2013 QLD Origin Side

[Big Pete]

I'm definitely not counting my chickens before they hatch.

Last year was the closest series I've seen in over 10 years and it took an incredible field goal from Cronk to determine the result.

NSW are definitely on the up, 8 in a row is certainly possible, but the boys can't afford to rest on their laurels.

 

[andrew057]

Any possibility we might re-employ the services of a certain Mr S Berrigan again? Could certainly fill in for Smith should he get injured, as well as a plethora of other positions, and can be used as a 2nd rower/dummy half if no injuries occur?

Are you taking the piss?

 

[RecordBreakingMaroons.]

NSW are definitely on the up, 8 in a row is certainly possible, but the boys can't afford to rest on their laurels.

"NSW...,8 in a row..." :sarcasm:

 

[Mr Saab]

1. Slater
2. Boyd
3. Inglis
4. Hodges
5. Tate
6. Thurston
7. Cronk
8. Scott
9. Smith
10. Shillington
11. Thaiday
12. Myles
13. Parker

14. Harrison
15. Teo
16. McGuire
17. Hannant

There's your 2013 champions folks.

Thanks for coming NSW, but like the majority of the last decade you won't have a chance.

That does look like a very good team. I like the bench

 

[SuperiorEasts]

NSW will not fear any team QLD present, no point selecting one, just give up

 

[Maroon_Faithful]

I'm willing to back Sam. If form isn't warranted then sure put him on the bench but he has more upside than Parker.

Disagree. Parker is a better worker than Sam. Better defender, and a better overall attacker with his offload.

 

[Maroon_Faithful]

Needs more Te'o and Papalii.

I'm concerned with the lack of quality in our backup outside backs.

Nielson, Graham and O'Neil being the best available.

Ashley Graham is barely FG standard.

 

[Johnny-b-Goode]

How does ingliss get into your teams, I thought they fixed it so qld would stop cheating??....

 

[Maroon_Faithful]

Yeah I remember reading somewhere recently he won't be back until halfway through the year. Just getting back into FG when he finally does will be a blessing after that horrendous injury

If that's the case then strike his name. I thought he would be back for Rd1. If he's not available then I'd go O'Neill or Nielsen.

 

[Maroon_Faithful]

How does ingliss get into your teams, I thought they fixed it so qld would stop cheating??....

Can we please not turn this into another whinging, self-pitying NSWmen thread about Inglis? Surely we have enough of those already.

 

[Maroon_Faithful]

So Ballin just sits on the bench the whole game?

There's no law of nature that says you have to use all 17 men. We don't need any more forwards. We have Harrison to cover the backs and halves. Ballin means we have all bases covered. Who would you have in the 14 and in what role would you use him?

 

[Big Pete]

Disagree. Parker is a better worker than Sam. Better defender, and a better overall attacker with his offload.

Guess we'll have to agree to disagree then. I rate Thaiday's running skills, ball-playing skills and quick play the ball higher. There would be little between either in the other departments.

Would probably have both over Harrison. May have just been Parker's night but he really showed Harrison up on Game 3. Gave us an extra dimension we'd been missing out there.

 

[Maroon_Faithful]

Guess we'll have to agree to disagree then. I rate Thaiday's running skills, ball-playing skills and quick play the ball higher. There would be little between either in the other departments.

Would probably have both over Harrison. May have just been Parker's night but he really showed Harrison up on Game 3. Gave us an extra dimension we'd been missing out there.

Well, I couldn't really disagree more. I'm a big fan of Harrison and think he's the most underrated player in our side. Just on defence alone. I think Parker performed the role Harrison has been for years. Harrison has been a key link man between JT and GI since 2008. His ball playing has been invaluable. I had my doubts about Parker before this year but he was sensational, on both sides of the ruck, in two separate games. Which is why I would play Parker on the right, his preferred side, and Harrison on the left. Thaiday is the most suited to provide impact IMO, hence playing him from the bench. I don't like his defence at all.

 

[Big Pete]

I don't think Harrison has been providing a decent link to GI for years, if anything, he's usually died with the ball making decent ground because NSW are willing to sacrifice it then allow the ball into the hands of GI. His defence hasn't been too reliable either.

I don't recall Parker playing right fringe at all last year, or in a long time for that matter. Think he was forced to move in 08 because of Sam and by around 2010, he's played tight.

I understand your reasoning though and wouldn't kick the cat if the selectors saw it that way too.

 

[Maroon_Faithful]

I don't think Harrison has been providing a decent link to GI for years, if anything, he's usually died with the ball making decent ground because NSW are willing to sacrifice it then allow the ball into the hands of GI. His defence hasn't been too reliable either.

Well, again, agree to disagree. I have a good reel here of Harrison's link play. I think he was our best forward in 2008 because of the number of times he got GI on the outside. His effort in Game 1, 2009 was also one of the best of any of our forwards.

As for defence, apart from his lapse on Carney in Game 2 last year, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a QLD forward with better defensive stats apart from Cameron Smith and maybe Nate Myles. Thaiday's defence has been far, far less reliable IMO.

I don't recall Parker playing right fringe at all last year, or in a long time for that matter. Think he was forced to move in 08 because of Sam and by around 2010, he's played tight.

I understand your reasoning though and wouldn't kick the cat if the selectors saw it that way too.

Parker played middle-third in Game 2 last year but if you watch the game again, he takes quite a few runs on the right and provided just what he did in Game 3 on the left. Good strong runs, offloads and etc. Right side suits him better because it favours his offload.

 

[Big Pete]

The problem I have with those examples is that there 4 or 5 years old. No doubt Harrison was very handy back then but he hasn't been playing that link role for the past 2-3 series now. What happens is how I described it.

Harrison is good defensively, I just don't think it's excellent enough to guarantee him a starting spot.

Parker played what? 8 minutes? As you said that wasn't primarily right fringe either. I don't doubt he could still do the job, I just believe Thaiday can do it better.

 

[Maroon_Faithful]

The problem I have with those examples is that there 4 or 5 years old. No doubt Harrison was very handy back then but he hasn't been playing that link role for the past 2-3 series now. What happens is how I described it.

Harrison is good defensively, I just don't think it's excellent enough to guarantee him a starting spot.

I don't think 2010 or 2011 were how you described it. I think he had a quiet series last year (our entire left side failed to make it's usual impact afaic). But before that he was very important to our left side structure. Running wrap-arounds and decoys with Slater. And as I said, ball playing at the line creating space for GI. I think it'd be a great shame to drop or bench him. Over the course of the last 5 years I think he's been much more consistent than Thaiday.

Parker played what? 8 minutes? As you said that wasn't primarily right fringe either. I don't doubt he could still do the job, I just believe Thaiday can do it better.

I must admit I had my wires crossed earlier tonight. I kept going through the tapes from last year looking to see Parker's sporadic moments on the right. It's actually 2011 that he played a fair bit down the right flank. And he was excellent. Just as impressive as on the left in Game 3 last year. Strong running, offloads and so on.

11.Harrison
12.Parker
13.Myles

is our best setup IMO. It offers second phase and strong defence on both sides of the ruck. Sam is a good runner but he doesn't offer second phase, and he's a lazy defender. That said, I won't be overly disappointed if, as I suspect, he's picked to start. As long as it's not Taylor, I'm pretty happy.

 

[Desert Qlder]

The value of Parker was clearly demonstrated in last years series. He provided an extra dimension of attack that the backrow of Queensland had been missing for some time.

Specifically I refer to his ability to offload in attacking situations. He has a much clearer sense of attacking opportunites that Harrison lacks. Harrison for all his value does have a tendency to 'die with the ball' and get bent backwards. Parker came in and added spice to the side which had developed a sameness to it over the years.

Their value on the defensive front really cancelled each other out. So at this stage Parker is a better option in the starting side. As I've stated, everyone can forget about the thought of Thaiday not starting, that will simply not happen. So I expect to see this backrow come May:

11. Thaiday
12. Myles
13. Parker

Harrison off the bench is a possibility I hadn't considered, and I like it in fact.

Tha backline I'm not even prepared to consider yet. Too much form and injuries that will come into play before squads are named.

 

[Joker's Wild]

Thaiday is a broken play specialist and takes huge advantage of a teams momentum. He is fast for a big man, has a very quick FTB (like Pete said) and Qld would lose a tonne of metreage if he was left out of the side.

 

[Frank_Grimes]

Can we please not turn this into another whinging, self-pitying NSWmen thread about Inglis? Surely we have enough of those already.

This is League Unlimited - EVERY thread is a whinging, self-pitying NSWmen thread about Inglis.