Because he was arguably the best centre in the world in 2010?
Lyon is a class player, and has the ability to win the game for you. And yes his defense is a bonus too. But I would rather him as centre for my club over Inglis, Jennings, Tonga, Tate etc etc.
Remember, he started as f/e for NSW last year after playing the majority of the season in the centres for Manly, when he moved out into the centres he looked dangerous, and we scored some points down there.
You're right and I don't think anybody would disagree that Lyon is a superb player for his club. But he must have played at least a dozen games for NSW now, and as I said I can't recall any game where he's been anything more than a reasonably solid center. (Again, I might be wrong, but I wouldn't be the only one because I know a lot of NSW fans have the same impression.)
For most players who have played that number of games for their state, you can think of at least a couple of Origins where they've turned in near man of the match performances. Lyon may very well be a better & more consistent center for Manly than Inglis is for Melbourne, but if Inglis was a NSWer how many NSW fans would seriously take Lyon over Inglis?
I reckon no matter how good a player is at club level, if he doesn't make an impact at state level after numerous opportunities, surely there comes a point where you have to give someone else a go.
Look, it's not just Lyon, also players like Brett Morris and Jennings are (I think) running out of opportunities. They haven't had as many chances as Lyon, but if they get selected next year and go through another series without doing anything then you would have to think about replacing them too, no matter how much they're carving it up for their club sides.
But yeah, I honestly do want to know...am I underrating how good Lyon has been for NSW? Or do people think he'll do better next year than he has in previous years?
