they've picked the right 3 Knights (Paterson, Uate, Mullen). Houston might eventually work his way onto that list once he gets some footy under his belt and everyone gets over the issue, too.
i don't see many, or any hookers mentioned anywhere. with Gidley pencilled in as a part of the core already... are we to assume that Gidleys performance in game 3 last year left a bigger impression on Stuart than some of the shorter memories in this thread? the more i look at the list of players in the development squad, and then look at the "core" list... the more this makes sense. it could also be perceived as a clear signal to Ennis, Farah and anyone else who wants a crack to lift their games.
Newcastle probably can't afford to lose Mullen and Gidley during an origin period. i've got my fingers, toes and balls crossed that if they pick one, they don't pick the other. it will depend on how season goes, either way. you can bet your bottom dollar that if we fly high, or even just higher than expected early in the season - Gidley will be in. do i agree with it? depends where he plays. i'd be ok with giving him a game at hooker to see what happens, and after game 3 last year he can have his bench spot back, too. Given that both Pearce and Carney are in the "core" group, I think we're pretty safe with Mullo.
it worries me, though, when his name comes up around origin time. ever since his origin debut, he has fallen in a heap during the origin period. his snubbing absolutely devastated his confidence. he was really looking mature on the field the second half of last year, though. no surprise that our forwards started to do their job, and he had a bit of backup from Gidley in the halves at the same time. he's now 100 games into his first grade career and 23 years of age. this is the sort of time in a players career when they should be lining up for origin selection... you don't chuck a 20 year old into the fire with a hack partner, yet that's exactly what they did.
