Game II Queensland Origin Team

[BroncsFan]

Stop buying the hype ! He has potential but he HASN'T been dominating anything yet. He's had a couple decent games and he's been identified as being an Origin type but really, in time in time !

Exactly this... scoring trys off JT's hip is not dominating defences. You know who else dominates NRL defences off of JT's hip Ethan Lowe and Gavin Cooper. You'd swear people were talking about a tallis reincarnate.

No doubt Hess has potential but he's not at the point where he will get out and dominate a team in attack and defence. I'd say by this time next year Hess will be well on his way to being a consistent 80mins performer and straight into the origin team.

Qld really should've had him in the squad for game 1 while cows are on the bye knowing he will be needed soon. Game 2 the cows are playing so it'll likely be a milf game 1 situation

 

[Wolfie]

Sims and Wallace have to be in next game, we need more size. Chambers has to be picked at right center as well imo, Hayne wouldnt get the comfortable ride he did last night. Our back line is actually tricky to pick. Maybe move Gagai to left center, keep Boyd at full back and bring in Holmes on the wing. Still would like to see Munster in place of Morgan.

 

[uptheguts]

We need more scheming in the second game. Its pretty unlikely we can match the blues forwards physically so we need to use our heads more. Our chief schemer, JT, was missing and the other two just seemed overwhelmed behind a dominated foward pack. Thats one reason we really need Billy back . He will bring out the best in Smith and Cronk. Would really like to see Munster in also for the same reason.

I appreciate MIlfs solid effort , but I just cant see us beating the Blues with him at 5/8. We absolutly need JT back.

 

[Unbreakable]

Nate Myles probably missing game 2 with that elbow injury, 3-4 weeks out.

Sucks that he won't get to go out on his own terms, he's been a great servant for the Maroons. Regardless, excited to see what Wallace can bring.

 

[Huge]

Nate Myles probably missing game 2 with that elbow injury, 3-4 weeks out.

Sucks that he won't get to go out on his own terms, he's been a great servant for the Maroons. Regardless, excited to see what Wallace can bring.

Great stuff, the hand has been forced. On Myles himself I say well done big fellow, well done. Been a huge part of a very successful Qld team.

 

[Number6]

1. Slater
2. Oates
3. Boyd
4. Chambers
5. Gagai
6. Thurston
7. Cronk
8. Napa
9. Smith
10. McGuire
11. Cooper
12. Gillett
13. Papali
14. Milford
15. Wallace
16. Sims
17. Hess
18. Thaiday
19. Munster

Lillyman maybe doesn't deserve to be dropped so may be better options than sims but wonder if time to take some risks and plan for the future.

 

[uptheguts]

Why not Biily to fullback and Boyd to the centers and leave Gagai on the wing ? Boyds passing game is one of his best attributes and more often then not he is setting up wingers to score tries. We loose that if he is just plunked on the wing.

 

[ZeBigLebowski]

Probably Can Smith's worst ever Origin game, if he didnt rush up on Maloney, NSW wouldn't have got that try at the half time mark we go into the half 4-6. NSW probably would have won but it would have been closer I'd expect for a bounce back performance along with the forwards pack for game 2.

 

[Foordy]

We have won 10 series from 11 years ... it is time to start bringing in the new blood to set us up for another 5+ years. even if it means short term pain this year. for this reason I am against bringing back Slater. I would go with this team for Origin 2 (pending fitness.

1. Darius Boyd
2. Corey Oates
3. Will Chambers
4. Dane Gagai
5. Valentine Holmes
6. Johnathan Thurston
7. Cooper Cronk.
8. Dylan Napa
9. Cam Smith (c)
10. Josh McGuire
11. Aiden Guerra
12. Matt Gillett
13. Josh Papalli

14. Coen Hess
15. Sam Thaiday
16. Jarrod Wallace
17. Anthony Milford

Guerra might be a controversial selection for some, but we are actually short of back rowers, and IMO McGuire serves us better at prop. but you could always drop Guerra, move McGuire back to lock and bring in Scott Bolton.

I think it is important to keep Milford on the bench over Morgan as he is the heir apparent to Thurston next year, so playing him off the bench would be good experience (not to mention his x-factor, that Morgan just doesn't have)

 

[Unbreakable]

Guerra might be a controversial selection for some, but we are actually short of back rowers

No we're not, you just named 5 of them in your 17, also the likes of Cooper, Lowe, Kaufusi & McQueen (May be ineligible due to playing for England) if we get desperate. It's arguably the only position we have some decent depth in right now.

I also don't really see how moving Papalii to Lock solves any of our issues, in fact it'd probably make our team weaker as he'd be too tired from the defensive workload to have the same impact in attack. McGuire is seemingly the only person in our system who has the motor to make 50 tackles and run for 100+ metres in the same game.

With that being said, I like your 17 as a whole, this would be the team I go with -

1. Boyd
2. Oates
3. Chambers
4. Gagai
5. Holmes
6. Thurston
7. Cronk
8. Napa
9. Smith (c)
10. Wallace
11. Papalii
12. Gillett
13. McGuire

14. Hess
15. Thaiday
16. Sims / Bolton
17. Milford / Morgan

I've backflipped on Hess, I've been saying that it's too early and it's unfair to debut him in an elimination game in Sydney, but tbh I think he's necessary, we simply don't have the luxury of easing him in to the fold, we need big bodies who run hard, he's the #1 prospect we have that covers those areas.

 

[Sproj]

I am more and more warming to getting Munster into the team somewhere. I think him and Holmes need to get into the side somehow, somewhere.

I think Wallace is also a certainty and I'd also argue either Sims or Hess's aggression is needed. Hess will get his chance either in game 3 or next year. I just love the one-two punch Napa-Sims would offer.

If they tag team, you can be sure win, lose or draw, NSW will be sore and sorry after the game. If those two just have one mission - smash Fifita all game, we win.

 

[Foordy]

Cooper, Lowe, Kaufusi & McQueen

Since i was talking about the new blood for the next 5+ years i didn't consider Cooper since he is 31; also McQueen is now out since he played for England.

10. Wallace

Hold the phone ... did i read that right :P

 

[mieko]

That's a pretty good backline and one I would like to see next game.
One concern I feel is that Milford either runs on in the halves or doesn't play at all, not a fan of him off the bench. Would prefer Morgan on the bench as he can fill all roles in the backline whereas Milf is halves only, maybe fullback. Morgan can even fill in at lock if need be.

Would also like to see Sims get a bench spot. Aggressive and smart, exactly what we need to come on and provide impact, can offload to.

 

[Kooly87]

We desperately need to improve our defence around the ruck and through the middle. I agree that Gillett and Papalli have been the form Backrowers going into the series but neither of them gets through a mountain of work defensively and I think without a noted defensive workhorse in the starting pack we really got exposed quite badly.

We don't exactly have a Dallas Johnson type player running around the NRL somewhere so we either need to take the next best option or create one out of left field. I'd personally like to see an Ethan Lowe or even a Gavin Cooper come into the setup (Lowe would be my first choice as he's younger and could be part of our setup for the longer term) and leave them out there to make tackles for the entire game.

Other than that we could try something really radical like playing Jake Friend at Lock, who obviously doesn't have a lot of size or much in the way of go-forward but he is probably the single most effective tackler available to Queensland and would be capable of tightening up our ruck for the entire 80 minutes

 

[Sproj]

Other than that we could try something really radical like playing Jake Friend at Lock, who obviously doesn't have a lot of size or much in the way of go-forward but he is probably the single most effective tackler available to Queensland and would be capable of tightening up our ruck for the entire 80 minutes

Interesting option, I reckon if we lose game two, something like that might just happen. Wouldn't you think McCullough would be the guy though?

 

[johnny plath]

That's a pretty good backline and one I would like to see next game.
One concern I feel is that Milford either runs on in the halves or doesn't play at all, not a fan of him off the bench. Would prefer Morgan on the bench as he can fill all roles in the backline whereas Milf is halves only, maybe fullback. Morgan can even fill in at lock if need be.

Would also like to see Sims get a bench spot. Aggressive and smart, exactly what we need to come on and provide impact, can offload to.

I guess the thing that has to be decided with the bench spot of Morgan v milf is whether its seen as a spot that is used as cover for multiple positions verse x factor impact to break open a game. Thats tough because you can't predict injuries but then do you waste a spot for a just in case situation. I'd lean x factor because I think depending on selections, there is enough versatility in the backs to cover a reshuffle. I wonder if Kevvie thought this job was going to be so tough.

 

[Kooly87]

Interesting option, I reckon if we lose game two, something like that might just happen. Wouldn't you think McCullough would be the guy though?

I think McCullough has nosed his was in front as the heir apparent to Cameron Smith's jersey, but I'm only looking for a highly effective tackler and in my opinion Jake Friend is perhaps the best in the NRL at this and certainly the best available to Queensland.

It's a massive gamble because we're already short on go forward and Friend won't help that, but all the go forward in the world won't save us if we keep getting our ruck defence blown apart by the NSW forwards

 

[Number6]

Don't understand why we would pick Morgan can't recall him every offering anything more than being able to play multiple positions mediocrely. His defence was crap for a bigger body as well. Not opposed to slater off the bench if not Milford and bringing Oates to second row later in the game but concerned he isn't there yet and would lose his effectiveness. Thaiday offered nothing. Still a little pissed Parker retired when he did. He was a bad choice for captain and the got pushed. He had a another year of origin and 2 years potentially at the Broncs the way he was playing unless there was injuries I am not aware of. I appreciate loyalty but so shouldn't change the whole team but a few players have been coasting on that for years. Loyalty also requires you pay back that faith in that selectors and this situation is different with massive generational change about to happen so need to stage it out to prevent years of pain.