Worst players who have played in Origin or Test matches...

[Harry Sack]

So many worthy wingers. Must have been hard to leave out Turner and Wolfman Pete.

 

[Morkel]

Wolfman wasn't the worst winger ever, but he certainly put in a couple of the worst performances ever. I remember Tonga smashing him, causing him to drop the ball on at least two, maybe three occasions, all gifting us excellent field position. Tongaaaa!

Go easy on Kidley. He's a pensioner now, but there were very few players that could come on and unsettle the Queensland ruck. Gidley was one of those players and he used to tear our middle defence apart.

 

[Big Pete]

Turner didn't qualify.

Wolfman did and could push Ty Williams out on the wing but I didn't just want to make it a 'NSW selectors suck' list.

Kidley had maybe 1 or 2 good games off the bench for NSW. Origin 3 2010 and Origin 2 2011. Rest of the time, he was even pretty crappy in that position and would often derail their work around the ruck.

At fullback he was average and to think they picked him in-front of Hayne for so long.

 

[Broncoman]

I don't believe that the Wolfman's selection was bad at the time. He had come of a rookie year that netted him a premiership, 20 appearances with 14 tries and a spot in Australia's world cup squad where he scored 4 tries in his 2 games. He also continued that form from memory and after 28 games had scored 18 tries at a strike rate of 0.64 which isn't bad and I rate him as a talent. He just made dumb decisions in his origin adventure and looked a bit of out it but managed to score 2 tries and tried to get involved.

 

[Big Pete]

I don't think it's really a matter of whether they deserved to be selected - in most cases there was a fair justification for their selection, rather it was just their performance.

Try tallies rarely tell the true story and in the case of his performances for Australia - three of those tries came against PNG. He did score one in the final but it was a fairly simple winger's try and he was bollocks for the rest of the night.

Even the 2/2 tries for NSW don't really tell the true story. His first try came late in the decider in Sydney AFTER Queensland were forced to reshuffle their backline due to one of the most blatant examples of foul play in Origin history. He scored a pretty simple winger's try after being pretty useless for the other 60 odd minutes and pretty much every Blues fan wanted him dropped.

As for his second well...don't know what the video referee was watching but if he watches it again it's pretty clear that Wolfman lost the ball in the midst of trying to ground the Slater fumble. I think all of that got lost in JT kicking him in the face which was another reason why the referees absolutely sucked that night and lost control of that game.

I do digress, Wolfman was a decent club player who proved that he wasn't able to really handle the pressures of rep footy. To think he displaced Hayne in the World Cup is pretty stupid thinking back on it.

 

[Harry Sack]

I don't think it's really a matter of whether they deserved to be selected - in most cases there was a fair justification for their selection, rather it was just their performance.

Try tallies rarely tell the true story and in the case of his performances for Australia - three of those tries came against PNG. He did score one in the final but it was a fairly simple winger's try and he was bollocks for the rest of the night.

Even the 2/2 tries for NSW don't really tell the true story. His first try came late in the decider in Sydney AFTER Queensland were forced to reshuffle their backline due to one of the most blatant examples of foul play in Origin history. He scored a pretty simple winger's try after being pretty useless for the other 60 odd minutes and pretty much every Blues fan wanted him dropped.

As for his second well...don't know what the video referee was watching but if he watches it again it's pretty clear that Wolfman lost the ball in the midst of trying to ground the Slater fumble. I think all of that got lost in JT kicking him in the face which was another reason why the referees absolutely sucked that night and lost control of that game.

I do digress, Wolfman was a decent club player who proved that he wasn't able to really handle the pressures of rep footy. To think he displaced Hayne in the World Cup is pretty stupid thinking back on it.

Trent Barrett on Inglis?

 

[Alec]

So is this the worst Origin players or worst players to play Origin? Because Pearce is clearly the gold medalist in the former.

 

[Big Pete]

I took a former approach.

As far as halves are concerned, I reckon him and Wallace are fairly neck and neck. Just a case of quality v quantity as Wallace put in two of the worst performances I've seen from a half, period while Pearce had plenty of mediocre performances he was just continuously allowed to get away with.

 

[Super Freak]

I would think Campese would be right up there as one of the worst halves in Origin.

 

[QUEENSLANDER]

I threw in a few stipulations for mine.

1998 - Now since it's the period I'm most familiar with.

Had to at least play three times in that position. When it's usually once or twice it's because there was an injury and they were simply filling a gap. Three means the selectors actually thought they were worth the investment at this level.

1. Kurt Gidley
2. Ty Williams
3. Josh Morris
4. Dane Nielsen
5. Anthony Quinn
6. Daniel Wagon
7. Peter Wallace
8. Brett White
9. Michael Ennis
10. Brent Kite
11. Ben Creagh
12. Glenn Stewart
13. Chris Flannery

You are being way too harsh on flannery. I will agree, i used to think he was useless too, but after a few years i really began to appreciate what he did for the teams he played in. Very much a paul bowman type player who you didnt really notice, but would never let you down.

I would include Casey Mcguire in any team i picked

 

[Big Pete]

As I said, he wasn't bad, just that he was the worst of the bunch.

 

[Cult]

I took a former approach.

As far as halves are concerned, I reckon him and Wallace are fairly neck and neck. Just a case of quality v quantity as Wallace put in two of the worst performances I've seen from a half, period while Pearce had plenty of mediocre performances he was just continuously allowed to get away with.

Didn't Wallace bust a testicle in one of those games though? I think he should get some sort of leeway because of that haha.

Also Carl Webb and Flannery are copping it here when they shouldn't be. Flannery is the same as Stagg and Dallas Johnson. What they lacked in attack they more than made up for in defense. And Carl Webb played well in the Origin arena, I definitely don't understand that.

 

[Cult]

I would include Casey Mcguire in any team i picked

Still a better utility than Kurt Gidley.

 

[Big Pete]

Didn't Wallace bust a testicle in one of those games though? I think he should get some sort of leeway because of that haha.

Nah, that was in Game 2 2008.

Johnson ranks right up there with Gilly for his defensive capabilities alone - Flannery at best was a guy who could do a job - no more, no less.

Both easily beat Stagg who only ever played one game.

Webb was fine though - maybe he'd rank right up there for overrated rep players but he had his moments IMO.

 

[Cult]

Nah, that was in Game 2 2008.

Johnson ranks right up there with Gilly for his defensive capabilities alone - Flannery at best was a guy who could do a job - no more, no less.

Both easily beat Stagg who only ever played one game.

Webb was fine though - maybe he'd rank right up there for overrated rep players but he had his moments IMO.

Also was it Flannery who threw that inside ball from the scrum for the Carl Webb try in 2006? That was done so well.

 

[Big Pete]

At the risk of over-exaggerating it - that was one of my favourite plays in Origin simple.

Just a neat surprise executed to perfection.

I rate that Maroons performance right up there with any team in Origin history. Blues Game 3 2000 was special but considering what was on the line and the fact that the Blues really didn't play THAT bad that night - I rate it right up there.

 

[Unbreakable]

Josh Morris worst origin centre ever? Might be a bit harsh, I think he's pretty good.

Edit: Oh, since 1998.. I guess that's fair then.

 

[Cult]

1 Rhys Wesser
2 Nathan Merritt
3 Shannon Hegarty
4 Dane Neilsen
5 Davis Williams
6 Braith Anasta
7 Mitchell Pearce
8 Brett White
9 Kurt Gidley (c)
10 James Tamou
11 Chris McQueen
12 Tony Williams
13 Daniel Wagon
14 Craig Wing
15 Dave Taylor
16 Brad Meyers
17 Kieth Galloway