State of Origin 2013 Thread

[The Passenger]

Yes it's still a couple of months away but it's far and away my favourite time of the year for Rugby League. I love watching good league, but don't really find myself passionate for any particular team. But come SOO time I'm a mad blue and obviously it's been tough times lately.

Will *THIS* year be different? I'm not gonna get my hopes up because It's been too gutting lately.

But there's a few things from the early part of this year that I've noted - Adam Reynolds and Aaron Woods have to play this year.

Mitchell Pearce is a fine footballer, but fine footballers don't win origin series at number 7. The big fear was Reynolds would suffer from second year blues as many have before him but so far nothing of the sort has popped up and today was a brilliant display of kicking which NSW has lacked for a long time.

The other Reynolds Josh has put every foot right and looks like an origin player. He's got mongrel and he's got a decent skilset to go alongside. That being said if they were to overlook him and stay loyal to Carney I wouldn't be too upset because we all know the qualities that Carney brings on the field and even though he was a little underwhelming in his debut series, he was hardly disastrous.

Up front Aaron Woods has been close to the best prop this year and front row combination of Woods, Tim Grant and James Tamou should be long and succesful.

For Queensland the big guns Cronk, Thurston and Inglis have been in ominous form early in the year. Where do they fit Barba in? Obviously his pre-season has been very interrupted and his was pretty quiet today but if he gets back to last years form you'd say he'll have to get a run on the wing?

 

[moto748]

As a (fairly) neutral observer, I find it hard to give the Blues much chance. I've never been the biggest fan of Pearce, so I suppose someone else might be given a go at 7. I suspect Pearce got the nod last year cos it was thought he'd combine well with former team-mate Carney. Carney is hit and miss, but I think you have to stick with him at 6. I haven't seen the Bunnies this season, but Adam R was terrific last year. As for the forwards, Tamou and Woods are both good players, but I don't think the Blues have a pack to give Meninga sleepless nights.

 

[The Passenger]

As for the forwards, Tamou and Woods are both good players, but I don't think the Blues have a pack to give Meninga sleepless nights.

I think our front row has massive potential but they are still young and up against seasoned campaigners. It may take them another year to fully gel and flourish at origin level. Conversely they may not, Civoneciva is gone and was clearly past his best last year. Matt Scott has a lot riding on him... but it's our back row, outside of Gallen is where i get a bit worried. There are some good players there - Lewis, Bird, Watmough, B Scott, Stewart - but they've had numerous goes and come up short, but yet they are genuinely the best we've got. But who knows maybe with legitimate origin front rowers steering the ship the back rowers will have a better time of it. Playing off the likes of Perry, Snowden, White, King, Weyman over the years has been no easy task as they just aren't origin front rowers.

They talk about the spine and that where we still have problems - Smith, Cronk, Thurston and Slater. With Cherry-Evans, Inglis/Barba waiting in case of injury is still going to cause us major grief. Long term i'm sure A Reynolds is the answer, and possibly Reynolds/Reynolds as a combination. It's a bit much to expect a rookie partnership to flourish straight out of the gun though. Thank god there is only one fullback position in a match - with Slater, Inglis and Barba they have the clear three best fullbacks in the game. I'm a big fan of Stewart but once again he's just another level down though he did hold his own against them last year so no reason to think he won't this year.

But origin starts with your front row and with Civona now gone that is one area where we can match them i reckon.

And there's also something indefinable about origin. On paper, Queensland should've smashed us the last few years. Yeah, they've won, but they've never really blown us completely out of the water outside of that 30 point hiding a few years back.

 

[Ronnie Baby]

Where do they fit Barba in? Obviously his pre-season has been very interrupted and his was pretty quiet today but if he gets back to last years form you'd say he'll have to get a run on the wing?

Not ahead of any of the incumbent players sans Nielson who will make way for Slater. His best bet would be for the number 14 jersey on the bench but Gillett has been great so far and should hold onto it. Only question is who comes in for Civoniceva.

 

[The Passenger]

well the city country teams came largely as expected but injuries to mitchell pearce and brett stewart have ruled them out for adam reynolds and michael gordon.

hopefully reynolds could put in a massive performance and put even more pressure on pearce's spot. i'm most excited to see the reynolds-reynolds combination for the first time as i think that is where nsw future lies. i'm a big fan of moloney but his defence is very suspect and they can get exposed big time at origin level.

i'm also abit surprised about the lack of hype around tim grant this season given he was real good last year. can't say i've been following penrith too closely, but as a team they've struggeld so perhaps he too is likewise. anyone fill me in there?

surprised at ryan hinchcliffe not finding a spot. he has been a fantstic player down melbourne way.

and great to see tariq sims back. i think it's probably too early to throw him into the origin furnace after his injuries, but he could well be a crucial player for nsw down the track.

 

[The Passenger]

The pull outs from the City-Country match are disappointing though no surprising. Not seeing Reynolds-Reynolds play alongside each is probably the most annoying one from a NSW perspective.

 

[Ronnie Baby]

The pull outs from the City-Country match are disappointing though no surprising. Not seeing Reynolds-Reynolds play alongside each is probably the most annoying one from a NSW perspective.

Maloney surely did enough to wear the 6 and they will keep Pearce at 7.

 

[The Passenger]

After a bit of a slow start to the season Tim Grant has hit back with 170+ metres and 35+ tackles in his last two games, albeit one of them against a struggling Eels outfit.

Although his team is likely to be on the hiding, if he can put in a solid display will more than show he is in back on track. Seemed to be on the outer a bit a month ago, but after his performance last year and what he has shown he can do, he's gotta be an integral part of this NSW pack going forward IMO.

Anyone else reckon Boyd Cordner could be a bolter? Been super impressed with him this year. Maybe it's just cause I was reading that generation next article in paper today. NSW has a strong back row though with Lewis, Watmough, Bird and Gallen, with Stewart an ever looking presence. But is it time for some completely new blood in there?

 

[TheGreatBambino]

Its not the same without Ricky Stuart not being there. No trash talking & the hating by Qld fans. Laurie Daley seems like too nice a guy.

 

[TheGreatBambino]

Sorry to go abit off topic, but does anyone know the name of this water boy/trainer? next to stuart.

 

[The Passenger]

Tim Grant started to really put his name forward. 3 massive displays in the last 4 rounds. A very good position for NSW in the props department with Tamou, Woods, Merrin and Grant all in very good form now.

 

[OrangeDuck]

As disappointing as it might be, Mitchell Pearce is bound to retain the 7 jersey for NSW. The 6 is still up for grabs between Carney and Maloney.

If they aren't going to put Adam Reynolds in the 7, they won't put Josh Reynolds in the 6. Those two together could be there for a long time and lead a NSW team to some success.

They talk about not changing the team too much, incumbency and all that. But can you really retain a team who has lost how many series in a row?

 

[The Passenger]

They talk about not changing the team too much, incumbency and all that. But can you really retain a team who has lost how many series in a row?

this is what i don't understand.

but who knows? we might actually have the front row to take it to the maroons this year.

i reckon that missed tackle will go down real bad for merritt last night. i know Koroibete is a huge unit but your team has dominated all half, you've had to do nothing, and when you called up on to make one tackle he didn't even go close to making it.

i've been 50/50 on the merritt call, and been that way for a long time. he's a great player and a great finisher. but origin isn't always about that. but he's been crazily unlucky not to have been given a few caps over the years to see what he could do. probably a bit unlucky that hayne has always been on the wing, so even though he's playing in a position where there are two spots, he's really only ever going for one. that being said he's a right winger and hayne is a left.

as for halfback, well pearce has improved this year behind a pack that is moving forward, but we'll see whether that translates into origin. what i don't understand is all these people saying reynolds isn't ready? pearce got a shot in his second year in 2008 when he was 19 (3 years younger than reynolds) and he was half the player reynolds is. admittedly pearce didn't get another shot till 2010, but i would still say pearce wasn't ready then. serious lack of options at the time though.

 

[OrangeDuck]

Merritt is probably past the time when he should have been picked. The only reason I'd be happy to see him in there is if Adam Reynolds has the 7. Get those combinations which have worked for Queensland all these years with Smith-Cronk-Slater-Inglis etc. What will help Merritt is that Brett Stewart won't play in the first game so Hayne will likely move to fullback opening up a wing spot. One of the Morris twins I think is also out? I'm not too sure.

Its tough that NSW have been throwing young halves into the deep end and then not sticking with them. You mentioned Pearce had a shot and then was out of the team. Jarrod Mullen played one game and hasn't been back since. Wallace has been in there. If Pearce and Maloney (or Carney for that matter) are not the answer this year, it will be tough for the selectors to deny putting the Reynolds duo in there. Adam has the skillset and Josh has the aggression.

 

[The Passenger]

Was surprised when i read in yesterdays paper that Aaron Woods was going to be overlooked. Not so much that he'll get overlooked because if Gal moves to the front row as is looking likely then that will tighten spots for the front row given tamou is a lock, and it's not known if one or two will be on the bench. but the article was very dismissive of his chances, but he's been absolutely sensational with near zero support this year.

 

[OrangeDuck]

Woods could be a bit of a victim of playing in an underperforming team (Farah is an obvious exception). You didn't see many Souths players in origin when they were perennial cellar dwellers in the competition. The push to move Gallen to the front row doesn't aid his chances either. On the flip side, Moloney has joined a new team that is going really well and is right up in the frame to replace Carney who is the incumbent.

I'm no fan of Gallen at prop. I think they expect him to play more minutes than he should at prop and then go into each game one specialist front rower down. Start Gal in the back row and move him to the front row when Tamou comes off at 20-25 minutes.

IMHO Tamou and Grant to start. Gallen, Bird, Watmough, Merrin, Lewis and maybe Glenn Stewart. Another front rower on the bench, unless Merrin fills that role forgetting he is playing lock for the Dragons. They don't need a utility bench player. If you need a reshuffle in the backs, you can slot Lewis into the centres or something. At least no one is suggesting Ben Creagh...

 

[The Passenger]

pretty predictable team given daley's comments over the year and it was "leaked" to the telegraph beforehand.

i like the selection of fifita as he is a big unit and is in form, but i'm not a big fan of leaving both woods and grant out, and i also would've had woods in front of fifita too. he must be wondering what he's gotta do... also not a fan of only having two specialists front rowers... in the past gal has been used as prop which is fine, but probably not as required now with four genuine options in that position. but gal will play well wherever he plays so it would be unfair to say we are only playing two front rowers... and it's probably fair to say our strength is in the back row so why not maximise it. i can see where they are coming from.

mitchell pearce must surely be on his last chance, given that we now have a guy who looks like a genuine origin footballer breathing down his neck and he hasn't had that sort of pressure. on the plus side he has never played this well for the roosters so maybe he is coming into his own. it'll be interesting to see how this plays out in the future.

i thought boyd cordner was pretty unlucky to barely rate a mention in the build up because he has been fantastic this year but it's hard to see how he was going to fit into the team given the form that ryan hoffman and trent merrin have been in, and that watmough, lewis, bird and gallen are automatic selections.

gidley is a pretty standard bench selection, though i'd have been very tempted by sutton who isn't as versatile as gidley, but can could cover in the halves, centre and (in a worst case injury scenario) the back row. it would leave us with no real cover at hooker though. between gidley and ferguson you have every backline position plus hooker covered.

big fan of the ferguson selection with the form he has displayed in the last month. in saying that i am a bit concerned with how he will handle the step up to origin. I think a few will be expecting him to straight away replicate his current form but it's such a different environment. i would've taken the gamble anyway.

the team i would've gone with is - hayne, ferguson, jenning, morris, morris; reynolds, reynolds; gallen, lewis, bird, tamou, farah, woods; sutton, grant, hoffman, watmough. 18: cordner, 19: fifita

 

[4evablues]

Doubt the halves would have been that way if the Roosters werent doing as well as they are.

Hopefully, it's the right team but hate the way QLD find ways to win even when they are not the better team.

We need to win the first for we to have any chance...its a huge game!

 

[Ronnie Baby]

*....Kurt Gidley's out.

 

[StevenwellerHFC]

Why does Greg Inglis play for QLD? Born in NSW And played his first footy in NSW

 

[OrangeDuck]

Why does Greg Inglis play for QLD? Born in NSW And played his first footy in NSW

There are numerous theories behind it. The border is moved to Coffs Harbour. He wanted to play for Queensland. Blah blah blah.

I think the most commonly accepted event is that Anthony Mundine got in his ear about it all. Mundine played 3 origins for NSW in '99 and never played again. He claimed they didn't pick him because of his race even though NSW had continued to pick players of Aboriginal heritage. Mundine's ego wouldn't let this go, his manager I believe was close to Inglis and he told him not to play for NSW.

It's also NSW's stupid fault for not picking him in either their development squad or whatever they call or OR have him selected for Country origin when he was 17 or whenever he burst onto the scene and lock him in.

 

[OrangeDuck]

****....Kurt Gidley's out.

I thought this was a good thing for the Blues...

 

[StevenwellerHFC]

There are numerous theories behind it. The border is moved to Coffs Harbour. He wanted to play for Queensland. Blah blah blah.

I think the most commonly accepted event is that Anthony Mundine got in his ear about it all. Mundine played 3 origins for NSW in '99 and never played again. He claimed they didn't pick him because of his race even though NSW had continued to pick players of Aboriginal heritage. Mundine's ego wouldn't let this go, his manager I believe was close to Inglis and he told him not to play for NSW.

It's also NSW's stupid fault for not picking him in either their development squad or whatever they call or OR have him selected for Country origin when he was 17 or whenever he burst onto the scene and lock him in.

Thank you.

 

[The Passenger]

Gidley is a pretty handy origin bench player. I'd still like to Sutton given a go, I think he could be a bit of a game breaker of the bench in the form he is currently playing. But I'd also like another front rower which we didn't put in the original team, so the likely inclusion there is Aaron Woods or Tim Grant, probably the former.

Andrew Fifita was outstanding in last nights game against the best pack in the competition and has probably justified his selection on that alone. The future of the NSW front row is in good hands, and then you've got this young David Klemmer coming through who I haven't seen play and has only played four games but at 200cm and 120kg he is an incredibly huge unit.

 

[damochandler]

klein and hayne have the job as the 2 refs

klein struggles at club level and his past performances in test matches show he isn't up to this standard