I think Qld will win game 2. Again a relatively "light weight" bench with only one specialist prop selected. I like Tariq Sims, but I don't see him as a prop, whilst Murray and Graham are both edge back rowers who play lots of minutes whilst Frizzell and Cordner are al high minute edge secodd rowers. The same mistakes made just with different personnel. NSW "brains trust" have cement in their heads.
Then add in playing a fullback at one centre and a five eight at the other. Great "club combinations" there. The NSW selectors have learnt nothing from game 1 and this side smacks of panic.
I'll be barracking for NSW but I think Qld will win as we have a light weight pack when you factor in the bench, which will see second rowers, who are ill suited to playing front row, spend time playing front row. I saw Ricky Stuart do this at the Roosters when he tried doing it with Craig Fitzgibbon, and that is why I'm afraid of this.
Crichton should not have been picked in Origin 1. Deserved to go. Dropping Latrell Mitchell though after 1 bad game? Stupid in my book.
Murray isn't an edge backrower. Has been playing in the middle since junior reps. He looks slight in comparison to your standard lock but don't let that deceive. He's a strong powerful nut and as professional as they come. He's made Bennett shift Sam Burgess to the right edge which says something about the kid. The issue I have with him is balance in the team with Jake T. I don't think they compliment each other. They're both big minute players and they don't play like props. You'll get great mobility and footwork with them, and in Murray's case, a quick play-the-ball which Cook can take advantage of. But they both play well with direct players doing the real hard stuff alongside them up the guts.
But yes, when you have blokes like Rothfield and Roach going on about how good the bench is, you know we're in trouble. Sims and Graham are pointless. We needed at least one more direct-playing prop here. They're both left-edge backrowers at club. Freddy will do the same thing Daley did -> Graham will come on for Cordner on the left, and Cordner will shift to the right so that Frizell (and Sims) will be rotated through the middle. They don't even do it for St George. In reality, it gives Freddy one more body to rotate through the middle, but they're not the right bodies.
I don't understand how the balance of your standard NRL team go out the window when NSW selects their team. Yes, the utility is a must in these one-off games, but your backrowers generally play 70-80' minutes in their positions. What you need are 2 props and a lock to rotate through the middle, not 2 edge forwards! Although middles play less minutes, their intensity is much higher in these short bursts than an edge forward will ever encounter.
