NSW squad for game 2

[Kiwi Eagle]

Great to see I am not the only one that can't get the hype over Ennis' play. Farah is better than him in every single aspect of play other than sledging

I actually don't mind some of this squad. Barrett/Pearce I am a fan of as a combo, having watched the Sharks games the past few weeks I can see why Barrett is there, been playing top footy. Pearce is a class player, may still be slightly early but he will ask the Qld defence more questions than any other option

Gallen and O'Donnell always enjoy sticking the mits up so hope they get into it

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

And while I am at it, Tim Mannah is very unlucky to miss out, has been in tremendous form lately

 

[ChildersMick]

Hayne wont get off, Dugan to fullback, Barrett ad Pearce are the halves
while Gidley is on the bench. We need an attacking frame of mind...too often we
wait for QLD to come to us

 

[Jethro]

The Final Cut Squad:

Fullback:        Jarryd Hayne (Parramatta Eels)
Wing:            Brett Morris (St George Illawarra Dragons)
Centre:          Matt Cooper (St George Illawarra Dragons)
Centre:          Beau Scott (St George Illawarra Dragons)
Wing:            Timana Tahu (Parramatta Eels)
Five-eighth:    Trent Barrett (vc) (Cronulla Sharks)
Halfback:        Mitchell Pearce (Sydney Roosters)
Front Row:      Michael Weyman (St George Illawarra Dragons)
Hooker:          Michael Ennis (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)
Front Row:      Brett White (Melbourne Storm)
Second Row:  Trent Waterhouse (Penrith Panthers)
Second Row:  Ben Creagh (St George Illawarra Dragons)
Lock:            Paul Gallen (Cronulla Sharks)

Interchange:  Kurt Gidley © (Newcastle Knights)
Interchange:  Nathan Hindmarsh (Parramatta Eels)
Interchange:  Tom Learoyd-Lahrs (Canberra Raiders)
Interchange:  Luke O’Donnell (Nth Qld Cowboys)

Kidley relegated to the bench but still Captain & Barrett made Vice-Captain

Jason King Dropped.

 

[ManlyBacker]

O'Donnell is a big boy but just one prop on the bench? Jason mustn't believe it, and Bellyache love-child White is an automatic starter again. Wouldn't it be better for Hindmarsh to start and do the initial hard clean-up work and have Creagh come off the bench to add a bit of spark? Gidley should be playing in LRO, but his only use would be as relieving hooker.

There is a lot to like about the player positional picks and I am more confident with that line-up than in game 1. But not by much.

 

[Fluffy]

TLL and LOD are playing out of position as is tahu.

Still thats the closest we have had to playing players in their position for a long time

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

OK I'll change the score prediction

Instead of QLD 50 NSW 0

QLD 36 NSW 0

Not a hope of getting anywhere near the QLD side at Suncorp.

Oh dear and to think I'll be at the game.

 

[clontaago]

White was one of the worst in game 1, yet gets promoted to starting prop for game 2.

At least they came to their senses with Gidley.

I actually dont mind Hindmarsh coming off the bench. Generally its when our big forwards start to tire that Queensland dominate us through the ruck and start to score points.

Hopefully Hindmarsh will be bought on to stop that from happening.

 

[Guest]

The Final Cut Squad:

Fullback:        Jarryd Hayne (Parramatta Eels)
Wing:            Brett Morris (St George Illawarra Dragons)
Centre:          Matt Cooper (St George Illawarra Dragons)
Centre:          Beau Scott (St George Illawarra Dragons)
Wing:            Timana Tahu (Parramatta Eels)
Five-eighth:    Trent Barrett (vc) (Cronulla Sharks)
Halfback:        Mitchell Pearce (Sydney Roosters)
Front Row:      Michael Weyman (St George Illawarra Dragons)
Hooker:          Michael Ennis (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)
Front Row:      Brett White (Melbourne Storm)
Second Row:   Trent Waterhouse (Penrith Panthers)
Second Row:   Ben Creagh (St George Illawarra Dragons)
Lock:             Paul Gallen (Cronulla Sharks)

Interchange:   Kurt Gidley © (Newcastle Knights)
Interchange:   Nathan Hindmarsh (Parramatta Eels)
Interchange:   Tom Learoyd-Lahrs (Canberra Raiders)
Interchange:   Luke O’Donnell (Nth Qld Cowboys)

Kidley relegated to the bench but still Captain & Barrett made Vice-Captain

Jason King Dropped.

what i like about this side is no MANLY player....  good stuff. lets hope they keep it that way for game 3 as well..

 

[codewana]

what i like about this side is no MANLY player....  good stuff. lets hope they keep it that way for game 3 as well..

LOVE IT! I could give two ****s about Origin to be honest. A Manly premiership is all I care about in the world of Rugby League.

 

[The Gronk]

Weak team - players out of  position and one prop on the bench. 

The selectors are all over the place - banging on about what a weapon Idris is, then not picking him anyways (although picking a centre on the bench is nuts).  How does Beau Scott get in ahead of him?

Why not go in with a few props and try to run over them? They are missing Price and 70c/L, and have Hannant running around on one leg.  Surely if there was ever a time to bulk up it would be now. 

How the hell is Brett White in the top two props in NSW. 

 

[Dan]

I actually like beau scott as a player. He can certainly defend.

Creagh and White are very lucky indeed.

Why is it so hard to just pick players in the right position?

Tau on the wing? He hasn't played there since well before he went to union. There are so many good wingers in the nrl and we pick a centre?

These days wingers are vital to how defensive lines slide and under the high ball.

Personally I think now they have named pearce there, they need to stick with him good or bad for the next 2 or 3 years minimum and build a team around him

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Hahahaha the captain on the bench! Gidley's position is a major embarrassment for himself, Bellamy & the selectors.

Anyone with Fox may have noticed Blues selector/Fox commentator L Daley getting openly laughed at over the last couple of days and he has had no comeback at all, other than to look extremely uncomfortable.

Tonight he was asked how the changes would improve the team from game 1, and he said there are more points in this team and more toughness. Then why didn't they pick this team last time??? Surely this is the last go for Bellamy, Daley & co. 

 

[ManlyBacker]

This says it all - "AFTER 31 years of State of Origin, NSW captain Kurt Gidley has become the first Blues leader ever benched. In the 31 years since State of Origin was first played in 1980, no skipper from NSW or Queensland has ever sung the anthem and then returned to the interchange and donned a team tracksuit."
Never happened for the Maroons.