Dear NSW Selectors

[JJ]

Kimmorley's the biggest failure at representative level currently doing the rounds. .

Went ok in tests, they're not considered rep footy?

The point is that IMO it was a mistake picking Mullen this year

 

[BroncoBuck]

Do people forget games that happen less than 10 years ago? Kimmorley played in the 2000 series, including the 56-16 wallopping. Now in everybody's revisionist history the only thing he has ever done is throw an intercept pass. And, as JJ pointed out, he has performed very well in tests.

Kimmorley is so much better than Mullen. I am glad you cockroaches can't see it.

 

[icewind]

true, but the game has changed in 7 years. The ruck has slowed down a lot, and the flat passing game of kimmorley that he is so used to isn't as effective these days.

 

[RABK]

I have faith in the kid, he'll steer us into a decider and when you consider how poor NSW were to lose by only 7 points at Suncorp well then there is certainly hope that the decider will be a cracking affair.

Can't wait for game 2. Mullen MOTM. If they can win big in sydney they will take momentum and a lot of self believe up to Suncorp. Lockyer is in poor form, have Willie Mason run at thurston ALL NIGHT to take the steam out of him and we'll see how QLD go.

 

[Tommy Smith]

The NSW selectors definately stuffed up in picking Mullen this year. A very talented player, no doubt, but like Phil Gould i agree that he's a year or two away from Origin footy.

I mean how many first grade games has he played at halfback? 10? And with it being the most important position on the field by far, as opposed to Hayne/Inglis who played on the wing, then it makes it even more amazing that they picked the rookie for this series.

Also with him being so young and raw he was only ever going to be concerned with executing his basic catching and passing and getting his kicking game right (the fact that his kicking was ordinary is beside the point) but NSW needed a genuine attacking option with more experience so Kimmorley or Orford would have been the better choice for this year.


Its no fault of Mullen's. He's obviously a genuine talent, but the NSW selectors have rocks in their heads for possibly conceding this years series for the purpose of blooding him when they should have waited until next year when he's ready to step in and play his natural game. But the NSW selectors have shown that they're idiots time and time again. Case in point picking the likes of Finch, Anasta, gasnier and Gower in the halves last year. And also picking Kurt Gidley on the bench over the in-form and best attacking hooker in the game in Robbie Farah when NSW only ever needed an interchange hooker to replace bedsy instead of a utility. Idiots!

 

[Mr Angry]

*Puts on Cronulla hat*

Come on pick Brett Kimmorley - then he wont play for us.

*Puts on NSW hat*

f*cken Kimmorley, f*ckk noooo. Never to be picked again!!!!! Stick with the kid, but give him Farah to work with.

 

[dallymessenger]

Please retain Mullen. Dropping Mullen for Orford, Kimmorley or any other fruitloop will only be a step in the wrong direction. Hes young, hes learning, he will start to dominate alot more in club games from his SOO experience. Im afraid of our Knights V Manly match up now. Mullen is the type of player that scares me to play up against. If you are going to drop anyone. Drop Murray.

That c**k-wrench has given Hindmarsh 200mins football out of 320mins available since he started coaching NSW, hes an idiot.

Viva la Mullen

agree with that. plus read somewhere that bellamy will be the next blue coach

 

[macavity]

I agree Kimmorley should have been picked at 7

with Mullen beside him at 6, and Anasta at lock.

its not too late to make it right.

 

[macavity]

oh and I concur - the coach is the thing counting against us the most.

 

[glockers]

The NSW selectors definately stuffed up in picking Mullen this year. A very talented player, no doubt, but like Phil Gould i agree that he's a year or two away from Origin footy.

I mean how many first grade games has he played at halfback? 10? And with it being the most important position on the field by far, as opposed to Hayne/Inglis who played on the wing, then it makes it even more amazing that they picked the rookie for this series.

Also with him being so young and raw he was only ever going to be concerned with executing his basic catching and passing and getting his kicking game right (the fact that his kicking was ordinary is beside the point) but NSW needed a genuine attacking option with more experience so Kimmorley or Orford would have been the better choice for this year.


Its no fault of Mullen's. He's obviously a genuine talent, but the NSW selectors have rocks in their heads for possibly conceding this years series for the purpose of blooding him when they should have waited until next year when he's ready to step in and play his natural game. But the NSW selectors have shown that they're idiots time and time again. Case in point picking the likes of Finch, Anasta, gasnier and Gower in the halves last year. And also picking Kurt Gidley on the bench over the in-form and best attacking hooker in the game in Robbie Farah when NSW only ever needed an interchange hooker to replace bedsy instead of a utility. Idiots!

Totally agree with Kidley. He offered nothing to the team at all. He is a good fullback but Minichello Hodgson and Stewart are way ahead of him. As for Mullen maybe we should go Kimmorley but Mullen is a long term option.

 

[Mr Saab]

Can't wait for game 2. Mullen MOTM. If they can win big in sydney they will take momentum and a lot of self believe up to Suncorp. Lockyer is in poor form, have Willie Mason run at thurston ALL NIGHT to take the steam out of him and we'll see how QLD go.

Thurston and Lockyer will have their "protectors" and they will shorten up Big Bad Willie.
But hey, good in theory....i thought that was supposed to happen in game 1.
People laughed at QLD back...ridiculed the Costigan selection.
But they much vaunted backrow of NSW was destroyed by the likes of 92kg Dallas Johnson and Tunza Carroll.
NSW are a bunch of toilers, but not much chop when it comes to the aggresion stakes.

 

[ShadesOfTheSun]

Not sure what is more negative. Removing Mullen or Losing the series.

The only reason it is perceived as negative is because the selectors would have to acknowledge that they f**ked up. And also because it would demoralise Mullen. But it will be a lot more demoralising and negative for him if it is 3-0.

We will see in 4 weeks time if my assumptions are correct if they continue to persist with Mullen. I'm quite confident from what I saw, he will have no impact at all in SOO this year. The only negative move that Mullens removal would bring is for QLD. He has been talked up more than anything else and everyone fell for it. Before Mullen was picked, 90% of people on this forum never believed he should have made it (check the posts for proof). It appears that people now just want to retain him so that we don't hurt his feelings.

The problem is that I'm not sure that either Kimmorley or Orford would present a markedly better option, and that being the case, the possible negative repercussions of removing Mullen from the series on the basis of one poor game in my mind outweight their possible benefits.

Talk of a 3-0 whitewash if NSW doesn't change its halves seems rather premature given that Mason was off or injured for most of the game, Gidley only managed 17 minutes (add: was used as a rest cure for Buderus, when his club form has been at fullback), and the Blues still only lost by 7. And honestly, whilst the Maroons had harsh decisions deny them tries, NSW should have been at least one more up if Hayne had decided to run instead of dive. NSW were outplayed, but they were hardly out of the match. Fact of the matter is that it was hardly the sort of drubbing to lead to the belief that a win wasn't a possibility.

Remove Mullen, and you know it's going to hurt his confidence. You don't know that it's going to give NSW any better a chance of levelling - let alone winning - the series. If there was someone like Barrett or Johns to make a desperation call to, it _might_ be worth cutting Mullen from the squad. But for the purpose of bringing in any one of two halves who also haven't proven themselves at SOO?

I'd rather stick with Mullen, and hope that on the back of a decent showing from the NSW forwards he might be able to play closer to his potential.

Who knows? Finch did in Game 1 of last year.

 

[icewind]

and kaufusi was off for half the game as well. hodges was on one leg, myles no match fitness, lockyer who knows how fit he really was.

Game 2 will see a more match fit qld squad, a bit more size and agression with Webb & Thaiday to hopefully come back.

Add to that, qld only really played 30 minutes of footy. Thurston and Lockyer were fairly ordinary in the first half. AND the ref made two real shockers, qld shouldve won by 19.

 

[FunkyMonk]

Do people forget games that happen less than 10 years ago? Kimmorley played in the 2000 series, including the 56-16 wallopping. Now in everybody's revisionist history the only thing he has ever done is throw an intercept pass. And, as JJ pointed out, he has performed very well in tests.

Kimmorley is so much better than Mullen. I am glad you cockroaches can't see it.

Well in that case NSW are

 

[CharlieF]

I'll state again.

Field position was missing. Forwards made to take it up from their own 20 nearly every set. Just when you thought that "Yes, we finally are about to get into their half" the clearing kick is inneffectual 99% of the time.

The kicker (Halfback) put as much pressure on the forwards as you can possibly get. The forwards were made to do much more work than what was required. Leaving him there will produce the same results, but hey, we don't want to hurt his feelings now. Besides, he is not even the best halfback NSW have available which then makes a mockery of the best vs best tag.

 

[Rusty]

I'll state again.

Field position was missing. Forwards made to take it up from their own 20 nearly every set. Just when you thought that "Yes, we finally are about to get into their half" the clearing kick is inneffectual 99% of the time.

The kicker (Halfback) put as much pressure on the forwards as you can possibly get. The forwards were made to do much more work than what was required. Leaving him there will produce the same results, but hey, we don't want to hurt his feelings now. Besides, he is not even the best halfback NSW have available which then makes a mockery of the best vs best tag.

I agree that Mullen's kicking game was poor but how about all the errors that were made in our own half that lead to tries in that second half? Now thats putting pressure on your forwards having to make them work it out from their own half, time and time again.