State of Origin 2025

[Blair]

The front row selections and the Luai over Burton on form are issues, with the apparent lack of game plans and missing the start in two games is telling… if Daley keeps his job it’s a joke tbh.

Either way, sports-wise, Origin helps us get through winter. Wimbledon will soon be done, the Tour de France is upon us, the Lions tour, an All Black test or two, and it'll soon be spring and NRL finals time!

Cool.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

The front row selections and the Luai over Burton on form are issues, with the apparent lack of game plans and missing the start in two games is telling… if Daley keeps his job it’s a joke tbh

Luai I think was the correct call, he won them they series last year, and got similar treatment after Moses went down that the line of Edwards, Cleary and To’o got, when you could argue guys like Tedesco, Katoa and Kiraz have outplayed them comfortably this year

Personally I keep Daley there, as I said earlier, very fine line, if Lomax kicked his goals in game 2 it would have been one of the great wins after the Ashley Klein special on the first 45mins. I think the game plans were there, but the halves didn’t deliver them

 

[JJ]

Luai I think was the correct call, he won them they series last year, and got similar treatment after Moses went down that the line of Edwards, Cleary and To’o got, when you could argue guys like Tedesco, Katoa and Kiraz have outplayed them comfortably this year

Personally I keep Daley there, as I said earlier, very fine line, if Lomax kicked his goals in game 2 it would have been one of the great wins after the Ashley Klein special on the first 45mins. I think the game plans were there, but the halves didn’t deliver them

Good points…. At this point Cleary and To’o are automatics…. The degree to which Cleary was impacted by his injury is an issue, but they cleared him. Re Luai, yep but Burton has been much better this year and has big game experience…. Paas aside the props were weird, and a hooker that offers more is essential imo…

 

[Beavers Headgear]

Bit of a bump here, but a random thought

Cleary has the knock on him that he hasn’t dominated Origin, so that’s knock him off the top tier of players

Now, Bellamy was a pretty average Origin coach, and he was involved heavily in this NSW campaign. Why is he not held to the same standard in regard to his greatness and legacy ?

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Bit of a bump here, but a random thought

Cleary has the knock on him that he hasn’t dominated Origin, so that’s knock him off the top tier of players

Now, Bellamy was a pretty average Origin coach, and he was involved heavily in this NSW campaign. Why is he not held to the same standard in regard to his greatness and legacy ?

Hell of a point.

I'd say because halfbacks are held to the highest of standards. They're expected to win games off their own back, be great from day one, never have an off day, and so on. The buck for responsibility seems to start and end with halfbacks.

You could also say the same about players in other positions in that Penrith/NSW side couldn't you?

 

[JJ]

Bellamy has failed at that level, no question

The criticism of Cleary is unfair tbh, most of the origin greats had their share of struggles and losing, different era but really Wally the only exception.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Bellamy has failed at that level, no question

The criticism of Cleary is unfair tbh, most of the origin greats had their share of struggles and losing, different era but really Wally the only exception.

Then again, wasn't Bellamy beaten by the beasts he helped create - Inglis, Cronk, Smith and Slater? Sorry Dallas Johnson, I don't include you here

No one would say that Mal Meninga is a better coach than Bellamy but that's how it presents in results. Maybe you should be judged as an NRL coach/player and Origin, with no crossover. And the true greats - ie Joey, Wally, Cam Smith etc - are both. Some, ie Mal, have it fall into their arms, you could argue Darius was the same - his Origin numbers are elite but he isn't an NRL elite player. And Bellamy probably fell into the hardest gig possible, one he kinda created for himself.

 

[Scott]

Bit of a bump here, but a random thought

Cleary has the knock on him that he hasn’t dominated Origin, so that’s knock him off the top tier of players

Now, Bellamy was a pretty average Origin coach, and he was involved heavily in this NSW campaign. Why is he not held to the same standard in regard to his greatness and legacy ?

Craig Bellamy actually hasn't won anything without Cameron Smith. He is a superb coach, but a fair way behind Bennett imo.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Craig Bellamy actually hasn't won anything with Cameron Smith. He is a superb coach, but a fair way behind Bennett imo.

Presume you mean without, no one's won anything in that time apart from Penrith.

Wayne Bennett's last premiership was in 2010, was it not?

We play the comparison game and it's fun to play, but you're never comparing apples with apples. It's not like comparing two golfers who play on exactly the same course at the same time. People could mount arguments for either.

The consistency of Bellamy sides is unrivalled, almost through history unless you look at the 11-straight Dragons.

Bennett has won more, at Origin, Test and NRL level.

Bennett has never been in charge of a team that was stripped of premierships for cheating, with the knowledge that the coach has their fingerprints over everything that happens at that club (as with Bellamy)

You say Bellamy never won anything without Cam Smith, but Bellamy developed him. Wasn't Smith a 7 coming through (he debuted there) and teams overlooked him on size?

So yeah, it's really hard to judge. I wouldn't even try. Both are outstanding