Barba should not be in the team. He might be a good ball runner, but his defence is not up to scratch for Origin. The same goes for Bowen.
Tonga is superb at Origin level,but Tate is as good in defence, plus he offers more in attack. Taylor is good in defence,has good ball playing skills,but is slow off the mark from a standing start.He could stand to lose a few kilos and acquire some agility( a sidestep) plus work on fending off the opposition and offloading the ball,rather than just barrelling into them.
Sandow should never be considered for Origin. He like Pearce is too hot and cold.
I think that Petero has played his last Origin game last year. I'm not selecting for QLD however,and the big fella might surprise me (in a good way) if he does get selected. He doesn't seem to have found his 'spark' in the new-look Broncos side. He lacks the enthusiasm of the young up and comers, and it shows.
The number one ingredient for Origin is rock solid defence.The second must have for Origin is preparedness to back-up the man with the ball when he makes a break. Those two qualities must be there in every player without exception. Defence not only relates to nullifying the opposition attack, it also means not giving away stupid penalties. Preparedness to back-up the ball player means that there are options on either side when the ball player encounters an opposition defender. Preparedness to back-up also acknowledges the concept that individuals don't win games, teamwork does.
Most of the players that QLD choose are solid defenders. Many who previously had issues with backing-up(flaws relating to this) are resolving those. Some of QLD's best players are in the best form that they have taken into any Origin series. They are also playing fantastic team football for their club sides, to go along with their individual brilliance.
There is no such thing as an Origin series victory that wins itself. QLD has been aided for the last six years by NSW's poor selections. That in itself has taken some pressure off QLD, and presented them with many opportunities during the games themselves. If NSW gets their selections right, we won't get so many opportunities.Luckily for us, Stuart is a parochial selector who has no idea. He can be relied upon to torpedo NSW's chances weeks before any player preparations commence. He values that which is irrelevant at Origin level,and overlooks the deficits which should automatically disqualify a player from Origin selection.That I feel is the difference between the two coaches. Mal knows who not to select. He then knows how to get the players that he selects,to work as a team. Stuart talks in 'buzz' words: "passion", "consistency", "vision" then selects players with passion who are themselves inconsistent and lack vision.
There are no sure things in Origin, but Stuart sure makes it easier for QLD. If QLD are prepared to work together,they are a good chance to take another series.
