Knightmare
Coach
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Make a team 1-17 of your State's players since 1980, as well as pick a coach and why you picked each person. It was harder for me than I first thought- good luck!
NSW ORIGIN DREAM TEAM
1. Anthony Minichello. I was too young to see Gary Jack in action, and I only remember seeing Tim Brasher play a few times. When he was fit and free of injury, few players were safer under the high ball than Mini or could produce such great kick-returns.
2. Michael O'Connor. Until Ryan Girdler, held the record for most points scored for NSW during a match. A proven points scorer and an ability to kick goals under pressure.
3. Laurie Daley. Difficult to move him from his club position of 5/8th, but Daley was also a good player in the centres, and proved in Game 2 of the '93 series that even a fearsome player like Mal Meninga didn't intimidate him.
4. Michael Cronin. One of the best centres seen over the past 30 years, Cronin could chime into any backline movement and polish it off brilliantly.
5. Eric Groethe (Snr.) Could smash through the opposition defence, especially dangerous close to the tryline, a great blend of speed and power.
6. Brett Kenny. Other 5/8ths like Fittler and Daley are unlucky not to be picked here, but if this hypothetical team was to play a Best of Maroons side, we all know who their 5/8th would be. And it wouldn't be Ben Ikin. Against the player they WOULD pick, 'Bert' had a superior win/ loss record when lining up against him at 5/8th. Was just as crucial as Sterling to the Eels' fortunes in the 80's IMO.
7. Andrew Johns. Yeah, all the Joey haters can cry foul, who cares? I couldn't leave out arguably the greatest player of all time in the starting line-up for this team. He got better in his later years of Origin, having stand out series in '03 and '05. If he didn't play in that 2005 series, I am not so sure NSW would have won the shield.
8. Ray Price. The bloke would take a concussion and bleed for NSW, then pick himself up and do it all again. Unlucky to never get the chance to play in an Origin winning team, Mr Perpetual Motion epitomises the passion required to succeed at Origin level.
9. Ben Elias. Just edges out Buderus. It says a lot that, more than 15 years after he retired from playing, Benny is still hated by the Qlders. Had that niggle streak in him like Ennis does, but a better all-round player and not prone to giving away silly penalties.
10. Steve Roach. Blocker is a bit of a lair and would bring a more light hearted side to the NSW camp, but on the field he was a fearsome player and an old-school prop forward who knew how to roll his sleeves up and do the hard work needed.
11. Nathan Hindmarsh. Workhorse, an 80 minute player who has never been the most spectacular player on the field, but makes up the metres and does the tackling that can make the difference between a win and a loss. Has the added advantage of being a forward that doesn't need to be interchanged at any time during the match.
12. Paul Harragon. The Chief was one of the most passionate Blues to wear the jersey. Able to lead from up front, take a few big hits and dish them out as well.
13. Bradley Clyde. One of the best (if not the best) lock of the past 30 years, had a considerable part in Canberra's great teams from 1987-94 as well as the Blues' dominance of the 90's.
Interchange:
14. Glenn Lazarus. Understood the 'Mate against Mate' concept better than most, never played for a NSW club team but was a devastating forward who always proved a handful for the opposition defences and seemingly understood that it didn't matter if he had a whole lot of club mates on the Maroons team- they were Qlders.
15. Kurt Gidley. This one might raise a few eyebrows, but although his name will not be remembered like Daley's or Fittlers' or Johns', Gidley is a workhorse who could never be accused of not putting in. If NSW had a team full of players who have given as much effort as Kids has, the Blues would have won a series more recently than 2005. He gets the bench-spot down to his ability to be used as a utility, most likely he would come on later in the game in the backs or at hooker or lock.
16. Brad Fittler. Couldn't leave Freddie out of the team. Would probably bring him on with 20 or 30 minutes to go, either to replace one of the centres with a fresh set of legs or perhaps even to take over from 'Bert' if NSW were dominating.
17. Steve Menzies. The greatest try-scoring forward in the games' history, Beaver was another 1%er who didn't shirk responsibility. Also a demon tackler, capable of single handedly chopping down any Maroons player looking to make a break.
I went with 1 specialist prop, 1 specialist back-rower, a specialist back and a utility player to try and cover all bases. I had two players who spent most of/ all their career in the backs in case one of the players 1-7 got injured during the game.
COACH: Phillip Ronald Gould. Gus couldn't give a crap about any of the Maroons players he is mates with. For him, winning the next Origin game whatever it would take from the players he had at his disposal was the #1 thing in the world. Arguably the best coach from either side at getting his team fired up for a match of Origin-like intensity.
NSW ORIGIN DREAM TEAM
1. Anthony Minichello. I was too young to see Gary Jack in action, and I only remember seeing Tim Brasher play a few times. When he was fit and free of injury, few players were safer under the high ball than Mini or could produce such great kick-returns.
2. Michael O'Connor. Until Ryan Girdler, held the record for most points scored for NSW during a match. A proven points scorer and an ability to kick goals under pressure.
3. Laurie Daley. Difficult to move him from his club position of 5/8th, but Daley was also a good player in the centres, and proved in Game 2 of the '93 series that even a fearsome player like Mal Meninga didn't intimidate him.
4. Michael Cronin. One of the best centres seen over the past 30 years, Cronin could chime into any backline movement and polish it off brilliantly.
5. Eric Groethe (Snr.) Could smash through the opposition defence, especially dangerous close to the tryline, a great blend of speed and power.
6. Brett Kenny. Other 5/8ths like Fittler and Daley are unlucky not to be picked here, but if this hypothetical team was to play a Best of Maroons side, we all know who their 5/8th would be. And it wouldn't be Ben Ikin. Against the player they WOULD pick, 'Bert' had a superior win/ loss record when lining up against him at 5/8th. Was just as crucial as Sterling to the Eels' fortunes in the 80's IMO.
7. Andrew Johns. Yeah, all the Joey haters can cry foul, who cares? I couldn't leave out arguably the greatest player of all time in the starting line-up for this team. He got better in his later years of Origin, having stand out series in '03 and '05. If he didn't play in that 2005 series, I am not so sure NSW would have won the shield.
8. Ray Price. The bloke would take a concussion and bleed for NSW, then pick himself up and do it all again. Unlucky to never get the chance to play in an Origin winning team, Mr Perpetual Motion epitomises the passion required to succeed at Origin level.
9. Ben Elias. Just edges out Buderus. It says a lot that, more than 15 years after he retired from playing, Benny is still hated by the Qlders. Had that niggle streak in him like Ennis does, but a better all-round player and not prone to giving away silly penalties.
10. Steve Roach. Blocker is a bit of a lair and would bring a more light hearted side to the NSW camp, but on the field he was a fearsome player and an old-school prop forward who knew how to roll his sleeves up and do the hard work needed.
11. Nathan Hindmarsh. Workhorse, an 80 minute player who has never been the most spectacular player on the field, but makes up the metres and does the tackling that can make the difference between a win and a loss. Has the added advantage of being a forward that doesn't need to be interchanged at any time during the match.
12. Paul Harragon. The Chief was one of the most passionate Blues to wear the jersey. Able to lead from up front, take a few big hits and dish them out as well.
13. Bradley Clyde. One of the best (if not the best) lock of the past 30 years, had a considerable part in Canberra's great teams from 1987-94 as well as the Blues' dominance of the 90's.
Interchange:
14. Glenn Lazarus. Understood the 'Mate against Mate' concept better than most, never played for a NSW club team but was a devastating forward who always proved a handful for the opposition defences and seemingly understood that it didn't matter if he had a whole lot of club mates on the Maroons team- they were Qlders.
15. Kurt Gidley. This one might raise a few eyebrows, but although his name will not be remembered like Daley's or Fittlers' or Johns', Gidley is a workhorse who could never be accused of not putting in. If NSW had a team full of players who have given as much effort as Kids has, the Blues would have won a series more recently than 2005. He gets the bench-spot down to his ability to be used as a utility, most likely he would come on later in the game in the backs or at hooker or lock.
16. Brad Fittler. Couldn't leave Freddie out of the team. Would probably bring him on with 20 or 30 minutes to go, either to replace one of the centres with a fresh set of legs or perhaps even to take over from 'Bert' if NSW were dominating.
17. Steve Menzies. The greatest try-scoring forward in the games' history, Beaver was another 1%er who didn't shirk responsibility. Also a demon tackler, capable of single handedly chopping down any Maroons player looking to make a break.
I went with 1 specialist prop, 1 specialist back-rower, a specialist back and a utility player to try and cover all bases. I had two players who spent most of/ all their career in the backs in case one of the players 1-7 got injured during the game.
COACH: Phillip Ronald Gould. Gus couldn't give a crap about any of the Maroons players he is mates with. For him, winning the next Origin game whatever it would take from the players he had at his disposal was the #1 thing in the world. Arguably the best coach from either side at getting his team fired up for a match of Origin-like intensity.
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