Never referred to any 1982 prejudice against Qld'ers - I merely spoke of Kenny's inclusion due to form and Lewis dropped.
You used it to slight Lewis though and not to praise Kenny. Considering the coach was involved with NSW, there was talk of friction between the New South Wales and Queensland players and the coaches obviously being exposed more to Kenny one could make the argument that bias played more of a role than the form of Lewis. Wally still made that team by the by he was just used off the bench, and that isn't the first time a superior player has had to be used off the bench due to a coaches particular bias.
Lewis was also vice-captain, so he must've been rated fairly highly at that point in time.
So really, I wouldn't even use the 1982 example as a slight on Lewis to begin with.
Protecting Clive Churchill's record?! Do you know how paranoid that sounds? However, if you believe that - you believe he was still dropped. Concurs with my conclusion.
Those aren't my words, but there is a belief among those that was the case in regards to 1990.
Just like your opinion that he was dropped on form, although he was guaranteed a position based on incumbency if he could past the medical by Arthurson, which according to the NSW doctor, he didn't. If you don't believe the ARL haven't selected incumbents in the past, even when they haven't been on song then I will gladly educate you.
And I believe you could easily make a case Lewis would've made it on incumbency alone given the official word from Arthurson and the ARL.
As for Lewis' relationship with the Brisbane Broncos well there were a lot of factors that contributed to the fall out at Red Hill.
Firstly, it should be noted Lewis played a major role in forming the foundations of the club. He attracted other players, drew the support of the Queensland audience and attracted a number of sponsers.
Why weren't the Broncos so successful? Well in a matter of words, their all-star roster was too good and a number of players were involved in Origin and that would derail them during the middle part of the season.
The club being brand new weren't used to it and it took a number of years to get conditioned to it.
As for Lewis being dropped as captain, well I can tell you from the horses mouth it's because the players idolised him to the point where they didn't even refer to him as Wally, but rather the King.
There was an obvious divide between the players and Wally. Lewis' poor off-field application to training was seen as a bad influence on the players, so Bennett decided for the sake of the club and it's long term viability that Miles would take over.
In the lead up to the 1990 off-season Lewis had major surgery that ruled him out of training for the majority of the pre-season. Normally, this would have adverse effects on any player but for Wally and his relationship with the club this was huge. The Broncos had made huge leaps in their preparation for the upcoming season, enlisting the help of Raiders conditioning maestro Kevin Giles. Giles was way ahead of his time and he got a number of players performing at the peak of their powers, this further distanced Wally and the club.
Wally had a bad season that year through injury, I can't say much else but injury hampered him severely that season.
Come the end of 1990 the Lewis' contract had expired and he demanded the exact same money he had been on before which had been substantial. The club tried seeking an exemption from the NRL but (surprise surprise) they weren't willing to support the Broncos and so Ribot offered Lewis a reduced contract and Lewis didn't accept it.
So to suggest he was dropped from the club and didn't have the ability is a bit rich. I'm sure if he was given the same exemptions Johns was at Newcastle he would've been able to of seen his career out at the Broncos. Instead, the club was faced with a tough decision, a decision that not many other clubs have had to face and they decided to show loyalty to the youth of the club, and it was those players who helped the Broncos achieve 5 premierships (the sixth one was a little far from their reach).
What rugby league history would Queensland have without NSW players?
A lot of proud history in the BRL.
In all seriousness, this thread has nothing to do with NSW. Why would they rank a mention in a Queensland thread? It's like expecting a steak at a vegan restaurant.
Editted: It was getting late last night so I felt as if I didn't round out my points properly.