I can see why they picked Gower.....Not

[fizman]

Reefy, I must make it a priority to watch a game of footy with you one day. I would love to know how you see things so differently from the majority of other people ( that is NOT to say the the majority is right!!). I thought Gower was pretty average tonight as well.

I thought that it was a very uninspiring game of football all round actually. The only NSW foward to play with any Origin spirit imo was Fitzgibbon, the rest were OK but certainly nothing outstanding.

I like many others still believe that politics plays too much part in team selections. I do not beleive that the NSW team selected was the best team. I feel that Hodgson at fullback, Hill at 5/8, Kimmorley at Half, Timmins at Lock and Fitzgibbon in the 2nd row would have been a better team. I also beleive that Stevens should have been in the 17.

At least we got the money in the end. I am still not toatlly convinced that Kimmorley will come straight into the side. As a couple of you have suggested Wing could go to half.

 

[Objective One]

Gower was average IMO - leaves me with the feeling that he is not quite in control and there's a certain brittleness with his game that he is only one step away from a major stuff up at any given point. Not therefore in the league of the great halfbacks on those tow counts for me. By that measure, BK does not get into that club for me either.
On the ref, BTR, I agree that his preparedness to penalise was a refreshing change from Movie Star Harrigan BUT Hampsted makes some awful mistakes in his penalties as well. The free kick against Fitzgibbon for offside that lead to Qld's first try was total crap. Reaction based on assumption instead of certainty to someone perfectly timing the play the ball and moving up very quickly in defence - didn't see him take off but just assumed he could not have gotten there that quickly without being offside. If you look at the replay it was very clear that he was onside behind Hampsted when the ball hit the ground in the play the ball and Hamsted was looking at the play the ball NOT at Fitzgibbon or the defensive line. This is a major flaw in Hamsted's refereeing - he backs his assumptions too often when he has not really seen what went on.

 

[Jimbo]

Reefy, I must make it a priority to watch a game of footy with you one day.

Just look for a Willem DaFoe lookalike wearing a Panthers jumper with a #6 on it

 

[PHaTMaN]

Objective One, the rule doesnt state that the players are allowed to move forward once the ball hits the ground in the play the ball. The actual rule is you are allowed to start moving up once the ball has cleared the ruck area. I have asked many referees over the time what this actually means and the definition i have recieved have all been that you are allowed to start moving once the ball has been played through the legs and hence out of the ruck area. It was only split second timing but i believe that Fitgibbon started running as soon as the ball hit he ground and was marginally in front of Hampstead by the time the ball had "cleared the ruck area". I could be mistaken but thats how i remember it.

 

[Objective One]

Phantam,
Agree with your description of the rule compared to my implied interpretation. Still stand by my comments that Fitzgibbon was OK on that timing too AND that Hamsted was not looking at Fitzgibbon but at the play the ball so the ruling was based on assumption not vision. BUT it was a hairline thing I agree. Just a pet hate of mine as I can remember being penalised many times myself on this point when I knew I was OK and the ref was not looking and just assumed I'd gone early. Fitzgibbon is remarkably quick over 15m too, that's why he makes so much ground in his hitups. How fit is the guy? Just scary.

 

[Macca]

Well I don't think Gower had a shocker. I believe his performance was hampered by being the only point of attack. With Fitzgibbon at lock (a second rower), Timmins at 5/8th (another second rower) and Hornby (a runner, not a playmaker) around him it was obvious who QLD had to put pressure on. They did it very effectively. Gower may have looked to have played poorly but he was a pure product of his environment last night. Kimmorley wouldn't have gone any better, in fact Andrew Johns is probably the only player who could have performed in that environment because he is always the point of attack.

Gower and Noddy are similar IMO. They desperately need someone to take the pressure off them. If the are under a heap of pressure, they are unlikely to have an above average game. That's why Scott Hill should have been in the side. Give Gower and the Blues a second playmaker/kicker and we win that game by alot more. Timmins must go into the pack.

QLD had the same problem. Prince was their only point of attack. They need Lockyer back badly.

Wing was terrible. At one stage he was just jogging in back play. When Prince put Tate over. You see him in the distance behind Prince just trotting along. He gave up or was trying to prove a point. Either way, we don't need him with Buderus in the side. Pick someone with some heart.

Fitzgibbon should have been Man of the Match IMO. What a champion.

Game 2, we should see both sides with 2 points of attack and alot more points. I enjoyed last night, it was a great game. Never boring. The next one will be even better.

 

[Houdini]

I thought the game last night was very average. I felt like I was watching a normal round of footy instead of an origin game.

Fitzgibbon put in a huge amount of work, but no one else made a real impression on the game for the blues imo

And where was the usual agression and excitement of past origin games? It wasn't there last night

 

[King of the Hill]

Anderson got it right in his newspaper article yesterday

Gower is not an organiser like Kimmorley or Johns
He pops up occasionally for a decent play but he isnt steering the side around the field with a view for the latter tackles in the set in my opinion

We need Noddy or Joey
No doubt Orford or Sherwin will get picked for O2 though
And I dont have a problem with that

 

[warren]

where was the usual agression and excitement of past origin games

yep, it was heaps good, many drunken fools giving it to quensland fans who eventually got taken away. and i gotta say the best bit was the loud boo that mason got when he appeared on the big screen, pure gold.

 

[Munky]

Unforunately for Gower he has a strong running game which he puts into effect on the 3rd, 4th and 5th tackles however he wasn't able to do this as no one else in the NSW team has a kicking game. Playing behind a pack inferior to Penrith's couldn't of helped.

Buderus was also limited because on his one run on the fourth tackle he played it back to Timmins, who showed what a brilliant passer he is...

 

[Foz]

Good call. I agree with everything you said there.
Particularly the Panther pack being better than NSW origins.
Why isnt Clinton in origin?
One guy reckons Timmons got the ball 15 times.
He passed 3 times and 2 were from dummy half.
If he's 5/8 in Brisbane and Kimmorley is half we'll get flogged.
Dont get me wrong Kimmorley is the best half available (by a long way) but Timmins at 5/8 makes Noddy a sitting shot.

 

[Munky]

Why isnt Clinton in origin?

He missed one game all season so he wasn't 'considered' due to 'concerns' over his fitness.

While Wing (crap) and Fitzgibbon (great except for his slap on Prince) were.