Smith's advice to Blues selectors
BY ROBERT DILLON
KNIGHTS coach Brian Smith has urged NSW selectors to choose a five-eighth with an accomplished kicking game if they name Kurt Gidley as halfback for the State of Origin series decider.
Gidley has zoomed into calculations for the Blues No.7 jumper after incumbent playmaker, Brisbane's Peter Wallace, underwent groin surgery on Thursday night.
The Broncos hope Wallace will be available to return against the Wests Tigers at Suncorp Stadium next Friday night.
But if Wallace is unable to prove his fitness before selectors name their squad on Tuesday week, then Gidley would be the leading candidate to replace him for the ANZ Stadium showdown on July 2.
The Newcastle handyman was NSW coach Craig Bellamy's original choice as halfback for Origin I, but he smashed his cheekbone the day before the team was announced, allowing Wallace to make his interstate debut.
Now the roles have been reversed and Gidley is in contention to make his first Origin appearance in the starting line-up after three appearances as bench utility.
Smith said yesterday he had no doubt Gidley would handle the role but believes NSW would function better with an acknowledged tactical kicker in their side.
"He'll need some assistance there in the area of kicking, because that's the one part of his game that, as a halfback, you'd have to say he's probably not practised enough in that role," Smith said.
"The rest of it, I reckon he'll handle it well."
Asked whether NSW five-eighth Greg Bird, who regularly plays as lock for the Sharks, had sufficient skills with the boot, Smith was dubious.
"He [Bird] is a bit like where Kurt would be, I would say," Smith said.
"He doesn't do that job on a regular basis for his club team. While ever you've got Brett Kimmorley in your team [at the Sharks], Brett's going to do most of the kicking.
"That's probably not the ideal combo, but if they had enough time to work on it maybe they could come up with enough.
"But that would be a concern, I think."
Smith said NSW would be tempting fate if they went into such a crucial match with a stopgap kicking game.
"Kurt would get better in that area if you gave him 10 days of intensive work in the camp, and all that sort of stuff, but you're not looking for a someone who can do a makeshift job in that arena," he said. "You need someone who's well-versed and very much able to handle those sort of situations under enormous pressure."
One player who falls into that category is in-form Roosters pivot Braith Anasta.
Smith has has reservations about Anasta in the past but indicated yesterday he felt the former international would be a wise selection for Origin III.
Gidley does handle some of the kicking duties for Newcastle but is effectively their third-string option.
He has kicked the ball 24 times in general play this season, compared to front-line playmakers Scott Dureau (63) and Jarrod Mullen (86).
Meanwhile, the Knights have no lingering injury worries as they prepare to fly north to Townsville tomorrow for Monday night's clash with the Cowboys.
Smith said Adam MacDougall had recovered from the flu and trained on Thursday night.
Origin stars Gidley, Danny Buderus and Steve Simpson are all expected to back up, so the Knights should be as per program when they run out.
That means Junior Sau, who scored two tries on debut last weekend, is likely to remain on stand-by as Newcastle's 18th man.
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