My only concern over Soward is how he would go if NSW were struggling (which is a very big possibility). In the couple of years that Soward has really shone as a player, the Dragons have been absolutely dominant. So dominant in fact that I think if the Dragons played the NSW team, the Dragons would be so dominant and structured that they'd win. In the NSW side however, there's a big chance that he won't be behind a forward that is always dominant like it is at the Dragons, and he's not going to be given the space he does at club level to be able to stand so far back and place his kicks exactly like he wants to.
I'm not saying that he won't be able to perform, it's just that we very rarely see him play behind a beaten pack to see if he's capable of being as good in a non-dominant side.
If Pearce is a certainty for halfback, then they may opt for someone like Mullen at 5/8 who consistently plays behind a badly beaten forward pack. The amount of times the Knights have been absolutely smashed up front and just gotten home on the back of Mullen's boot is quite sad for a Knight's fan...but it might be something that NSW will look at.
As much as I think Soward/Mullen deserve it, I'm not sure if their skills sets would really work in Origin. Soward is at his best when his forward pack is dominating, and that's probably not a luxury that he will be given in Origin. Mullen is very creative, but I really don't think his skills would transfer well into a Ricky Stuart game plan. Pearce is a lot more predictable, and that style would probably work better in an Origin context.
I just hope we don't see;
6. Gidley/Bird
7. Pearce
That would be deadset awful.
