While many people will think that NSW were a bit unlucky, I think they only have themselves to blame. Every time we appeared to be building a bit of pressure, we came up with a stupid error or forced a play that wasn't on. Additionally, I am just not convinced that Laurie Daley is the right man for the Blues coaching gig. He has been in the job for a number of years now and every year we never seem to be able to construct anything in attack; there is no plan or structure in place and every try we score seems to be fortuitous. Correspondingly, you can see what Queensland were working towards every time they came down NSW's end of the field. I think much of that has to do with the vision and guile of Cameron Smith. NSW lack a commanding presence and an organizer. Robbie Farah may be a skillful player and tackle his heart out but I think he is in a mind of his own in terms of organizing the team and working in conjunction with his team mates.
I think the make up of the team tonight will come into question. The most obvious selection that will be questioned will be as to why Jack Bird didn't start the game. While I like Dylan Walker as a player, he isn't playing well enough and just isn't up to origin standards at present. On the contrary, Jack Bird is in form and proved that he more than belongs at Origin level. Moreover, the Cronulla connection between Maloney and himself clearly showed as they linked up on numerous occasions when Bird came onto the field and sparked the Blues attack.
Daley should also face questions over the fact that he continues to persevere with the older heads, despite their being more enterprising options available to him now. For instance, I would have moved on from Greg Bird and gone with a younger back rower - there are plenty available to choose from. Similarly, I think that Nathan Peats probably should have been given a chance at the hooking role; if not him then I would have gone for the in-form Michael Ennis, who is in career best for and more importantly, really has developing a commanding presence in terms of game management. James Tamou is another player that probably should be moved on. He is one of those players who just never really seems to performance at origin level despite having numerous chances. Again, there are plenty of better alternatives for Daley to choose from. Given that NSW now have a policy where the coach picks the team, I think Daley will end up falling on his sword at the end of series and the whole of NSW may end up wondering what might have been had he got a few of his selection right. I get the feeling that Daley sticks with these old heads because he wants to imitate what Queensland do through their loyalty policy.
In saying that, not everything was doom and gloom. I thought Tyson Frizell was an inspired selection and looked every bit the part. Adam Reynolds continues to impress and it was a shame that he went off injured just as he started to grow into the game. I really like Josh Mansour as his extra strength and size really comes in handy when working the ball off our own goal line. Moylan looked ok at fullback but I'd be reluctant to continue to pick him there when his future clearly lies at five-eight.
With regards to the other forwards, Klemmer, Fifita and Josh Jackson all had solid games without being spectacular. I don't think they let the state down by any means and Aaron Woods always gives his best. I think what the team needs is a bit more aggression, particularly in defence. Please don't accuse me of being biased but Nathan Brown of Souths would be a good shout as would Regan Campbell-Gillard. People will say that we lack the "x-factor" but really if you look at that team, there are enough points in it already and I think if you go for say a Bryce Cartwright at this point in his career, there is every chance that he may lose you a game just as much as he could win one.
All in all, I think there are promising signs for NSW but I think a change in coach is needed. We need to bringing in someone who can better utilise the talents of the players at our disposal, particularly when we have the football.
