2017 State of Origin

Walters seems to be favouring Morgan. God I hope Thurston can play. Morgan is playing injured and has been pus this year.

 

Best half Morgan has played all year. Good to see him showing what he's capable of. 1 try and 2 assists in the first 40.

 

Huge difference to have Granville and Coote back for Morgan.

 

Thurston will be fit for Game 1. Thank fuck for that.

 

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...1/news-story/2f27f18b9f8ab7caf58b18afbea774ff

So then....

1.Tedesco
2.Ferguson
3.Dugan (if fit)
4.
5.
6.Maloney
7.Pearce
8.Woods (if fit)
9.Farah
10.Klemmer
11.Jackson
12.Cordner
13.Frizell

14.Bird/Moylan
15.Fifita/Tamou
16.
17.Trbojevic

Left centre is between Jennings and Hayne with Walker and Bird as outside chances. Pretty sure Dugan will be fit to play on the right. Tom Trbojevic would've been on the wing if not for last night's injury.

Talk is Daley wants more mobility in the pack so I won't be at all surprised if (in fact I'm praying) he only takes three props into Game 1. I'm hoping he picks Finucane or De Belin on the bench to go with Jake Trbojevic. If they're not picking Paul Vaughan I think they've lost the fucking plot. I said last year he's good enough to start and 2017 has confirmed that imo. Ideally though, he would come off the bench.

If there's one thing NSW should not be doing, it's downsizing the forward pack. With Parker retiring prematurely and Scott out injured, they're winning the battle for middle third control before a ball has even been kicked. This option of picking backrowers to play up front is the sort of thing that will allow QLD to get away with picking cunts like Myles and Guerra.

 

Nah no chance. He's got about 8 or 9 blokes in front of him.

 

They reckon De Belin will be on the bench. No Tamou, Merrin or Vaughan. Fifita will start with either Woods or Klemmer.

 

NSW pretty much have to pick Pearce imo. Yeah the cunt has been aids in Origin (how good was my video? lol) but there's just no better option afaic.

I don't buy all this crap about him being a different person; that may well be true but it doesn't mean he's an Origin standard half. But yeah the cupboards are so bare.

The only other option I'd consider is Maloney and Keary but they don't suit each other imo.

 

Apparently Daley is seriously contemplating picking Latrell Mitchell on the left wing outside Hayne.

 

Agreed. Mitchell is very similar to a young GI not just in terms of strengths and style, but weaknesses as well. Inglis was better mind you.

 

Trbojevic isn't an awful bench selection; not brilliant but not dreadful. Compounding it with De Belin though is just silly. What's the fucking point?

I will never understand why this backrowers playing up front mentality is so pervasive but it's fucking everywhere among the people whose selections matter. I just think they overvalue the speed of the game. Yeah it's super fast but not as fast as it used to be and not enough to warrant substituting props for second rowers. And as far as fatigue goes well yeah that's why you have replacements- so you don't have to ask Woods or Klemmer to play 60+.

 

Papers are saying there's a strong chance Holmes will be picked on the right wing. Pretty happy with that. I'm worried about Gagai defending Hayne but I've never thought O'Neill was an Origin standard centre. Holmes and Gagai give us some serious speed and strike power on the right. And whilst we lose passing ability not having Boyd, Slater really showed up Hayne defensiely last weekend with pure speed.