Based on the 40-man squad, form, fitness amd the selections which are almost guaranteed. This would be my team:
1. Kurt Gidley (c)
There's very little competition at fullback. It was always going to be a battle between Stewart and Gidley. With Brett Stewart injured for the series, Kurt Gidley has no real competition and will probably be the first player picked now. He'd be my captain to avoid it falling to someone like Gallen.
2. Chris Lawrence
Amazingly fast player who would do well on the wing or in the centres for NSW. Has improved his defence over last season, and playing outside Michael Jennings would cause constant headaches for QLD. If these blokes backed each other up, any halfbreak would probably end up in a try.
3. Michael Jennings
In sensational form at the moment for the Panthers. Nearly everytime he touches the ball he is breaking tackles and creating opportunities that either himself or his winger can make plenty of metres from. With the right winger, those metres would definitely result in points.
4. Matt Cooper
He is almost guaranteed to be in the team for his defensive skills and experience for NSW in the past. Selectors seem to love the Dragons centres.
5. Joel Monaghan / Jarryd Hayne
Neither has set the world on fire this season. But both have been solid for NSW in the past. I rate both of them fairly highly and feel either one would do a decent job. If i were a selector i'd probably even have Monaghan in the centres ahead of Cooper and have Hayne outside him.
6. Terry Campese
Without doubt the best 5/8 running around for nearly an entire season now. Has been in sensational form and hugely responsible for the Raiders winning the games they have. He is very built for a 5/8 also, which the selectors seem to favour more then skill.
7. Peter Wallace
Not as skilled as the QLD halves, but he is a solid halfback who seems to shine when playing in the halves with a dominant playmaker. Terry Campese and Peter Wallace could be a great halves combination that would help NSW out for years to come.
8. Luke Bailey
NSW are never going to find a front row combination that stacks up against Petero and Price. But Bailey would have to be one of the closest players to being in the same mould as them. Older bloke with a great work ethic and plenty of experience. In good form at the moment also IMO.
9. Robbie Farah
IMO he should have been picked ahead of Bedsy last season and possibly the year before also. Has been one of the Tigers best players for several years now and deserves his chance at making an Origin debut. Should do much better in a team full of quality players.
10. Brent Kite
In a strong Manly forward pack, was probably one of the best players. If not the best. We need some proper front rowers who don't shy away from hard work. Brent Kite is exactly that.
11. Anthony Laffranchi
He is currently playing for one of the form teams in the NRL, and is largely responsible for them being where they are now. He and Luke Bailey are both inspirational players for their team.
12. Ben Creagh
Consistant player who averages a lot of tacklebreaks, linebreaks and eats up the metres each week. Can move to a few positions and play the entire 80 minutes if we need him to. Would probably try and get him to look to offload whenever he has the chance. If he is playing on the right side of the field, he could potentially have Lawrence, Jennings and Gidley all waiting to run off one of his offloads.
13. John Sutton
Has been in sensational form this season and deserves to be in the team. With the way Terry Campese has been playing at 5/8, he has been forced back to lock for mine. I don't like Paul Gallen, so he was never an option for me. It was between Sutton and Tongue. Both would do a fine job IMO.
14. Michael Weyman
Has been an absolute beast for the Dragons this season. He is a very big bloke that has a great attitude and is built for Origin IMO. Would offer a lot of impact from the bench and would go a long way toward boosting our front row.
15. Keith Galloway
Just like Michael Weyman, he has been in incredible form this season and pretty much come from nowhere to demand selection. These guys are inform and dserve a chance to represent their state. If they play half aswell for NSW as they do their clubs, they will do much better then our benchies have in previous seasons.
16. Trent Waterhouse
Might look a bit biased, but he is looking to be in career best form at the moment. Has bulked up considerably since last season and seems to have a new desire to play well every week. With him on the bench with Weyman and Galloway, we would only be field a stronger side when we used interchanges.
17. Luke Lewis
IMO Luke Lewis would have to be the best utility in the NRL. Can cover any position other then the front row, and puts in great performances without fail. In the above team i selected, his primary use would be in the backrow to keep all the blokes fresh and at their best. Would only look at moving him elsewhere if someone was injured.
