Mitchell Pearce

[Lucas-Con]

Let me ask you something who is better for Halfback at the moment:

Carney had a whole series in at five eight he choked and was probably one of the worst goal kickers we've ever had.

Soward worst defending half in the game and has no running ability.

Mullen is injured otherwise I'd suggest him as the only other halfback to be in and that's if Daley decides he could be there.

Reynolds has proven he can't handle the big games as proven when souths completely choked in the semis last year and has no running game.


Wallace has been tried I feel he should be called up again depending on how Penrith go going up to Origin.


Pearce right now like him or hate him is the best option we have and unless someone else can step up he's there for keeps and really game 3 we lost by 2 and he was in everything and we only missed out due to a miss goal kick and referee bullshit (I could be wrong about the refs though or could be thinking of a different game where they didn't call it right)

 

[Joker's Wild]

Because at Origin level he is hopeless.

No one blames him solely for NSW woes (he wasn't in the team when the rot started), and no one blames him for being selected- we blame Daley for that at the moment.

And he really does seem to try his best. At club level, his best means he is competent in a dominating team, and can pull out some great matches- much like plenty of average first grade halves in the history of first grade rugby league (which is nothing to scoff at- being a competent, average first grade half back makes you a very tough and gifted athlete on the scale of all humans).

At Origin level he has been spectacularly useless, not contributing at all to direction, attack, or a controlled kicking game. And his defense is not solid enough at Origin, his kicking not reliable enough, nor his 5/8 partners spectacular enough, for him to be a "dependable" foil (like a Hornby type selection). He has rarely had to work behind a soundly beaten Origin pack, and his team is often in the games right up to the end, but he doesn't do anything threatening to get them over the line (often the reverse- he turns over cheap possession after a great set from the forwards, and a tiring Queensland side laps up the free break and goes on to win). We don't expect he will be as good as Thurston, but we do expect at Origin level, to justify his selection, he will be better than useless, and that is all he has shown after many, many chances.

He is not the only one. We haven't often seen good form from anyone in the NSW spine over the years (with some exceptions), but he gets bashed for his Origin form because his Origin form is terrible. Everyone hopes every year he either improves or gets dropped, and since neither has happened, he continues to cop it. So yeah, I hope he is showing improved form and goes well this year OR gets dropped, but if he shows what he has shown for years, I will continue to bash his Origin selection.

I think he has been 15 shades of brown playing for NSW but this is all kinds of bullshit. His defence has pretty much been his only redeeming quality at SOO level

 

[Snappy]

OP got you lot hook, line, and sinker

 

[Eelementary]

I thought he was really good - talking all game, strong kicking game and tough defence. Quality player.

 

[wibble]

Let me ask you something who is better for Halfback at the moment:

Carney had a whole series in at five eight he choked and was probably one of the worst goal kickers we've ever had.

Soward worst defending half in the game and has no running ability.

Mullen is injured otherwise I'd suggest him as the only other halfback to be in and that's if Daley decides he could be there.

Reynolds has proven he can't handle the big games as proven when souths completely choked in the semis last year and has no running game.


Wallace has been tried I feel he should be called up again depending on how Penrith go going up to Origin.


Pearce right now like him or hate him is the best option we have and unless someone else can step up he's there for keeps and really game 3 we lost by 2 and he was in everything and we only missed out due to a miss goal kick and referee bullshit (I could be wrong about the refs though or could be thinking of a different game where they didn't call it right)

Carney is, and was for the Origin series he played, a 5/8, and he wasn't great at times, though he had Pearce with him and was much better than Pearce (who should have been calling the kicking more but was leaving it to Carney, who was also the only spark in attack from the halves). He is a great goal kicker but if that is a concern, he can avoid kicking at goals and still adds way more than Pearce, at half or 5/8. Maloney was OK and bad at different points last year, much like Carney the year before, but Carney is really much more talented at club level than any other half NSW has (Mullen maybe next) and should be selected again, but probably won't be. But he could feasibly slot in at halfback, since he does most the tactical kicking for the Sharks, and would certainly be better than Pearce even out of position.

Mullen had an inconsistent start to his career, much like many halves, and has also shifted position and looks like a very good, controlling player now, and could probably slot back to NSW half back and be a lot better than Pearce, even though he is injured this year so not likely this year.

Soward has shown not a lot of form at Origin, and inconsistent at club level, but still has shown better ability to control big games than Pearce, and hasn't been given any where near the same chances.

Reynolds has struggled but so did all of Souths, in big finals, but is really only at the start of his career, and looks no worse than many other halves did in their first two seasons (including Pearce). I would rather give him a go (and not drop him straight away, give him a few chances like Pearce has had, just not years of chances) than rely on Pearce who we know has not performed for years.

Wallace is a average half who would struggle at Origin level...much like Pearce. He just hasn't been given as many chances and in fairness, couldn't really be worse than Pearce if he was given a go.

So yes, I would try Carney (out of position), Mullen (if fit, even with no matches under his belt this year- he has been very consistent for Newcastle for several years- also out of position), Reynolds, Soward (out of position) or Wallace over Pearce. Probably also Robson, Williams, Campese, McCrone, Witt (if he was fit), Roberts (was good last year-looks promising), Hodkinson, even possibly Brooks, just because they haven't had a go and could hardly be worse at Origin level (not sure if they're all from NSW anyway... but the point is Pearce has had too many chances, we know we won't get anything from him, anyone else capable of steering a first grade team might step up, or might flop like him, but it can't be worse to try.)

 

[wibble]

I think he has been 15 shades of brown playing for NSW but this is all kinds of bullshit. His defence has pretty much been his only redeeming quality at SOO level

So you think his defence, kicking and the flare in the rest of NSW make him a reliable choice as a solid, dependable player? That was my point. Not that his defence is poor, just not enough to make him an Origin player (like you could pick Beau Scott or Matt Cooper as defensive foils if the other players in their roles could attack, but you couldn't take Pearce for that, without him having either brutal tackling or excellent kicking at Origin level)

 

[BennyV]

Why does everyone immediately turn to bashing him re: origin? Theres plenty of misdirected anger
he didn't lose the series all by himself, he also didn't select himself.

I don't know man, I'm pretty sure that the last 2 years he has said that he will give up his blue jersey if NSW lose Game 3...publicly...yet here we are...

 

[MacDougall]

Just on Mitch Pearce, show me an example of him putting on plays better than the two that led to tries for Tedesco and himself that Brooks put on today. Can't remember ever seen Pearce with touch like that.

 

[RWB]

Just on Mitch Pearce, show me an example of him putting on plays better than the two that led to tries for Tedesco and himself that Brooks put on today. Can't remember ever seen Pearce with touch like that.

Pearce has never been one to play with a lot of flare.

His game revolves around playing direct, he can play before, into & through the line which keeps the defensive line honest, his ability to put his edge players into a hole is unmatched in the game imo and the structure and organisation he gives the Roosters is the highlight of his game although often unappreciated and unnoticed by the casual fan.

Here I was thinking this would be a thread that would provide at least some analysis on the things he does really well at club level & perhaps some objective opinions on the limitations of his game at club level.

Instead it's turned into the usual irrelevant SOO analysis & why can't he do all the things young rising star X, Y & Z can do?

 

[Albert Rosenfeld]

Mitchell Pearce is the number 3 scrum half in Australia. The numbers 1 and 2 are Cooper Cronk and the Pom Daley Cherry-Evans, and both of those play for Queensland.

Mitchell Pearce is the second fastest scrum half in the NRL. The fastest is Shaun Johnson, and he plays for New Zealand.

Mitchell Pearce is one of the strongest defenders among the 16 first choice scrum halves in the NRL.

That is why Laurie Daley has picked, and will continue to pick, Mitchell Pearce as scrum half for NSW.

 

[DJShaksta]

How's defending our way to origin series wins going???

 

[DJShaksta]

 

[Valheru]

Excellent thread by the OP. It’s just another notch on the belt for the great one. Origin honours again await.

Mitchell Pearce, premiership winning halfback.

 

[Springs]

Pearce has been a joke. He doesn't lift the team, other players do. Namely Carney in 2010, Maloney, JWH and SBW last year. When he's left to be the leader of a team they go shit. He's had more shit years than good ones.

 

[Hutty1986]

Carney is even more of a big game dud than Mythchell.

 

[The Elephant In The room]

Got to say I was impressed with how well Mitch Pearce played last night. He dominated Parramatta. It was freakish what he was doing. On another forum somebody posted his stats and they were Joey-esque. And all that with Maloney playing like Eddie Paea so Mitch had to do all the playmaking, and no SBW in the team either.

Any player dominating Parramatta should be an automatic shoe in for the golden boot (or in GI's case, the Golden Boat).

 

[POPEYE]

F**k'em all Mitch, you deserve a medal for putting up with shit coaching in your formative years . . . Robbo doesn't give a damn what armchair heroes think

 

[Jason Maher]

Can anyone think of a worse play by a halfback?

 

[morley101]

For a player who is not yet 25 he has achieved a lot and is still improving.

Over 150 First Grade games
12 State of Origin Games
1 Premiership
1 World Club Challange

 

[RWB]

Big moment, clutch play.