Gidley set to keep Blues' No.1 jersey and the captaincy
BRAD WALTER
NEWCASTLE'S Kurt Gidley is set to retain the captaincy and fullback roles for NSW in this year's State of Origin series.
Gidley, who will make his first appearance of the season for the Knights in Saturday night's match against North Queensland, has been the subject of speculation over whether he would hold his spot in the Blues line-up due to the presence of Parramatta fullback Jarryd Hayne.
If the selectors were to give Hayne the No.1 jersey then another position would either have to be found for Gidley in the halves or NSW officials would need to find a new skipper.
But choosing Gidley elsewhere would be seen as a compromise to avoid having to appoint another captain whose long-term place in the team would be no more guaranteed than the Test utility.
The appointment of the Blues captain will not be ratified by the NSWRL board until after the team for Origin I is chosen on May 25 but the
Herald understands that Gidley will again get the nod after leading NSW in last year's series.
Blues coach Craig Bellamy is a big Gidley fan and Hayne's failure to capture the form that made him the NRL's best player at the end of last season, coupled with the fact there is no stand-out candidate for the NSW right wing, should ensure he is fullback.
Hayne played outside Penrith's Michael Jennings on the left wing in last year's series and was the Blues best player. However, he played on the right wing for the Kangaroos in November's Four Nations final and is expected to do so again in the May 7 Test against New Zealand at Melbourne's new rectangular stadium.
With Jennings having switched to right centre for the Panthers this year, the pair could again partner each other on one edge for NSW - enabling the Morris twins, Brett and Josh, to be the left side pairing and giving the Blues a backline with at least as much attacking potency as Queensland's.
How effective Jennings will be in stopping - or limiting - the damage Greg Inglis can wreak is a question selectors are grappling with and is why St George Illawarra centre Beau Scott is under consideration due to his defensive capabilities.
Manly skipper Jamie Lyon is the other leading contender for right centre, while Wests Tigers speedster Chris Lawrence and Dragons veteran Matt Cooper are the main alternatives to Canterbury's Josh Morris at left centre.
As usual, the key positions of halfback, five-eighth and hooker are the most contentious for the Blues.
In the past four losing series, NSW have used no less than 10 different halves pairings and have retained the same combination in consecutive matches on just two occasions.
Many within the game, including former Blues captain Brad Fittler and Penrith coach Matthew Elliott, believe the selectors should retain the experienced duo of Bulldogs halfback Brett Kimmorley and Cronulla five-eighth Trent Barrett from the final match of last year's series but neither is in form at the moment.
The return of Greg Bird and Todd Carney after a year's exile in France and Cairns respectively gives the Blues more options at the scrumbase, while Wests Tigers captain Robbie Farah and Canterbury's Michael Ennis are locked in a duel for the hooking role they shared last season.
The Blues have a healthy supply of backrowers vying for positions, including Ben Creagh, Anthony Watmough, Luke Lewis, Luke O'Donnell, Paul Gallen, Nathan Hindmarsh, Tom Learoyd-Lahrs, Glenn Stewart, Trent Waterhouse, Alan Tongue and Anthony Laffranchi.
But up front the depth is not so strong and the selectors will be hoping Melbourne's Brett White makes a successful return from the shoulder operation that has kept him out of action all season so far. Fellow Storm prop Aiden Tolman is widely tipped for his Origin debut, while Michael Weyman, Josh Perry, Brent Kite, Keith Galloway and Matt Prior are other options
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...1-jersey-and-the-captaincy-20100415-shon.html
I'm a Newcastle supporter and appreciate Gidley's talent and commitment to our team and he is a very good player but how on earth have NSW got themselves into this position. Are we really this void of talent and leadership when selectors are picking a utilty player (who has been
a utility player most of his career and a fulltime club fullback for a couple of seasons) to captain the State team. I cannot for one second believe Craig Bellamy would ever consider him in the halves at Origin level. That has to be bullsh*t. If NSW want to win this series and the selectors want to stop embarrassing themselves then at best you would think Kurt might make the bench. Yes Hayne has been down on form and some have suggested his positional play is poor, and I agree with this, but he is the sort of player that will play out of his skin in Origin, a bit like Inglis who is doing little at the moment but inevitably shows his best when playing in the big games. Would love to know who Brad Walters sources are?????
