NSW Blues

Im really warming to Graham in the backrow. I'd take him over Jackson and Cordner every day of the week.

I think this year a
Scott
Graham
Gallen

backrow is a really good balance and I'd ensure Cartwright and Trbojevic are on the bench, so next year, Gallen and Scott make way and we have

Cartwright
Graham
Trbojevic going forward for the next half decade. I don't mind that at all.

I agree with you Shanbon, Hastings is much better with Pearce around and the Roosters are gonna quickly shoot up the ladder over the next 5 or so weeks, especially if Pearce isn't selected for NSW. The reality for me is, the halves is the only position we don't even come close to competing with Qld and that is a big problem for us. I've honestly got no preference for any of our options over another. None are worthy in my view based on club performances, save presently maybe for the Maloney/Townsend combination, but that's not an Origin halves combo to get excited about.

Ice wrote:Im really warming to Graham in the backrow. I'd take him over Jackson and Cordner every day of the week.

I think this year a
Scott
Graham
Gallen

backrow is a really good balance and I'd ensure Cartwright and Trbojevic are on the bench, so next year, Gallen and Scott make way and we have

Cartwright
Graham
Trbojevic going forward for the next half decade. I don't mind that at all.

I agree with you Shanbon, Hastings is much better with Pearce around and the Roosters are gonna quickly shoot up the ladder over the next 5 or so weeks, especially if Pearce isn't selected for NSW. The reality for me is, the halves is the only position we don't even come close to competing with Qld and that is a big problem for us.  I've honestly got no preference for any of our options over another. None are worthy in my view based on club performances, save presently maybe for the Maloney/Townsend combination, but that's not an Origin halves combo to get excited about.

Pearce/Maloney is only a few months removed from being a minor premiership winning combination. If you dont pick that, no chance.

Gallen also needs to be left out of the side. Without his needles, he's past origin level. Backrow is a NSW strength, dont dilute it by picking that proven loser of a dinosaur.

Oz Sport Mad wrote:I sort of agree with LG and TBH I think NSW have a massive opportunity this year and really don't need to rush in to panic selections.

I also think you should always go back to tried and tested blokes like JMoz.

My best NSW team would be:

1. Teddy/Dugan
2. Dugan/Hoppa
3. Jennings
4. JMoz
5. Ferg
6. Maloney
7. Pearce - easily your best half and don't even get me started Khunts
8. Tamou
9. Farah
10. Woods (will he be back? - if not chuck fat guts in prop where he should be, Bird in at lock and bring in Cordner/Jackson to the bench)
11. Hoffman
12. Scott
13. Gallen

14. G Bird
15. Klemmer
16. Fifita
17. Merrin

Some of the other names being thrown about are laughable e.g. JBird etc.

The only bloke coming through the ranks that I would consider is JTurbo - deadset gun and no risk

Its not a terrible team. For this year, its hard to argue that others clearly deserve a chance ahead of the guys named. The downside is, if we pick that side, we know we gouge out a win at home, lose a game relatively closely, and get thumped in a third like those guys basically have for the last decade.

I'd make a few changes and I think we don't lose much if anything and start to move forward for series beyond.

Changes would be

Coote at 1 if Teddy is out.
Dugan to remain in centres inside Fergo and no JMoz
Mansour over Hoppa for sure. Mansour deserves his chance to show he can cut it at this level. Hoppa was found wanting miserably and though he is going better this year at the back, I think JMans is no more or less of a risk but has better upside long term.
GBirds time to shine has gone, we can't keep going to that well, we need someone who isn't hamstrung by seasons of failure. So JTrbojevic gets the not for mine.
Merrin is the same. he isn't a jerk like Bird, but I think for now and inito the future Cartwright is a decent replacement.

Hoffman has been solid enough, had 1 really solid series, buthe hasn't done much this year and the backrow definitely needs an injection and for mine, Graham is the guy who is in form and brings some club combos and ball playing that the others don't.
Assuming Woods is out, Klemmer starts and Peats comes in as the next NSW rake and back-up to Farah, which I think is required now.

ryno_ wrote:

Pearce/Maloney is only a few months removed from being a minor premiership winning combination. If you dont pick that, no chance.

Gallen also needs to be left out of the side. Without his needles, he's past origin level. Backrow is a NSW strength, dont dilute it by picking that proven loser of a dinosaur.

Yeah, I don't disagree, I think at Club level they are clearly the two standouts and possibly our best option. But the sad reality of that is they are tried tested and failed at Origin. I hate the idea of picking them, but I don't like the idea of picking any others over them either.

Ice wrote:

Yeah, I don't disagree, I think at Club level they are clearly the two standouts and possibly our best option. But the sad reality of that is they are tried tested and failed at Origin. I hate the idea of picking them, but I don't like the idea of picking any others over them either.

I thought Maloney went ok in his origin games.

ryno_ wrote:

I thought Maloney went ok in his origin games.

He was ok. Probably unlucky that Hayne didn't play game 2 or 3 in his 2013 series. If he did, then yeah, perhaps the Maloney/Pearce Combo might have got a series win. but we don't have Hayne again this year, so a lot more rests with the halves than it did in say 2014 when Hayne got Reynolds/Hodkinson over the line.

Ice wrote:

He was ok. Probably unlucky that Hayne didn't play game 2 or 3 in his 2013 series. If he did, then yeah, perhaps the Maloney/Pearce Combo might have got a series win. but we don't have Hayne again this year, so a lot more rests with the halves than it did in say 2014 when Hayne got Reynolds/Hodkinson over the line.

As a QLDer the funniest aspect of NSW halves dilemma is that the fans and the media are so determined to overlook who their actual best halves are, almost entirely on the basis of whether they have won an Origin series or not.

This sort of thinking completely ignores the multitude of other variables that contribute to a series win.....most notably whether or not QLD feel like winning the series that year.

It also leads to selections like Hodkinson.

Another thing I might add is that I cannot fathom the hype surrounding Wade Graham.

Not a bad player but always getting thrown up in discussions about this being his year for SOO.

If it wasn't for the early promise of potential or the constant talking up by his team mate old fat guts......surely he isn't in the frame as much as he appears to be.

Oz Sport Mad wrote:

As a QLDer the funniest aspect of NSW halves dilemma is that the fans and the media are so determined to overlook who their actual best halves are, almost entirely on the basis of whether they have won an Origin series or not.

This sort of thinking completely ignores the multitude of other variables that contribute to a series win.....most notably whether or not QLD feel like winning the series that year.

It also leads to selections like Hodkinson.

I don't disagree with your point. Its hard to argue that we have better club performing halves than Maloney and Pearce, and im confident if they had been selected in 2014, we still would have won the series.

I don't agree with the part about Qld feeling like winning. All evidence suggests it really comes down to one issue, whether we play Hayne in the 1 for the full series or not.

Oz Sport Mad wrote:Another thing I might add is that I cannot fathom the hype surrounding Wade Graham.

Not a bad player but always getting thrown up in discussions about this being his year for SOO.

If it wasn't for the early promise of potential or the constant talking up by his team mate old fat guts......surely he isn't in the frame as much as he appears to be.

Mate he is in cracking form for the sharks. Did you not see him get the chocolates over the Qld back row on the weekend. And he has been doing it for some time now. I wouldn't call it hype though, just a few good judges (like myself) saying he is probably worthy of a shot just as much as the likes of Jackson and Cordner were. I'm honestly not sure why the likes of Cordner and Jackson et al are considered clearly more worthy by some.

Ice wrote:

Mate he is in cracking form for the sharks. Did you not see him get the chocolates over the Qld back row on the weekend.  And he has been doing it for some time now. I wouldn't call it hype though, just a few good judges (like myself) saying he is probably worthy of a shot just as much as the likes of Jackson and Cordner were. I'm honestly not sure why the likes of Cordner and Jackson et al are considered clearly more worthy by some.

I thought he was actually below his best against the broncos. Didnt play badly but outside a small patch he was a bit of a non-issue for most of the game.

His game against the panthers and titans were pretty damn good though.

[quote="Oz Sport Mad"]

Who scored the try and kicked the goal to win the series.

leaguegod wrote:Jturbo is pretty impressive, alot of youngsters get throw up but alot of them have holes early in their career that could be found out. Jturbo plays like he has several years experience already

Totally agree the block should be a shoo in for the team

Pieman wrote:

On cue, Pieman effectively proves my point about simple NSWelshman joining random dots to paint he picture they want.

The good news is that this moronic behavior isn't merely limited to fans....Daley and the selectors are almost certainly thinking the same way!

Oz Sport Mad wrote:


On cue, Pieman effectively proves my point about simple NSWelshman joining random dots to paint he picture they want.

The good news is that this moronic behavior isn't merely limited to fans....Daley and the selectors are almost certainly thinking the same way!

Yes mate, completely ignore the fact that the bloke Scored the try and kicked the goal to win the game - and series.
Completely ignore the fact that pearce has played like shit in every single origin match he has ever played and cant do the little things right in origin to get the team a win in a close game - unlike hodkinson - who actually did it.

Pieman wrote:

Oz Sport Mad wrote:

Who scored the try and kicked the goal to win the series.

I like him but deadset Pieman, that was one of the softest Origin tries in the history of forever.

SI wrote:

I like him but deadset Pieman, that was one of the softest Origin tries in the history of forever.

Watch the game again, they set that play up all game. Every single time he would just pass it to Hoffman, every time. Then he dummied and went himself and set up DCE up brilliantly. I've watched the game legit about ten times and that try about 50 haha.

Honeysett wrote:

SI wrote:

I like him but deadset Pieman, that was one of the softest Origin tries in the history of forever.

Watch the game again, they set that play up all game. Every single time he would just pass it to Hoffman, every time. Then he dummied and went himself and set up DCE up brilliantly. I've watched the game legit about ten times and that try about 50 haha.

No, I will not watch that game again!

Pieman wrote:

Yes mate, completely ignore the fact that the bloke Scored the try and kicked the goal to win the game - and series.
Completely ignore the fact that pearce has played like shit in every single origin match he has ever played and cant do the little things right in origin to get the team a win in a close game - unlike hodkinson - who actually did it.

Again you are completely ignoring the multitude of other factors that went into that series victory (most notably your defence that series...apart from Game 3 when it was already all over).

But you're right and credit where credit is due, that deadset superstar Hodkinson did somehow manage to hold the ball and stumble through a gap that George Rose could have....

Be nice, OSM. There's not a lot on the highlights reel over the last decade

Regardless of where you set the bar with regards to his playing ability: Hodkinson is playing a few bars below what he was previously so far this year.

Make of that what you will!