the Cowboys, Queensland and the Kangaroos, has got that real Origin status about him.
Jeremiah Nanai. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
There’s not many guys that have been elevated to that stage to start in the back row without a little bit of X-factor to their make-up and Billy Slater clearly trusts him to get the job done.
He’s not just an attacking player, I thought his defence was really strong last week against Melbourne.
In Origin when it’s game two, you need to pick a team that can generate points, particularly NSW after losing the first one, because Suncorp Stadium’s surface is so good it will suit an expansive style of play.
Nanai and David Fifita offer a bit more in their attacking arsenal than their defence so I think that’s part of Queensland’s approach.
It’s been confirmed that Robson is being picked by the Blues to make his debut and I think it’s a timely inclusion.
He’s got a toughness about his game, defensively. He’s in the top few tacklers in the NRL, has played every minute this year for the Cowboys and you know he won’t let you down.
Robson’s got a potent running game and provides good skill from dummy-half. His kicking is not his strong suit but it’s developing and because he plays 80 minutes every week at club level, he’ll be able to play lengthy stretches for the Blues depending on the role they give him with Api Koroisau out with his broken jaw.
There’s been plenty of talk about that incident with Tino Fa’asuamaleaui but I think it was fair enough by the match review committee to not charge him because he didn’t raise his forearm as Koroisau came in to make the tackle.
All props put their bumper bars up as they charge forward with the ball and Koroisau wasn’t quite in the right position. Maybe the effects of the Origin workload meant his footwork wasn’t quite as quick as it normally is but unfortunately those kinds of accidents happen in a contact sport like rugby league.
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Mitchell Moses will be the Blues halfback for Game II after another great performance against the Bulldogs on Monday. He played with confidence, defended strongly and his kicking game is exactly what is required to win an Origin battle.
Freddy Fittler has a good relationship with Moses and he will show the necessary trust in him to run the team. I reckon Freddy will also select his front-row teammate Regan Campbell-Gillard, who also played strongly for the Eels after a month on the sidelines.
If I were in his shoes, I would be selecting as many big-game players who can handle the Suncorp cauldron including Latrell Mitchell, Liam Martin, Damien Cook, Cam Murray, Daniel Saifiti and Cody Walker to give the Blues their best chance to square the series.
Just focusing on club footy, Tino was awesome for the Titans at the start of the round in leading his team to the win over the Tigers.
He’s still only 23 but he’s grown into that leadership role and he’s an intimidating presence for them in the middle of the ruck. Tino showed great improvement on the World Cup tour and is starting to develop into a quality front-rower.
And it was great to see AJ Brimson back in full flight.
I think fullback is his natural spot and Gold Coast should persist with him there because Jayden Campbell’s been going well at five-eighth too.
Brimson’s running game is his strength and he can do that from fullback, popping up anywhere. When you play at five-eighth you have to worry about organising others and he’s better off picking and choosing his moments like he did against the Tigers.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
It’s that time of year when the cumulative effect of injuries and the grind of life in the NRL can make it hard for teams to be up for the battle each week.
We’ve seen a few blowout scorelines lately with teams like the Dolphins, Rabbitohs and Sharks showing signs of fatigue.
They’ve been without a few key players and the Origin workload is also taking a toll.
It can lead to wild swings in form. The Storm conceded 45 points the previous week against North Queensland then put 56 on the Sharks. That’s an almighty swing.
It’s hard to be up for every game and some teams have had the benefit of a couple of byes but Brisbane and Parramatta have played 15 straight rounds.
The Broncos are rightly delighted they got through that game against Newcastle on Saturday night with the win because they were clearly heavy-legged and the Knights were coming off the bye.
Brisbane have done well to get over the Warriors and Sharks and now Knights since the Origin period kicked off. Having a classy veteran halfback like Adam Reynolds on deck makes a world of difference at this time of year, particularly for a team like Brisbane which has five of their best players carrying the representative workload.
Newcastle are almost back to full strength but the Broncos still had enough quality in the end.
Having the bye is such an advantage around Origin time because you get at least a 10-day preparation and as a coach, you prepare and actually feel good for the game.
But the rest of the time during the season, you can be dealing with as little as a five or six-day gap between games and your players aren’t feeling than 75-85% of their best in the lead-up.
It’s a residual fatigue that builds up game on game. Some of the younger players who play for NSW and Queensland on top of club footy find it hard, physically and mentally, to stay in good shape and sometimes the coach or the medical staff have to step in to give them a rest otherwise the situation gets worse.
Reece Walsh took the Queensland No.1 jersey from Kalyn Ponga and you could see there was a little extra something in the way they tried to outdo each other on Saturday night when Brisbane took on Newcastle.
The duel between the two of them lived up to its pre-game hype.
They were both outstanding – Ponga put on a hit on Walsh and it was an Origin-like tackle. He scored a try and also saved one with a tackle on Ezra Mam when the game was in the balance.
But Walsh got the last laugh and I’d say with the Dally M votes he would have come out on top but Ponga wouldn’t have been far behind.
Adam Reynolds kept Brisbane in with a chance with his kicking game and was instrumental in the try that got them in front when Kobe Hetherington made the break, who found Reynolds, who passed it to Mam and then it got back to the crafty old half.
It was one of the most spectacular tries of the year.
From where they are on the table, the Warriors should be able to kick on from here to make the finals.
They played the role of party pooper to perfection against the Raiders in Canberra on Friday night with the locals looking like the emotion and all the build-up surrounding Jarrod Croker’s 300th game milestone got to them.
That can sometimes bring a team undone.
The second half from the Warriors after trailing 8-6 at half-time was as good as I’ve seen them play this year.
Their dominance took the Raiders by surprise. They play a direct style and it’s very effective.
I wrote a few weeks ago that the Warriors haven’t traditionally taken advantage of the Origin period as much as they should but that’s two good wins in a row now against the Dolphins and Raiders after a slip-up to Brisbane.
They’re on the cusp of the top four and from here, they should make the finals.
Michael Hagan is a former dual-premiership winning first grade player and current assistant coach of Australia's Kangaroos team. Hagan played 183 games for Canterbury and Newcastle and represented Queensland five times. He transitioned into a successful coach and took the Knights to a premiership in his first year in charge back in 2001. He went onto coach 205 NRL games and six times for Queensland in Origin.
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