THE carefully structured dynamics of the NSW team have catapulted Manly prop Brent Kite into contention to play for the Blues in State of Origin II.
Gold Coast prop Luke Bailey had been considered a walk-up replacement for injured prop Ben Cross for the game at Suncorp Stadium on June 11, but Kite's mobility may give him the edge.
The Herald understands that Kite - who was left out of the Blues team when it was picked for Origin I despite playing for Australia against New Zealand a few days earlier - may be favoured to take the position ahead of Bailey.
Another contender is Sydney Roosters prop Mark O'Meley, who has impressed selectors with a return to form in recent weeks. After the Blues defeated the Maroons in Origin I, the Herald revealed elements of coach Craig Bellamy's plan that successfully shut down the Queensland players he coaches at Melbourne.
Part of the plan was to balance the forward pack with enough quick and mobile players to block runs from dummy-half by Maroons hooker Cam Smith. For the plan to work, it was imperative that props Cross and Brett White, and Willie Mason were never on the field at the same time.
If selectors opt to maintain that balance, Kite or O'Meley may get picked in front of the smaller Bailey. The team will be named on Tuesday, and the race is so tight that form in this weekend's NRL round will have a big bearing on which of the three is selected.
Cross was named as a starter for Origin I, but ended up coming off the bench, with the quicker and more mobile Sydney Roosters second-rower Craig Fitzgibbon starting at prop after being named on the bench. Whoever replaces Cross could be named as a starter, but it is just as likely that Fitzgibbon will start in Origin II.
Barring further injuries, the loss of Cross, who has had an operation to repair the broken thumb he sustained in Origin I, is expected to be the only change to the NSW side. Newcastle utility Kurt Gidley would have been a big chance of being named in the 17-man squad had he been cleared to play this weekend, but he is still recovering from a fractured cheekbone, and without being able to prove his fitness - particularly following a serious facial injury - he becomes too much of a risk.
In any case, Brisbane's Peter Wallace, who took the halfback spot earmarked for Gidley, did a superb job in Origin I, and St George Illawarra utility Ben Hornby did everything asked of him when he came off the bench.
Gold Coast prop Luke Bailey had been considered a walk-up replacement for injured prop Ben Cross for the game at Suncorp Stadium on June 11, but Kite's mobility may give him the edge.
The Herald understands that Kite - who was left out of the Blues team when it was picked for Origin I despite playing for Australia against New Zealand a few days earlier - may be favoured to take the position ahead of Bailey.
Another contender is Sydney Roosters prop Mark O'Meley, who has impressed selectors with a return to form in recent weeks. After the Blues defeated the Maroons in Origin I, the Herald revealed elements of coach Craig Bellamy's plan that successfully shut down the Queensland players he coaches at Melbourne.
Part of the plan was to balance the forward pack with enough quick and mobile players to block runs from dummy-half by Maroons hooker Cam Smith. For the plan to work, it was imperative that props Cross and Brett White, and Willie Mason were never on the field at the same time.
If selectors opt to maintain that balance, Kite or O'Meley may get picked in front of the smaller Bailey. The team will be named on Tuesday, and the race is so tight that form in this weekend's NRL round will have a big bearing on which of the three is selected.
Cross was named as a starter for Origin I, but ended up coming off the bench, with the quicker and more mobile Sydney Roosters second-rower Craig Fitzgibbon starting at prop after being named on the bench. Whoever replaces Cross could be named as a starter, but it is just as likely that Fitzgibbon will start in Origin II.
Barring further injuries, the loss of Cross, who has had an operation to repair the broken thumb he sustained in Origin I, is expected to be the only change to the NSW side. Newcastle utility Kurt Gidley would have been a big chance of being named in the 17-man squad had he been cleared to play this weekend, but he is still recovering from a fractured cheekbone, and without being able to prove his fitness - particularly following a serious facial injury - he becomes too much of a risk.
In any case, Brisbane's Peter Wallace, who took the halfback spot earmarked for Gidley, did a superb job in Origin I, and St George Illawarra utility Ben Hornby did everything asked of him when he came off the bench.
