Just because I don’t think Cleary is the best option for NSW doesn’t make me a f**kwit mate. Jeez for all of the Penrith bullshit about not caring if your players are picked you all seem to care a hell of a lot.
Who's better than him? Cleary was part of the biggest winning series margin for NSW in 2021, he was replaced by Moses for game 3 and they lost having destroyed QLD in the first 2 games. THe only difference for the game 3 squad being he and Luai were out. So the replacement halves had the same team to work with and not only couldn't dominate, they couldn't win.
All this being equal, none of the other options have been any better than either player. At the end of the day the halves only have what Freddy gives them to work with, and that's no game plans and a team that was picked with no real thought behind who is playing. This only worked when Queensland had a coach who didn't have a clue either.
For Game 1 Fittler took the Panthers right edge because of the combinations they have.... and put them on the left, breaking up the defensive combination of Cleary, Martin, Crichton and To'o who are the best defensive right edge in the competition.
This weakened defence on both sides of the field and it removed the combination and instincts that Crichton and To'o have playing on the right side. Martin coming off the bench was just about the best player on field but he really should have been starting on the right and keeping that right edge in tact. Likewise with Cam Murray. It took Fittler 2 lost games to start with his two best second row options? Even after Game 1, he didn't see the immediate impact these guys made and decide to start with them.
Those little things make selecting combinations pointless. At this point they have no advantage over picking a left centre and winger from any club on the left. It's actually a disadvantage to NSW as that left centre and winger will atleast be in their natural position even without combinations. It's something so stupid it's still unbelievable Fittler wanted blokes out of position while his reasoning for picking them was the combinations he was then ignoring.
Being part of a Fittler team is doing no favors to anyone at the moment. He has always done crazy weird shit, but it gets worse each year. He's only doing harm to rep careers. Under a competent coach who picked players for a reason some of these guys might never have had a chance, but the ones who did wouldn't be on a hiding to nothing.
Is this the end of Young in rep footy? Luai? Hynes? Paulo? Why drop those guys but keep the captain who was horribly out of form before the series started and has only hurt his team by trying to overplay his hand? Tedesco should have been the first player dropped after game 1, which he should never have been picked for.
This game Gutho has been thrown to the wolves like Hynes was. What's he going to do from the bench? His only other rep games were equally as poor decisions with Freddy thinking he could just take any fullback and throw him in the centres because it worked with Turbo.
I think it's in players best interest to be nowhere near the blues team this year. If by some miracle they won game 3, it really doesnt prove anything. But a loss is just going to be further damaging to everyone involved even though the issues clearly start before the team was picked.
