Origin discussion

[SilentBob]

anyone being seriously looked at for origin will get a run in city/country (unless playing for Aus) you would have to think.

So against the Queens we will be missing 8 players for Rep + 3 injured.

Kite, King, Perry and Rose out of the props.
Watmough and Stewart out of the backrow.
Lyon, Foran, Matai, Stewart and Williams D out of the backs.

Theres a YART or 10 in this situation

They will only be missing if they are injured, otherwise they will back up and play, Dragons will be in the same boat. Players only get stood down for SOO games.

 

[Wolfpack]

Here's my crack at the team;

1. Josh Dugan
2. Jarryd Hayne
3. Jamie Lyon (c)
4. Josh Morris
5. Brett Morris
6. Terry Campese
7. Mitchell Pearce
8. Aiden Tolman
9. Michael Ennis
10. Luke Douglas
11. Anthony Watmough
12. Cory Patterson
13. Glenn Stewart

14. Luke Lewis
15. Josh Perry
16. Luke Bailey
17. Anthony Laffranchi


Probably wont make many friends (outside of Canberra) with picking Dugan & Campese.

I picked Dugan purely because NSW's best fullback option is out for the year & as I see it he's the next best thing. I don't trust Hayne's defence & positioning enough to have him start at fullback in a SoO match, get the feeling that if NSW do end up putting him there (following the hype) then QLD will tear through him all night long. As for Gidley, well I just think he's bollocks. Not bad, but not good either. The Chris Bailey of fullbacks.

Dugan is as solid as any NRL player in defence and without doubt the best defensive fullback in the comp. He has the toughness to not get rattled around in Origin as well. Lets face it as much as it's the death knell for Snake's rep career, this kid will probably be NSW's future fullback if not the fullback for this series. May as well give him his start now - put the old cows out to pasture. He made the transition from u20s to first grade very well & I believe he'll do the same with FG to reps.

As for the outside backs, I already made my case why I don't think Hayne should be at fullback. Does brilliantly at wing though.

Can't doubt the Morris boys, plenty of speed & talent there to make the maroons wary of us. Both have rep experience & Josh played Origin last year. They'd make a great combo on one side of the field

Killer is there to be the captain IMO (ahh Kurt Gidley selection!), edging out Jenning & Lawrence. He's a real playmaker both in the sense that he can help out in the halves & also that he has the ability to create something out of nothing. I doubted Jamie's ability to captain Manly but I'm happily very wrong. He's got the experience & the skill to lead NSW around. The other added bonus is that he's one center who we can be fairly confident will stop Inglis, can't say the same for Jennings or Lawrence.

Campo's in brilliant form this year & given NSW's current 5/8th stocks I think he's a real chance. Absolutely killing it down in Canberra, especially well given the players Canberra have trotted out in the 7 recent. All greats such as Herbet, McCrone & Mogg  :🙂 Will thrive with a good halfback & hooker. He's got the skill theres no doubting that, just needs to put it all together. Another potential goal kicker as well.

Pearce is basically locked in to the Blues 7 so I can't really be bothered debating him. Not the biggest fan of him, but he is a solid player who'll give his all no matter what (Must run in the family). NSW doesn't really have many other options at this point.

Tolman, Douglas, Perry & Bailey are my front row rotation. Tolman is just playing far too well this year to ignore & Douglas has been knocking on the door now for quite a while. Perry & Bailey add the experience & as a bonus are both in great form.

Back row is Choc, Patterson & Gift. Choc & Patterson are both great wide runners who can create plenty of play with offloads & line breaks. Not the biggest defensive workhorses but Gifty roaming the field will sure up this area IMO. Gift to create plenty of plays as well. Would love to see Gift given free reign to go out, chuck the ball around & see what he can make.

Have Luke Lewis & Laffranchi as my other bench players. Laffranchi is there to help out the back row rotation, another good hard runner of the ball who will be solid for us in attack & defence.

Have to say that I love Luke Lewis & would have him at Manly in a heartbeat. A utility in the truest sense of the footballing term, he can slot in anywhere in our lineup which is great in Origin. Will be able to create play wherever he goes. Could come in to give Gifty a break or shift Gift to 2nd row to allow the team to throw the ball around easier.

Players that I wanted to find a spot for but just couldn't are Paul Gallen, Shaun Fenson, Michael Jennings, Chris Lawrence & the Kingdog. Gallen doesn't offer as much as Gift in attack & will give away double the penalties he will, so misses out on my team.

Shaun Fensom has been great for Canberra this season, but the back row is already packed with superstars & I just can't squeeze him in anywhere. Great player though who I expect will get some rep honours soon if he continues the way he is.

Jennings & Lawrence will have to be waiting in the wings for a chance to crack that outside backs line. If either of the Morris boys don't perform I could easily put one of these two into the team. Jennings in particular has been in good form recently.

Finally, no. No Todd Carney. Boo Todd Carney.

 

[Chip and Chase]

You sound like a closet Raiders fan Wolfpack. Dugan is a bigger long shot than T-Rex, and Fensom ?! The guy is going alright, but seriously, one area NSW aren't short on are backrowers. I don't mind Campo, but not convinced he is the sort of player that will shine in Origin. Carney is more chance than Campo.

 

[Wolfpack]

You sound like a closet Raiders fan Wolfpack. Dugan is a bigger long shot than T-Rex, and Fensom ?! The guy is going alright, but seriously, one area NSW aren't short on are backrowers. I don't mind Campo, but not convinced he is the sort of player that will shine in Origin. Carney is more chance than Campo.

Hah fair call, I did think that while I was writing up the list.

I know Dugan is a long shot but personally I think he's our best option at the moment. Really not confident with NSW's other fullback prospects.

I picked Campo over Carney because Campo has been playing 5/8th for quite a few seasons straight whereas Carney has been playing an odd mix of fullback & 5/8th since he got back into the league. In terms of skill i'd rate Carney over Campese any day but he's rocks & diamonds. Dunno how he'd hold up in Origin after that long out of the game. Maybe next year if he keeps up his form.

As I said, with the backrow stacked with superstars I can't find a spot for Fensom. He'll have to prove that he's up to that level over the next 3-4 seasons to start testing for a spot unless something dramatic happens. I'm just a huge fan of the bloke.

 

[Berkeley_Eagle]

Luke Baily is unavailable for Rep selection

 

[DSM5]

Why pick Perry?  He's played one good game.... last weeks.  Luke Lewis makes to many errors for mine.  Stupid options player.  A team with Choc and Laffranchi would drip penalties.  Selection nightmares. 

 

[Volley]

My YART is completely different guys, and probably way out there....there ARE some tough positions though:-

01. Jared Hayne
02. Timana Tahu
03. Jamie Lyon
04. Brett Morris
05. Josh Morris
06. Feleti Mateo (I believe he CAN be selected)
07. Todd Carney
08.
09. Kurt Gidley
10.
11. Anthony Watmough
12. Greg Bird
13. Paul Gallen

14.
15.
16.
17. Glenn Stewart

(The rest I have no idea. No forwards are really dominating this year apart from the odd Kiwi.)

That would have to be both the ugliest, and scariest backrow in history !

A. You've got the Morris twins mixed up
B. Never do an Origin YART again, no offence but that team is wack.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

Why pick Perry?  He's played one good game.... last weeks.  Luke Lewis makes to many errors for mine.  Stupid options player.  A team with Choc and Laffranchi would drip penalties.  Selection nightmares. 

Don't know about your Lewis comment mate, he is 1 bloke I think I would have in any side, really rate his play the last couple of seasons

 

[Nutzcraw]

01. Jarryd Hayne
02. Brett Morris
03. Josh Morris
04. Jamie Lyon (c)
05.
06. Todd Carney
07. Mitchell Pearce
08. Michael Weyman
09. Robbie Farah
10. Justin Poore
11. Anthony Watmough
12. Anthony Laffranchi
13. Trent Waterhouse

14. Luke Lewis
15. Aiden Tolman
16. Ben Cross
17. Glenn Stewart

 

[Berkeley_Eagle]

THE City slickers face a play-making crisis ahead of next Friday's annual State of Origin selection trial, with no experienced halfbacks fit to play and captain Robbie Farah tipped to be unavailable because of Kangaroos duty.

In the absence of injured duo Mitchell Pearce (shoulder) and Peter Wallace (knee), the only remaining halfback candidates are tyros Kris Keating and Trent Hodkinson.

The 21-year-olds have only just risen through the junior ranks at Cabramatta together but, with just 38 NRL appearances between them, they are now joint favourites for a shock representative call-up opposite formidable Country pair Todd Carney and Brett Kimmorley.

City's chairman of selectors John Hayes was still coming to grips with the shortage when we contacted him yesterday.

"That's caught us out a bit, so we will have to have a good look and come up with something," Hayes said.


"Both [Keating] and [Hodkinson] are on our list, and there's one other [Scott Porter] who is not playing first grade."

Should the selectors not want to throw either youngster in the deep end, a makeshift half will have to suffice. Farah - named as the Tigers' No.7 yesterday - shapes as the most obvious candidate but sources at ARL headquarters reckon he'll more likely be in Melbourne than Port Macquarie next week.

We've been told Farah is an odds-on chance to make the Australian bench, leaving City with only Braith Anasta, John Sutton and Feleti Mateo as ball-players with previous representative experience.

Lachlan Coote played his junior football at five eighth, but the Panthers flyer is already a shoo-in for fullback at City.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/city-origin-facing-selection-crisis/story-e6frexnr-1225859033095

 

[Duff]

I'm pretty much in agreement with Wolfpack, especially about Dugan.

I'd probably lean towards Mullen at 5/8. I know he's not going the best but I just rate him. He's got a great kicking game which would help a good team like NSW a lot more than it helps a sh1te team like Newcastle.

I'm not sold on Laffranchi & Patterson but could live with it if they were picked.

Tolman is killing it & has really stepped up. I didn't even know he was a blue.

Under the Carroll/Lam/Thorn rule, Ellis & Burgess will look great in sky blue.

 

[Fro]

The Carrol Lam Thorn rule only applies to Qlders or the Melbourne storm salary cap

 

[Wolfpack]

I'd probably lean towards Mullen at 5/8. I know he's not going the best but I just rate him. He's got a great kicking game which would help a good team like NSW a lot more than it helps a sh1te team like Newcastle.

Last year I'd agree with you, but the way Mullen has been playing this year is absolutely abysmal. There's no doubt he's got the talent but he needs to find some semblance of form.

Would hate for him to start throwing some of the passes he was chucking around against the Sharks in an Origin match.

 

[Berkeley_Eagle]

so has Origin selections become clearer after last nites games

Robbo a possible bolter ?

 

[Fluffy]

If it werent for the Gidley skipper love affair then yes things got a bit clearer.

My YART

01. Jarryd Hayne
02. Brett Morris
03. Timana Tahu
04. Jamie Lyon (c)
05. Michael Jennings
06. Todd Carney
07. Brett Kimmorley
08. Michael Weyman
09. Robbie Farah
10. Josh Perry
11. Nathan Hindmarsh
12. Luke Lewis
13. Paul Gallen

14. Anthony Watmough
15. Kurt Gidley
16. Brent Kite
17. Tom Learoyd-Lahrs