Men State of Origin 2024

I would be dropping Suali’i , Hynes , Tedesco and Young for game II
Bring in Latrell, Moses, Edwards and Barnett
Queensland far too good , and I think if Sualil’i hadn’t been sent, they still win by 12.
Hynes defence terrible at best, and really not a big game winner, Suali’i should never have been picked in the first place. Tedesco tries hard but slightly past it.
I thought Robson was very good and our best tonight, with. Luai, Martin, Leniu, Lomax and both Crichtons good as well.
 
Hynes way out of his depth. Cost NSW tries with multiple missd tackles and no direction when we did have a chance to attack. Have to go with Moses next game. Honestly file needs to be marked " Warning, club footballer only".
Will Bradman be back in time to be considered for Suali's centre position. I think he'll still be on suspension for Origin Ii.
 
A few comments on the Blues - Reece Robson is an origin player and so is Zach Lomax…both dug really deep tonight in a no win situation and really made the Blues more competitive than we deserved to be, with only 12 on the field for over 70 minutes.

In truth, the scoreline actually flattered Queensland in the end, putting on 3 tries in the last 15, after the Blues players just ran out of puff did not reflect how well a 12 man Blues team managed to stay in the arm wrestle for as long as they did.

I think I would have Moses in for Hynes in game 2. It will also be interesting to see what Madge will do in the Centres for game 2?

I lost interest in the game being winnable very early in the piece after the send off but I think game 2 in Melbourne will be interesting to see what Madge does, based on what he has to build on, out of the ashes from game 1🤔
 
I would bring in Moses in, and seriously consider Cody Walker. Laui played well but we honestly lacked any good attack and looked somewhat disjointed on Qld’s 20. I also feel Teddy was also stifling the attack a bit. Dylan Edward’s in for Teddy. I don’t think Sauali may even be available so either Burton, Latrell or Best to come in. Barnett in for Hudson Young.
 
frankLauda said:
I would bring in Moses in, and seriously consider Cody Walker. Laui played well but we honestly lacked any good attack and looked somewhat disjointed on Qld’s 20. I also feel Teddy was also stifling the attack a bit. Dylan Edward’s in for Teddy. I don’t think Sauali may even be available so either Burton, Latrell or Best to come in. Barnett in for Hudson Young.
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I agree with Moses, but if I was bringing anyone in for Luai it'd be Burton - big body, massive boot and has been in red hot form for the Bulldogs. Cody has shown before he's not the guy for the Origin arena.
 
Hard to draw too many conclusions from a game where one team had 12 men for most of it but a handful of Blues players established or reinforced that they belong in this arena:

Stephen Crichton - Looked very dangerous with the ball and exemplary in defence. He’s finally arrived at this level. Terrific.
Brian To’o - I think he’s the best winger I’ve ever seen. The most important part of the engine driving a Blues yardage game which did surprisingly well with 12 men.
Liam Martin - Gave Suaalii a free lesson in how to POSITIVELY impact a game with defensive aggression. Outstanding effort areas. A true winner and definite “Origin player”.
Angus Crichton - Back to being maybe the most complete two-way edge forward in the comp. Does so many things well.
Reece Robson - Actually looked terrific out there in both attack and defence, looks right at home at this level.
Payne Haas - Had to spend a lot of time defending but even a low impact Haas game is better than a lot of other guys’ good games.
Cameron McInnes - Incredible work rate. NSW Reuben Cotter. Earned more games.
Spencer Leniu - Surprised me the most. He looked great. Skittled defenders like he does in club footy. Has to stay in the team.

All undroppable for the rest of the series for mine.

I’d keep Lomax in the team - though he had some bad moments, he clearly showed that his athleticism translates to that level, and honestly I think the only way the Blues win the next two games is with sheer physical dominance.

On the flip side, here are my “cards marked - surely they never play at this level again” players:

Suaalii - unforgivable stupidity, made a mockery of a jersey a guy leaving the sport for rugby shouldn’t have been given to begin with
Hynes - He’ll probably get away with that performance due to it being 12 on 13, but I think I saw signs of him either being totally out of his depth or having a playing style which doesn’t translate well to Origin. If Moses is fit for game 2 he has to come in.
Luai - Yes he got a try assist with a deft kick, but he’s legitimately one of the biggest handbrakes going. Just allergic to straightening the attack. Plays so slow, runs backwards as much as forwards.
Jake Turbo - You can’t make selections based on a guy being a good bloke. No impact at all and spent more time on the bench than on the field. That’s not what you want in a captain.
Hudson Young - Plays like he’s worried he might break a nail.
 
The concern I have is will the man down be a reason for not dropping players. I feel we still get beaten if it was 13 on 13. It will again mostly likely come down to who’s available and not injured. But I agree with the analysis HVG.
 
Like many, I was a little shocked at Leniu’s selection. But boy, he just kept running at them full steam. Thought he was great. Both he and Martin showed great measured aggression.

Thought Robson was good. That try saver epitomises origin. He will be better for the hitout, lost some energy as game went on, but dug deep.

Hynes disappointing. I think he gets given game 2 if he pulls up okay. Just depends how Madge thinks he pulled off the game plan. Moses must be feeling pretty good right now. Hynes almost looks a bit too relaxed and not prepared for the pace of origin.

To’o always great. His chase on DCE in a lost game was great to see. If not for a bloody lucky kick and bounce, he saves a try there.

Lomax, S Crichton did well I thought.

But plenty seemingly going through the motions.

Barnett would be a great addition to the 17. Best when fit is made for origin imo.


Sualii - I can see what he was trying to do. If Walsh doesn’t slip and drop his height, he absolutely crunches him in the chest and abdomen with a Liam Martin-esque tackle that’s being shown as a highlight for years to come. But he launched in with no control whatsoever, and is barely looking at what’s going on. I think he could argue the charge a little with mitigating circumstances of Walsh slipping, but the resultant force to the head, I think has to be a send off. Just a shame it ruined the game. Also a shame QLD didn’t come to defend their player.

Also, how on earth did Reece Walsh pass a HIA? (I’m pretty sure commentary said good news he passed his HIA, but was ruled a category 1 at the time). He could quickly go the same way as Ponga.
 
Just me, or is it ridiculously unfair to SEND OFF a defender for a striking a ball runner with a copy book tackle, aimed at well below chest height, but landing the shoulder at just above chin/shoulder height because the ball runner had collapsed to that height in the fraction of a second after the defender had committed to the regulation tackle?

Especially considering that once you SEND OFF a player in Origin the game is over.

Ashley Klein might be the dumbest fk to never ref at that level again. Just bombed an entire series in a single poor decision. Advertisers and the NRL would be so happy with him
 
I don’t think he’d slipped that much or that you could call it a “regulation tackle” tbh. Joseph was looking to put a shot on and without the slip he probably hits upper chest/just below shoulders, possibly hits the ball. In that case people are probably talking about it as a great hit but it’s still very risky. He has both feet off the ground when he makes contact - this would have been a considered factor in the send off - so it would have been some effort to get the point of contact below chest height.

Look at Liam Martin’s big hits and I think he’s unquestionably aiming lower & he’s way more in control.
 
Game gone at send off but Blues played strong, big difference the 7’s, DCE top game, Haynes ordinary.
Most if not all likely to be retained unless some are cleared of injuries such as Moses, Edward’s.
Changes Yeo in for McInnes to bench, Moses for Hynes, Burton for Luai, Best if fit for Suaalii if not then Latrell.
Was very impressed with Robson, Hass, Martin and Crichton A along with Lomax, Crichton and To’o
 
Frank McWilliams said:
Send off ruined game but was deserving, might be time to consider sending off but allowing a bench player on which in effect reduces the squad by 1 to 16 but allows 13 on field
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I'd be more inclined to leave the team to 12 (still making the send off an effective deterrent for intentional foul play in big games, particularly) but allowing the 18th man to be activated, so you have a bench rotation of 5 players. That would at least mitigate the undeniable impact of the fatigue factor at the back end of the game on the whole playing squad. That would be a fair balance to me for both the teams, the players and the fans.
 
I get that Luai polarises opinion but to me he is the Blues equivalent of a Munster - that X factor player that can be both rocks and diamonds on any given day BUT he is one of the few players that can genuinely play heads up footy in the big games like SoO. The kick he put on for Teddy to score in broken play and traffic can not be taught. I think he is defensively a pass at origin level but his running, kicking and heads up play under pressure is something that gives a team a real unpredictability point of difference.

It obviously works best when you have him balanced with a quality organising half like Cleary but I think if Madge went with a Moses/Luai halves pairing, that would be a very formidable combination that would worry the Queenslanders.
 
Just the toughest game to analyse. Thought NSW plan for physical intensity looks like it could work, but also QLD never really got out of second gear and won in a canter. Feel for Maguire as you just couldn’t have a worse circumstance to start your Origin Career. I think I’d drop Hynes for Moses, pick either Best or Tago for Game 2 and keep the side pretty much the same.

Will be interesting to track Hynes form from here, last game for the Sharks against Penrith was awful, quiet last night and likely to get dropped. Same scenario as last year and you could see his form drop then.
 
Les Misérables said:
Just me, or is it ridiculously unfair to SEND OFF a defender for a striking a ball runner with a copy book tackle, aimed at well below chest height, but landing the shoulder at just above chin/shoulder height because the ball runner had collapsed to that height in the fraction of a second after the defender had committed to the regulation tackle?

Especially considering that once you SEND OFF a player in Origin the game is over.

Ashley Klein might be the dumbest fk to never ref at that level again. Just bombed an entire series in a single poor decision. Advertisers and the NRL would be so happy with him
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I think these factors will come into it in the judiciary process.

There’s an angle that shows the contact, obviously with some angle distortion, and the contact point seems to be below Angus Crichton’s chest. So I definitely agree it’s a mitigating factor. Walsh seems to anticipate the tackle and almost tries to step or avoid the contact but slips/falls. It’s a red line play. If it hits an upright Walsh, he gets flattened and drops the ball and huge play. Unfortunate for him, it didn’t pan out and he made contact with the head.

The NRL constantly has said that the onus is on the defender to ensure they don’t contact the head. If that was Ponga, I’d be filthy. Player safety, head knocks, we know the story.

The force to the head was sickening. He lost control in that situation. Walsh’s head gets sent to Brisbane. And he appeared to be in another planet. No idea how he passed his HIA. Surely he couldn’t have been milking it. His eyes were rolling on the way down.


Yes, it ruined the game and we often see some leniency in origin with regards to send offs or even sin bins and penalties, especially in the opening minutes. But I can understand how it’s a send off. That’s not a good look for the game if we deem that acceptable. Sualii probably gets absolutely belted if he plays any part in the rest of that game (would’ve liked to see that…).
 
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