Rep Players

[Apey]

Yeah slater left him for dead twice.

 

[slotmachine]

It was McQueen the first time.

 

[The Showstopper]

Was still our best forward. Hoffman out for Bird game 2. What a backrow of pain Bird, Scott and Gallen will be.

 

[Nuffy]

Plenty of non Newcastle fans I have been speaking to about origin were raving about Scott.

 

[Yosh]

I thought Scott was great. Gritty and made some great tackles. Qld tried to get Inglis into the game repeatedly, but, Scott and the Morris brothers kept them shut down for the most part.

 

[voltron]

NSW had 9 try saving tackles
hayne had two and so did scott

i was really impressed with the work scott was doing, especially on inglis after morris left (though i only saw the second half)

 

[Dave_]

Paul Gallen has said that he backs Josh Dugan for the vacant NSW wing spot, however, he also went on to say that he'd trust Mcmanus to do the job. Hmmm......

 

[Swarzey]

There's more weight in him saying he trusts McManus than him backing Dugan. He isn't going to flat out question his potential on the wing to avoid any possible strife.

Jimmy done the job well last year. Only one mistake (two if you count the kick that should never have been kicked) and got some points which weren't exactly easy.

 

[Tom155]

McManus makes Blues side for game 3

 

[perverse]

Wow, really? Unexpected, he hasn't been overly fantastic this year. Not up to his usual standards, anyway.

 

[Spot On]

Laurie sticking with experience so McManus gets the nod.

 

[Chicken_Hunter]

I want Jimmy's babies.

 

[Misanthrope]

So much butt hurt on Facebook about him being selected ahead of Mansour and Taufua.

Not sure what people's beef with McManus is. Safe defensively, good under the high ball, and a proven finisher. Can't ask for much more.

 

[voltron]

im really glad for McManus
He's been a stopgap for the blues, but to play 3 origins
Makes him more than a discarded accident but someone to be called upon
though never the first picked winger, but I'm really happy for him to be rewarded like that
Great training ethic and gets lauded for it by everyone who talks about him

 

[mxlegend99]

So much butt hurt on Facebook about him being selected ahead of Mansour and Taufua.

Not sure what people's beef with McManus is. Safe defensively, good under the high ball, and a proven finisher. Can't ask for much more.

Selecting a solid player in average form (not poor, not great) when we know how he will perform is the issue. It's a game where we have nothing to lose and can pick a guy in sensational form without throwing away a game if it's a failed experiment.

His selection is pointless. Won't help us in 2015. He won't be any better or worse if needed in 2015 for having played this match. Tafua or Mansour would be... Or if they're not up to it they can be ruled out for next series and not cost us a game and potentially a series.

No one hates McManus. It's just a ridiculous selection when we have a golden opportunity to experiment with potential superstars and not have a series on the line.

Edit
I expect he will be a 7/10 player and nowhere near our worst. He's a good player and safe. We know what we get with him. But that's why it's pointless using him in a dead rubber.

 

[perverse]

I agree. As happy as I am for McManus, it's another shit decision in a long line of shit decisions from the NSW camp.

 

[Wato]

Has Jimmy done anything to lose his spot in the pecking order? Mansour and Taufua have had good years but not good enough to jump up the pecking order imo. Mansour in particular is a good player but I think the game against Souths has gone against him, it was the most high pressure game Penrith have played all year and he had a shocker making several errors and Taufua has been rocks or diamonds similar to Uate. Jimmy while not playing his best football has been solid and done nothing to lose his spot in the pecking order and had a good game in CvC and also finished the series last year with a very good performance on the wing playing outside Morris.

 

[The Showstopper]

Even Macca would be aware he is there out of loyalty over form. Mansour and Taufua should Be dirty and rightfully so. Trying to emulate Qld pick and stick loyalty. Series sewn up. Poor choice.

 

[Misanthrope]

Even Macca would be aware he is there out of loyalty over form. Mansour and Taufua should Be dirty and rightfully so. Trying to emulate Qld pick and stick loyalty. Series sewn up. Poor choice.

Could it be they want to complete a whitewash and selecting a guy who they know will do the job makes more sense than picking a young guy who - however in form - could very easily be found out by the likes of GI and cost us the game?

 

[Apey]

So much butt hurt on Facebook about him being selected ahead of Mansour and Taufua.

Not sure what people's beef with McManus is. Safe defensively, good under the high ball, and a proven finisher. Can't ask for much more.

The thing is, he has been pretty shaky in this department lately, where previously it was a very strong area for him. Hopefully he regains his form in Origin.