Queensland Preliminary Squad

[rnabokov]

This is a real dilemma: Boyd is playing great footie and can cover wing, centre, FB, and possibly lock.

Slater is, well, Slater - can be either brilliant, ordinary or both and can play FB, wing and at a pinch, 5/8.

Stagg can cover the back-row and centre if Hodges/Inglis are injured.

And I reckon the 2 form halfbacks at this point in time are Prince & Cronk.

 

[Je$ter]

There is no dilemma:

Boyd will retain his wing spot.

Slater will more than likely start at fullback.

Hunt will come off the bench.

Thurston will be halfback.

If the unthinkable happens and we lose game 1, then Mal will make a ocuple changes, ie Prince may get a crack.

 

[Chumba]

As long as there isn't too much the we have "the Greatest team" or "greatest Backline" EVER! stuff like last year, then game one will go okay, but the media rot last year spoilt it before it even got started. The teams need to think about the game and not about the ledger. It's 0-0 every year.

 

[rnabokov]

There is no dilemma:

Boyd will retain his wing spot.

Slater will more than likely start at fullback.

Hunt will come off the bench.

Thurston will be halfback.

If the unthinkable happens and we lose game 1, then Mal will make a ocuple changes, ie Prince may get a crack.

Perhaps not in the mind of selectors about the players you've named, however, IMO, Prince and Cronk have better form than Thurston - apart from Thurston seeming to always be carrying an injury.

 

[Foordy]

There is no dilemma:

Boyd will retain his wing spot.

Slater will more than likely start at fullback.

Hunt will come off the bench.

Thurston will be halfback.

If the unthinkable happens and we lose game 1, then Mal will make a ocuple changes, ie Prince may get a crack.

I think the selectors will do what they did last year... Start Hunt, with Slater on the bench... the idea they had behind this was Hunt to take the initial onslaught, then after 20 mins bring Slater on when the defence is tiring out and move Hunt to the back row...

I think this would be the way to go. icon_thumbs_u

 

[The Brizz]

Hopefully NSW pick the backrow and bench the Test selectors picked, there isn't alot of "impact" in them and they aren't the type of guys that will successfully target Hunt and Lockyer in the front line defense. If they pick guys like Creagh and Waterhouse and run them all night at Hunt and Locky we could bleed plenty of points.

 

[rnabokov]

Hopefully NSW pick the backrow and bench the Test selectors picked, there isn't alot of "impact" in them and they aren't the type of guys that will successfully target Hunt and Lockyer in the front line defense. If they pick guys like Creagh and Waterhouse and run them all night at Hunt and Locky we could bleed plenty of points.

I think Bellamy knows full well that Creagh and Waterhouse will be the Blues backrow, along with Gallen.

From what I've read in the media, that's as much as he's implied.

And I do agree that they, especially if Mullen is picked at half, will give Qld a real hard time.

IMO, if the Blues pick the right team, it's going to be very very tight.

 

[Hamm.0]

IMO, if the Blues pick the right team, it's going to be very very tight.

+1.

Not only is it Origin, but the truth is we have the better backline and starting frontrow, however NSW backline won't be slouches by any stretch and their bench and backrow will be far more mobile and have more endurance than ours.

That is very dangerous, especially when the ruck will be so quick with the 2 refs.

 

[Coxy]

Hence why Queensland will need a decent playmaking halfback to make the most of any opportunities they have. Thurston's show and go won't keep producing the goods when it counts.

 

[winnie_992]

Hence why Queensland will need a decent playmaking halfback to make the most of any opportunities they have. Thurston's show and go won't keep producing the goods when it counts.

Thats why locky is going to be there right beside him, taking advantage of opportunites that Thurston can't see.

 

[rnabokov]

Hence why Queensland will need a decent playmaking halfback to make the most of any opportunities they have. Thurston's show and go won't keep producing the goods when it counts.

Thats why locky is going to be there right beside him, taking advantage of opportunites that Thurston can't see.

That's why Thurston shouldn't be half and Prince should.

Maybe we will have to learn the hard way that selections on reputation and not form lose matches

 

[OXY-351]

That's why Thurston shouldn't be half and Prince should.

Maybe we will have to learn the hard way that selections on reputation and not form lose matches

When you've won 3 series in a row, surely you have to give first shot to the incumbents though?

They've done the job in the past, so there is nothing to say they won't do the job again, even if their club form isn't their career best. There are 12 other plays on the field at club level. If they aren't performing, then it's probably a little hard for one player to excel, especially a halfback if the forward pack isn't travelling too good.

You've also got to take in to consideration combinations that players have with each other. How long have Smith, Thurston and Lockyer been playing with each other now (not in an Ian Roberts type of way)? They know each others game. Go and through an unkown in to the equation, and you don't know what results you'll get.

A few weeks back Lockyer was in relatively ordinary form (actualyl he's probably only played one really good game in the past 6 rounds). Would people be happy to disregard his past rep performances, and not have him in the team just because he's not in the best of form, as seems to be the case with Thurston?

If QLD lose the first match, and Thurston has a shocker, then I'd be all for Prince to be given a crack, but based on past performances for QLD, he deserves the first chance.