OFFICIAL NSW side

[Fast Eddie]

Apart from Creagh which most people on here are puzzled by, what would you have done different?

It's not neccaserily who was or wasn't picked (Creagh and Buhrer:lol but the fact that NSW just can't match the talent of QLD. When Mitchell Pearce is your undoubted halfback I think you're in trouble. I think QLD could run over the top of that forward pack and carve that backline to pieces personally. And I'm completley neutral because I couldn't care less who wins.

 

[Spot On]

Ben Creagh again hey. Geez. This should be his last go if he is as ineffective as he has been in the past. Don't know what they see in him.

Overall it's pretty much what most of us thought we would get. Can't believe Tariq missed out.

At least we have the three form NSW props picked to play together. Poor Gal to play most of the 80mins in the middle again though. f**k.

Happy Josh Morris gets a run. Only wish Jamie Lyon had his heart in it to replace Jennings. Jennings MUST have blinders in each game to repay the faith Ricky Bobby have in him.

Congrats to Buhrer. He is a very good player. Hope he has a blinder as he has pinched a spot in front of some excellent cattle.

Congrats also to Robbie F. Maybe those Tiger's supporters who have sung his praises for so long will finally get some reward for sticking solid. Hope he can produce the goods.

 

[Joker's Wild]

It's not neccaserily who was or wasn't picked (Creagh and Buhrer:lol but the fact that NSW just can't match the talent of QLD. When Mitchell Pearce is your undoubted halfback I think you're in trouble. I think QLD could run over the top of that forward pack and carve that backline to pieces personally. And I'm completley neutral because I couldn't care less who wins.

So what are we supposed to do as fans? Give up? Abandon the team and have no faith?

FFS Plenty of folks gave the NZ side of 2008 no hope of beating the Roos but look what happened. Same with the qld side of 1995.

 

[Fast Eddie]

You're supposed to whinge about how your clubs players haven't been picked because they are clearly the best option.

 

[Joker's Wild]

RL is a funny game mate and sides on paper don't win matches. As a Kiwi I would have though you'd know better

 

[Red Bear]

Most importantly:

1. Stewart
6. Carney
7. Pearce
9. Farah

is a hell of a lot better than

1. Minichello
6. Soward
7. Pearce
9. Ennis

Very much agree with this.

Starting 13 good, apart from maybe Jennings (could be an inspired selection, could be terrible).

Bench, yeah Sims should be ahead of Creagh. Merrin - meh. Tony Williams is good, Buhrer isnt the worst choice (although could easily be found out).

If we play with the commitment we showed in game II last year we'll go very well.

Im also glad we've chosen attacking players, players designed to take the game to Qld rather than just defend their players. Be interesting what happens if Glenn Stewart is suspended.

 

[Serc]

Thanks for posting RABK...was sitting on Tel$tra's League TV for past 40 mins waiting for the live coverage of the announcement as marked on the schedule on that page...but noooo we'll just play match replays for 40 mins instead! Still haven't seen one of these mysterious NSW squad announcements streamed live on NRL.com over the years!

As for the team, pretty good...seen worse ones picked a few years ago. Worthwhile enough for all us Blues fans to get behind hopefully this is our year! Love the backrow in particular with Lewis/Bird/Stewart

 

[Spot On]

If there was another prop on the bench instead of Creagh I'd be happier with the team. I don't know what Rickys fascination is with attacking backrowers and stacking the team with them and only picking two specialist front rowers.

Meanwhile Queensland continually has at least 4 props in their squad.

Don't most teams? We r a little slow to catch on in this state.

 

[sydraider]

Needs more Watmough and Sims other than that I dont really know who else they would have picked.

One bonus this year is both nsw halves are in very good form. This team will go well i think but just needs a bit more mongrel that the two above mentioned players would provide.

 

[Deleted member 10972]

Brett Stewart
Jarryd Hayne
Michael Jennings
Josh Morris
Akuila Uate
Todd Carney
Mitchell Pearce
Paul Gallen
Robbie Farah
James Tamou
Luke Lewis
Greg Bird
Glenn Stewart

Jamie Buhrer
Ben Creagh
Tony Williams
Trent Merrin


17 man team named sorry.

A few issues with that side.

Creagh over Watmough is an absolute travesty. Creagh is bloody average IMO, never impressed at Origin level. Watmough has been a stand out in recent performances, and was selected for the ANZAC Test side too.

I don't have an issue with Merrin being picked over Tariq Sims as he is a genuine prop (more on this in the next point), but surely there are other better props going around than him. Tim Mannah, Tim Grant, Aaron Woods, Keith Galloway, Bryce Gibbs, Kade Snowden, Luke Douglas, Aiden Tolman, Michael Weyman, Tom Learoyd-Lahrs?

As for the aforementioned Tariq Sims, he was competing with T-Rex for that bench spot. Although Williams is a devastating player, he has little form due to suspension, while Sims to me is the second coming of Gordon Tallis. Surprised that he didn't warrant selection.

Finally - Hinchcliffe IMO is a superior utility to Buhrer. I don't think Buhrer is bad, don't get me wrong, but surely more proven performers like Hinchy, Aubusson, Graham, Mateo, etc would have warranted selection with a little bit more conviction.

 

[_snafu_]

Creah for Watmough. The side I would have picked?

Stewart
Uate
Jennings
Lyon (if he came out of retirement)
Wolfman
Carney
Pearce
Kite
Farah
King
Watmough
Gallen
Stewart

Buhrer
Rose
Tamou
T-Rex

:lol:

 

[MadPie]

Seems like there will be a lot of NSW supporters hoping one of their own gets injured tomorrow night and ruled out of the squad. Fingers crossed.

 

[Spot On]

A few issues with that side.

Creagh over Watmough is an absolute travesty. Creagh is bloody average IMO, never impressed at Origin level. Watmough has been a stand out in recent performances, and was selected for the ANZAC Test side too.

I don't have an issue with Merrin being picked over Tariq Sims as he is a genuine prop (more on this in the next point), but surely there are other better props going around than him. Tim Mannah, Tim Grant, Aaron Woods, Keith Galloway, Bryce Gibbs, Kade Snowden, Luke Douglas, Aiden Tolman, Michael Weyman, Tom Learoyd-Lahrs?

As for the aforementioned Tariq Sims, he was competing with T-Rex for that bench spot. Although Williams is a devastating player, he has little form due to suspension, while Sims to me is the second coming of Gordon Tallis. Surprised that he didn't warrant selection.

Finally - Hinchcliffe IMO is a superior utility to Buhrer. I don't think Buhrer is bad, don't get me wrong, but surely more proven performers like Hinchy, Aubusson, Graham, Mateo, etc would have warranted selection with a little bit more conviction.

Well if there are I have not seen any going better than Merrin has so far this season. He's been picked on form and rightly so. He is going much better than last season. Have you watched him closely this year?

And just on that point have you watched Kade Snowden? If they ever give out a prize for the slowest moving bloke in the comp he will be a short priced favourite to pick it up - that is unless he is beaten to it!!!!

 

[innerwestrabbit]

Should have one more prop in he team at the expense of Creagh. I think Williams offers more than Sims at this stage of his career. I watched Sims closely against the bunnies. I don't think he is up to Origin yet. His time will come.

 

[Snappy]

What about The Dugan ?

 

[RecordBreakingMaroons.]

Stuart has stated that he didn't want to choose a defensive team. He wanted to choose an attacking team. Stuart is gambling that the tactic will pay off. Since it is a 50/50 gamble (win or lose), he has just as much chance of being correct as he has of being wrong. No team is 100% certain of winning or losing.

Now having said that, there are teams that inspire confidence that the probability will go your way and there are teams that require greater hope or faith that decisions/chance or peak form, as opposed to recurrent random form f**k ups become the deciding factor. When selection coincides with a win the coach is a genius. When decisions/chance and peak form don't coincide with that one game, the coach is a moron.

One single win is not enough form to establish whether the coach can categorically be labelled a moron. Selection over four games (one yet to be played) may be a truer guide to grade the coach (who gets the last word in selections in this case). It would appear that many NSW supporters are glad that Ennis and Gidley will not appear this year. Gidley was labelled both last year and this year as a certainty by Stuart, yet many fans breathe a sigh of relief that he won't be there. Stuart was so certain of both of them last year, that they managed to keep their spots for the entire three games. Nor was anyone questioning his selections after Game 2. It was only after Game 3 that many NSW fans soured in their opinion of them. I feel that it is a mistake to ascribe peak form to be regular form.

Some of the NSW players who aided with the win in Game 2 last year played the Origin game of their lives. They played with the type of form that they have not been able to sustain on a regular basis at Origin level. Stuart was enamoured with some of them before Game 1 and he persisted with them for the entire 2011 series. Their form wasn't consistent over the three games. Their form in Game 2 was not consistent with their longer term Origin form. I refuse to nominate who I am talking about. I am bringing into the discussion the difference between long term form and peak form. It may well be that at Origin level, to be a player who wavers between ordinary form and peak form is a distinct gamble which changes the odds from 50/50 to something that is way more akin to being off track.

Like I said, if peak form and a host of other factors goes the way of the team, the coach is a genius. If on the other hand the team displays Game 3 2011, well is the coach still a genius?

 

[Weaponhead]

Creagh has never made an impact in Origin and won't this time either. Buhrer was horrible in City v Country. Absolute waste of a game that.

Sims and Hincliffe would make more sense.

Sims and Williams provide tackle breaking impact from the bench. Hinchliffe to provide relief for Farrah if he needs a break.

Hinchcliffe, Sims, Williams and Merrin on the bench. Luke Lewis can cover backline positions in case of injury.

 

[Charlie124]

Ben creagh must give the best handjobs known to mankind, how that skirt manages to get picked every year is just plain beyond me. In a selfish way, and a qld way too I guess, I'm glad tariq sims was overlooked.

Lol@blosers.

 

[Slammin_Saint89]

Believe it or not, the infamous 2009 third game where he backpeddled from hodges was creagh's best game. Scored two tries, one an awesome individual effort and really troubled them all night. But one game doesnt cut it, definitely not an origin player. Sims and hinchcliffe should consider themselves unlucky.

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

Shouldnt be, International football should be the peak of our game, but unfortunately Origin is marketed and rewarded as our peak. But that's a whole different debate

International footy is the fat girl with personality, SOO is the glamour model.