Official Queensland Side For Game 1

[1910]

O'Niell in camp for Boyd. DCE is cover for Jono.

Parade in Bundy is huge.

 

[Alec]

It's funny how Mal made fun of NSW picking a lot of back rowers in the past. Now he does the same. His reasoning was that it worked for NSW. Yeah, it worked so well that they lost 7 in a row. I guess he just wants mobility in defence, but it's a bit counter productive when Gillett is like number 1 for missed tackles in the NRL, and Te'o tends to rush out like a new KFC just opened in front for him. I'm really not sure what's going to happen, but if Shillington and Parker swap (and obviously Parker and Myles swap again), and Papalli comes into the final side then I'll be a lot more confident.

 

[Porthoz]

Re: Round 11 Discussion

People talk about Gillett in the team and to a point I agree his defence is an issue.
His speed off the line is awesome, but it's an issue at the same time, because he gets easily stepped and that's where you often see him doing arm grabs and miss tackles. Mal needs to burn into his mind that he can't jump off the line and open a gap behind him for a blue to slip through.
Hopefully he plays at his best, because we will need him to.

As to McQueen, I am sure he will do the job as Twitzid says, and I admire the bloke for his versatility, but I'd rather see Papalii on the bench ahead of him.

 

[Alec]

please no. hooker is/should be an 80 minute position, especially in origin.

Why? Origin is tougher than a typical NRL game, a hooker playing 80 minutes loses his impact. A bench hooker is very valuable, Craig Wing has been awesome for NSW. You don't need to take off your starting one to bring on a replacement anyway, as long as he can defend well, a dummy half runner is much more valuable than a tiring forward late in the game.

As for McCullough, I think he could still turn out to be a great hooker. I don't rate him at the moment, but he's really only missing two things - a sharp passing game and some smarts when in the opposition 20. The latter should come with more experience but the former really needs to be worked on a lot for him to be a top tier hooker.

 

[Anonymous person]

Why? Origin is tougher than a typical NRL game, a hooker playing 80 minutes loses his impact. A bench hooker is very valuable, Craig Wing has been awesome for NSW. You don't need to take off your starting one to bring on a replacement anyway, as long as he can defend well, a dummy half runner is much more valuable than a tiring forward late in the game.

cameron smith has seemed to go pretty well at hooker for 80 minutes for the last 10 years, wouldnt you say? up until maybe 5-6 years ago pretty much EVERY club had an 80 minute hooker, and it was really only when Parramatta (iirc) went with a dual hooker rotation since they had 2 excellent hookers that other teams thought it was the best idea in town.

if your hooker cant play 80 minutes, get a hooker that can. its been shown time and time again that having 2 hookers disrupts your teams attack and defense as they both have different play styles and abilities.

having a second hooker wastes a spot in the team and 2 interchanges minimum.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Lets not forget Cameron Smith is the greatest hooker to play the game.

 

[Anonymous person]

all the great hookers were 80 minute players. think about that for a minute.

 

[Bucking Beads]

When we do replace Smith that player Might not be playing 80 minutes for his club so it's crazy to make him play 80 in origin. It is silly to just write off having a player capable of playing hooker off the bench. Perfect example if not being set in your ways is the QLD bench this year. In years gone by we would have 2 props on the bench regardless of quality. You pick your best team and if that means we have a hooker on the bench so be it.

 

[Alec]

Just because Smith was on the field for the full 80 doesn't mean he was playing to the same standard the whole time. He was definitely taking breaks while others filled in at dummy half.

As for the bench, you really don't need more than 3 forwards. Ideally 2 props and 1 back rower. The last spot should got to a utility or an impact player, like a hooker. Smith or Friend or whoever can stay on the field for the 80. The bench hooker can just replace a lock, defend well and make runs out of dummy half, against tired forwards.

 

[Anonymous person]

id much rather someone like barba or bowen do that job.

the "utility on the bench to cover for backline injury" in origin is stupid IMO. if someone in the backline goes down you shuffle around some players to cater for it. you dont need to essentially waste one of your bench spots in case someone gets injured.

 

[Dexter]

Agree with that. You can't have a blueprint for Origin where you always pick a cover for the just in case scenario, you pick your best side to win and make do if the worst happens.

If Smith gets hurt, Cronk plays dummy half and Harrison goes to 5/8 , if we lose a centre or wing Mcqueen fills in. If we need impact from dummy half we have Hodgo and 2 wingers and Slater to help out.

Qld has a good side to make do unless we get multiple injuries but you can't cater for that.

 

[Dexter]

Geez I thought Gillett would get a bigger flaming than he has, he was a shandy above a passenger in last years series and he has been mediocre for us apart from some good patches here and there.

Extremely lucky to be picked, I'm hoping a shift back to the bench will bring out his best.

 

[Je$ter]

all the great hookers were 80 minute players. think about that for a minute.

Segeyaro doesn't necessarily have to play hooker. He could easily come on in a Berrigan type role and roam around.

 

[Anonymous person]

Geez I thought Gillett would get a bigger flaming than he has, he was a shandy above a passenger in last years series and he has been mediocre for us apart from some good patches here and there.

Extremely lucky to be picked, I'm hoping a shift back to the bench will bring out his best.

theres no point flaming him as the same people will bring out the same old "but but but remember those games in 2010! he deserves selection in the 2013 origin team because of those games and always will no matter how bad hes been for 18+ months!" line.

he was given 3 games last series, after being picked on some of the worst performances from a fulltime broncos player in recent history, and proceeded to shit the bed in all 3 games, doing very little work and making no positive impact. yet here we are 12 months later, still playing poorly, and he gets chosen again.

good old selection loyalty.

 

[Dexter]

t

he was given 3 games last series, after being picked on some of the worst performances from a fulltime broncos player in recent history, and proceeded to shit the bed in all 3 games,:loool: doing very little work and making no positive impact. yet here we are 12 months later, still playing poorly, and he gets chosen again.

good old selection loyalty.

I think the loyalty thing has worked well for us overall but in Gillets case there is an overwhelming argument to try someone in far better form.
I watched most of last years serious last night ( while the missus watched big fat loser) and he was sod ordinary. Some of his mistakes were too bad to be true for that level.

 

[Charmamba]

good old selection loyalty.

It's that same selection loyalty that has Slater still at fullback when Inglis is clearly the best in the game at this point. I can understand it, I just can't like it.

 

[QUEENSLANDER]

The same loyalty should not be applied to a guy with a few bench games under his belt imo

 

[Bucking Beads]

We should know today whether Te'o will play. The NRL integrity team will be releasing its findings on the Te'o matter today.