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ADAM Reynolds and John Sutton are being urged to play themselves into NSW Origin jerseys — with Blues great Brett Kenny adamant the Souths pairing boast the “chemistry” to bring down Queensland.
Unthinkable at the start of the week, tattooed Rabbitohs Reynolds and Sutton are suddenly auditioning for a place in the Origin series opener when they face Melbourne at ANZ Stadium in Friday Night Football.
With the future of incumbent NSW No.7 Mitchell Pearce in doubt, Kenny urged Blues selectors to pick the Souths duo ahead of other halves contenders including James Maloney, Jarrod Mullen, Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson.
Speaking with The Daily Telegraph, the Parramatta, NSW and Australia champion insisted the on-field bond between the Rabbitohs pairing was not only crucial for the Blues attack, but similar to that which he and fellow Parramatta great Peter Sterling brought to the state side back in the 1980.
“If NSW are going to leave Pearce out, and I think they should, then our halves have to be the boys from Souths,’’ says Kenny, who played 17 Origins in the sky blue.
Unthinkable at the start of the week, tattooed Rabbitohs Reynolds and Sutton are suddenly auditioning for a place in the Origin series opener when they face Melbourne at ANZ Stadium in Friday Night Football.
With the future of incumbent NSW No.7 Mitchell Pearce in doubt, Kenny urged Blues selectors to pick the Souths duo ahead of other halves contenders including James Maloney, Jarrod Mullen, Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson.
Speaking with The Daily Telegraph, the Parramatta, NSW and Australia champion insisted the on-field bond between the Rabbitohs pairing was not only crucial for the Blues attack, but similar to that which he and fellow Parramatta great Peter Sterling brought to the state side back in the 1980.
“If NSW are going to leave Pearce out, and I think they should, then our halves have to be the boys from Souths,’’ says Kenny, who played 17 Origins in the sky blue.
- “Adam Reynolds is definitely our next best seven, no question. And if you pick him, I think you have to go with Sutton too.
“The bloke has size, which will be an advantage, plus the chemistry those blokes share on the field will be invaluable.
“I know in my own career, having Sterlo with me in the halves was a huge bonus. Rather than spend the week working each other out, you already had the chemistry and just taught the rest of the backline how to play off you.
“That’s the advantage Queensland have had over us for years. Having so many players hold down the same position, year after year, series after series, for both Queensland and Australia.”
While Roosters playmaker Pearce, who made headlines this week following a boozy night in Kings Cross, will be free to play Origin, it is understood NSW coach Laurie Daley is seriously considering other options.
Enter Reynolds.While he might not be in the same form as this time last year, numbers provided by Fox Sport Statistics prove the gun Bunny still holds a slight edge when it comes to the figures that matter.
Making more metres, tackle breaks and linebreaks than Pearce in 2014, Reynolds also holds a significant edge when it comes to his short kicking game. Already this year the halfback has forced six drop outs, three times that of Pearce, and boasts two 40/20s, while his Roosters rival has one.
The only area in which Pearce is significantly ahead is linebreak assists, up 6-2.
If Pearce is left out, there is also some chance his halves partner at the Roosters, and fellow Blues incumbent James Maloney, will also be removed from five-eighth
“And I would leave Mitchell out,’’ Kenny continued. “It would seem that, because of the faith Laurie has shown in him, he thought it was OK to go have a few beers with Origin around the corner. That he was a shoo-in for the job regardless.
“And, look, I’m the first to say young footballers should be able to have a beer and enjoy themselves. But while Mitchell Pearce has performed at club level, he hasn’t made that step up in Origin.
“I know Laurie doesn’t want to throw rookies in, but maybe we have to give some of the younger halves a go. Select Adam Reynolds and say, right, you’ve now got the seven jersey for the series. Go for it.”
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...ignite-the-blues/story-fni3fqyo-1226919282176
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