State of Origin 1, 2023

QLD just seem to get a heap of players, not even necessarily standout players, but in form tough players and give them a job to do. Who is their biggest name? Munster? Fifita? DCE? They get them in, do their job.
Wouldn’t exactly call Cam Munster a bum hahaha. Particularly at this level. About as “made for Origin” as it gets.

Harry Grant has already had a better Origin career than any Blues eligible hooker since Buderus.

With Latrell Mitchell ruled out and Trbjoevic not 100%, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow was the most lethal attacking weapon available for either team.

They also have a lot of options for the pack at the moment, particularly in the middle. Mo Fotuaika would be a walk up start for us, but didn’t get a look in for the Maroons.

Don’t think it can be said that we obviously have them beat for star players… until Latrell Mitchell comes back, of course.
 
Didn’t watch the game, taped it and was going to watch it this morning, couldn’t resist checking the score, LOST, now can’t bring myself to watch it, especially after reading all on here, will probably delete unseen
 
Rep footy is a bit of an unconquered frontier for Ivan Cleary, wonder if he'd ever consider it?
If we could call on somebody with an existing coaching gig, I'd go for Craig Fitzgibbon...I think he has the coaching tools but, more importantly, he 'gets' origin culture like Slater, Smith and the Qld coaching staff do and he knows what it takes to win at Origin level.

The other bloke I'd love to put in charge would be Joey - no 'earthing', no spirituality...but apart from acknowledging he's got a great tactical footy brain, his ability to bring passion and getting players up for SoO would be epic to watch in it's own right
 
I’m not saying they have to play like Penrith but they should be able to find each other with passes at this level and with that amount of familiarity.
The familiarity thing is just not important at this level. The “club combinations” selection logic has never, ever worked. The Storm big three weren’t great at Origin level because they play club footy together. They were great because they’re three of the greatest players of all time.

What wins you games at this level is out of the box individual brilliance. Munster creating the go-ahead try by taking on Nicho Hynes physically and coming up with an offload, and then scoring the sealer by being the only player to back up a prop who out-leapt a fullback. Backing up on the opposite side of the field to the one he spends most his time playing on, no less. Why was he there? He couldn’t explain it to you himself, I’m sure. He saw it. He acted.

Not in a million years is Cleary doing any of this. It would go against his programming. Beep bloop beep.
 
Joey is already a pretty key part of the Blues set up. Reckon he has some say in the tactics already.
No - I really want him making player selections, running the coaching session and in the booth, on the sidelines and in the players faces while they are in the thick of it...
 
The familiarity thing is just not important at this level. The “club combinations” selection logic has never, ever worked. The Storm big three weren’t great at Origin level because they play club footy together. They were great because they’re three of the greatest players of all time.
Both play a part. Queensland have been at their best when they had strong Brisbane or Melbourne connections. NSW when there was a strong Knights or Manly connection. They only get 2 or 3 training sessions before the game, so if those connections are there, it will help. Of course individual brilliance will win it at this level as well.

But anyway, it was just a bad joke about Fittler, I wasn't making some huge point.
 
Brad Fittler and Teddy need to go, Latrell to fullback his natural position, Then

leave the team as is. When the Blues hit the front in the 2nd half we needed to slow the

the game down and dig in for the fight.
 
1. Edwards
2. Too
3. Latrell
4. Tom T
5. Fox
6. Hynes
7. Clearly
8. Haas
9. Korisau
10. Paulo
11. Friz
12. Martin
13. Jake T

14. Burton
15. Leniu
16. D Saf
17. Murray

teddy - left out due to terrible club and game 1 form
Yeo - left out- his panthers style play of jinking and short passing doesnt translate to origin
TPJ - inevitable he would make dumb costly error
Young- several mistakes and costly penalties, didn't do the 1%

If Tom T's form doesnt pick up i'd straight swap him with campbell graham
 
Pretty harsh to drop Luai considering he was the only playmaker who offered anything last night.
 
Pretty harsh to drop Luai considering he was the only playmaker who offered anything last night.
dropping luai is less about his own performance but what the team needs. Luai does his role, which is to complement a ball dominant half in cleary. This works well if cleary is dominating the play and doing his job, but he has shown time and time again he cant do that at origin. NSW needs another dominant play maker to take the burden off cleary and Hynes fits that role perfectly. Taking Yeo out will also provide more ball to the other half. Instead of a 5m jinking run then looking to pass to a backrower who has already been cut off by rushing origin defence then tucking the ball under and making an addition 1m and worlds slowest play the ball, the half can get it and distribute it properly.
 
If Cleary has failed time and time again why shouldn’t he replaced?
I’d go with Walker/Hynes for Game 2 tbh. Cleary just isn’t up to it at that level despite what all of his nut huggers in the media say. Wipe the slate clean and try something new.
 
If Cleary has failed time and time again why shouldn’t he replaced?
I’d go with Walker/Hynes for Game 2 tbh. Cleary just isn’t up to it at that level despite what all of his nut huggers in the media say. Wipe the slate clean and try something new.
He's not failing on an individual level its a systems based failure. Not since joey johns has a single half been able to dominant a game. Thurston had Lockyer and Cronk, DCE has Munster. All dominant ball players at club level, however all share the distribution role at origin level, beacuse a single guy simply cant do it with the fast and rushing defence in origin. You need a quality play maker both sides of the ruck.
 
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