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The disrespect with which New South Wales treats the City vs Country representative match ensures a competitive advantage that the state has over Queensland is squandered.
The City versus Country game should be mandated as a legitimate NSW Origin selection trial.
Not only would that type of match benefit the Blues, but it gives country areas the respect they deserve by enabling them to host an elite level game of rugby league.
The question needs to be asked, is there any correlation between the City versus Country game being used less and less as an Origin trial, and the NSW Blues failing to win a series in seven years?
My Queensland friends used to complain that City versus Country gave NSW an unfair advantage.
Their thought process was pretty simple, and hard to argue with: State of Origin is the highest standard of rugby league in the world, and by playing in an Origin selection trial, NSW players were being hardened up and prepared for the inevitable rise in the quality of football played during the Origin series.
I previously dismissed the notion as mere Queensland whinging, along with telling them that they were welcome to hold their own City versus Country game.
As much as I enjoyed the fixture, I honestly didn’t feel like the game was too much of an advantage, and if anything, might fatigue the NSW players before Origin, or even open them up to sustaining an injury that could have been avoided if the game didn’t exist.
Yet as the Blues stare down the barrel of eight successive losing series, and questions are asked about how – and when – the Queensland dominance will end, it would be irresponsible not to also question if the continued disrespect the City versus Country game is shown is having an adverse effect of the NSW Origin team.
Let me be totally clear, this is not the only reason NSW have lost seven series in a row.
The current Queensland team contains – or has contained – some of the greatest players to ever lace up a boot; they’re truly a great side.
Meanwhile, NSW have been unlucky, are going through a phase where they don’t have a large number of all-time greats, and have also made some questionable selections over the years.
All these factors no doubt have played a larger role in the losing streak.
Yet by the same token, desperate times call for desperate measures, and perhaps some introspection upon the NSW Blues set-up and their processes is required. That must include some thinking about whether the City versus Country game is being used to its full potential.
I realise there are logistical issues at play, including the new standalone rep weekend we just witnessed, with the ANZAC Test currently ensuring that not every NSW player would be able to play in the City versus Country match.
However, that particular Test should be played after Origin anyway.
That’s probably a story for another day, but my overall point remains that all potential NSW players should play in the City versus Country game, and the scheduling should ensure that happens.
As I have written before, it’s madness to nominate Origin players before the NRL season has even started. But I’m starting to feel like I should go a step further and proclaim it madness not to use City versus Country as a proper Origin selection trial.
I see absolutely nothing wrong with telling all eligible NSW players that every spot on the Blues team sheet is vacant, and the team will be decided largely by their form in the first six rounds of NRL football, and the City versus Country match.
I appreciate the need for loyalty, but when you’ve lost seven series in a row, that method of selection should be null and void.
There is a stronger case for picking players that are in-form, and whom have also held up to the challenge of fighting for their spot in a pre-Origin rep game. To me, that’s toughness.
Form, toughness, and a little bit of loyalty? That’s my recipe for Origin success.
It certainly makes more sense than throwing away a competitive advantage by underutilising the City versus Country game.