There has been a lot of debate, including from myself, about what NSW should do with their lineup for State of Origin 3 and for the coming years. Alot of talk about who is a future Origin player and who isn’t.
I gave my two cents on what team we should pick if we were looking towards the future, but it didn’t quite sit right with me to write that article. The main reason for that is that I have a long held belief that all representative teams should be picked wholly on the basis of who is the best suited person for the job.
By this, I mean that we shouldn’t be picking someone to play in a representative team because in 2 years time he is going to be a great player. They call it “blooding”, and I hate it.
The first time I personally remember encountering it was with the Australian Cricket team. I was always brought up to believe that wearing the Baggy Green was the biggest honour you could have as a cricketer. And the selectors went around the country watching players and picked the country’s 5 best batsmen, 5 best bowlers, and best wicketkeeper to wear the Baggy Green. You had to be the best and you had to earn the Baggy Green. That’s the way it had always been, that’s the way it was always going to be. That’s why it was such an honour.
Then at some point during Australia’s reign at the top of world cricket, things changed. The selectors and Cricket Australia realised (through some media propagation) that the players in the team, while still the best at their jobs, were getting old and were possibly going to retire around the same time and we would lose a generation of players in a short period of time and be left with an inexperienced squad of players that may or may not still be great cricketers.
So the selectors started bringing through players that may not have been the best batsmen at the time, but had the potential to be. The biggest example would probably be Michael Clarke. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great cricketer, and even had a great debut year with the bat, but when he got his first Baggy Green, he wasn’t one of the best 5 batsmen the country had to offer. He didn’t earn it.
The thing is that Cricket Australia went on such a media campaign with it that it almost because just accepted that we no longer picked the best 11 cricketers, we pick young players for the future too. If one of our best 5 batsmen was 33, he wasn’t going to be selected. And now nobody seems to remember the days when it was simply a matter of picking the best players.
Which brings me back to NSW Origin this year. The selectors and coach came out after selecting the team for game one and said they were going with a “Youth Policy”. The media said that some radical thinking was needed to beat this team of Queensland greats. Both were wrong. Is picking the best 17 players available now radical thinking? Is that what it has come to? Why do we need a youth policy? If the best available players are young, there is no need for a policy! We don’t need any policy other than PICK THE BEST AVAILABLE PLAYERS!!
This doesn’t mean that if someone had a brilliant game the weekend before, they get a spot, they have to prove that they are the best player in their position by producing performances over a period of time, and that they are still currently the best available candidate to play that spot. I really can’t stress this enough!
Don’t get me wrong, efforts should be made to help promising young players slot into a representative team comfortably once he is the best player for that position, but that doesn’t mean you simply give him the jersey now so that when he is the best available, he is not overawed! What is the point in weakening a current team to POSSIBLY make a future team better? Because let’s not forget how often the blooding of these you players goes wrong!
There are other ways to blood players to representative sports. The cricket has the Australia A teams for the one dayers, League has City v Country, or the Prime Ministers IX, or even tour matches back in the day where a Kangaroos team would actually tour. The Socceroos have friendlies, and Asian Cup qualifiers against weaker opposition. There are junior camps, senior camps, 40 man squads, Training squads. There are other ways to get these kids ready!
The sooner we remember that the better.
Showing posts with label NSW. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NSW. Show all posts
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
How can NSW win State of Origin II?
Another game, another refereeing controversy!
For the record, my opinion is that Hayne's foot didn't go into touch, which changes the entire game. Not to mention the penalty against him for taking out Folau that was also wrong, which led to another try for the Queenslanders. So assuming those decisions went the way I think they should have (and that magically everything else played out the exact same way!) the final score ends up NSW 24 QLD 16.
That aside, I think that NSW gambled in their team selection, and if they had won the game everyone would say that the gamble came off and the team would stay the same. As it stands, they lost and there will be talk of change for the line up. The truth of the matter is that some gambles came off and others didn't and win or lose, some changes are necessary.
Lyon looked disinterested (no real surprise given he said that he wasn't interested). McManus was anonymous (no real surprise either as alot of people had no idea who he was going into the match). Campese tried to score off every play, which he does, and needs to do, at the Raiders. However it's not the way Origin is played. He'll learn that as he matures as a player and I have no doubt he will be back at Origin level in the next season or two after what he learnt at Etihad Stadium, but his run this year is over.
Gidley was flat out bad. In his chance to step up to the plate and live up to all the media hype, he failed dismally. But he is a better and more experienced player than that and he still warrants a spot in the team (especially since he's the captain)
The forward pack was largely effective, and relatively error free, but outside of Creagh and Farrah, nobody really stood out. I can handle that, and I think the pack should stay the same for game II. They'll be better for it.
But the backline definitely needs fine tuning.
The backline should be as follows -
Fullback - Jarryd Hayne - He was easily the best player on the park for NSW and that's no easy feat as a left winger. His best club form has been at fullback, and Gidley struggled at the back so it makes sense.
Left Wing - Joel Monaghan - His size and quality under the high ball makes him an automatic selection to play up against Folau. Knows how to finish too.
Left Centre - Michael Jennings - Was fairly quiet last night after all the hype but was error free and showed enough for me to give him the spot for the rest of the series, he'll just keep getting better.
Right Centre - Josh Morris - He is an attacking machine and big to boot. Full of confidence after a great start to this season and seems to have learnt how to tackle. Has been a slight step off this level for about 12 months, this year it's his turn. Does have a few errors in his game, if we can get that out of him, he'll make this spot his own for a long time.
Right Wing - David Williams - He has rep experience, and to be perfectly honest, NSW aren't exactly plump with wingers, so I'll give him the nod.
Five Eighth - Kurt Gidley/Craig Wing - Whichever one you DON'T give the starting spot to, will come off the bench. There are arguments for and against having either in the starting side. Chances are Gidley would get the nod as he is the captain, but Wing could easily take that role on too. I will say this though, if Wing is on the bench, you've got to give him more game time than he saw last night, I don't care how you do it, but you have to do it.
Halfback - Peter Wallace - He's our best option, and is a much better kicker than he showed in game 1. He won't have another match like that. A bit of variety in the kicking stakes between Farrah, Gidley/Wing and Wallace will relieve some pressure and put Steve Price in 2 minds allowing an overall better kicking game.
All in all the backline has had a fairly drastic change, but in my opinion this is the core of a backline that can take us forward for the next few years.
The line up picked for game 1 was never going to be a long term solution. Really, did anyone think that McManus was going to have a sparkling Origin career? Or that Lyon would play rep footy again next year after he's met the 10 year requirements of the league to declare himself exempt? Campese still has a future, when he gets composure in his game, but he's a back up at best for next 12 months or so.
This series isn't over yet. Far from it!
For the record, my opinion is that Hayne's foot didn't go into touch, which changes the entire game. Not to mention the penalty against him for taking out Folau that was also wrong, which led to another try for the Queenslanders. So assuming those decisions went the way I think they should have (and that magically everything else played out the exact same way!) the final score ends up NSW 24 QLD 16.
That aside, I think that NSW gambled in their team selection, and if they had won the game everyone would say that the gamble came off and the team would stay the same. As it stands, they lost and there will be talk of change for the line up. The truth of the matter is that some gambles came off and others didn't and win or lose, some changes are necessary.
Lyon looked disinterested (no real surprise given he said that he wasn't interested). McManus was anonymous (no real surprise either as alot of people had no idea who he was going into the match). Campese tried to score off every play, which he does, and needs to do, at the Raiders. However it's not the way Origin is played. He'll learn that as he matures as a player and I have no doubt he will be back at Origin level in the next season or two after what he learnt at Etihad Stadium, but his run this year is over.
Gidley was flat out bad. In his chance to step up to the plate and live up to all the media hype, he failed dismally. But he is a better and more experienced player than that and he still warrants a spot in the team (especially since he's the captain)
The forward pack was largely effective, and relatively error free, but outside of Creagh and Farrah, nobody really stood out. I can handle that, and I think the pack should stay the same for game II. They'll be better for it.
But the backline definitely needs fine tuning.
The backline should be as follows -
Fullback - Jarryd Hayne - He was easily the best player on the park for NSW and that's no easy feat as a left winger. His best club form has been at fullback, and Gidley struggled at the back so it makes sense.
Left Wing - Joel Monaghan - His size and quality under the high ball makes him an automatic selection to play up against Folau. Knows how to finish too.
Left Centre - Michael Jennings - Was fairly quiet last night after all the hype but was error free and showed enough for me to give him the spot for the rest of the series, he'll just keep getting better.
Right Centre - Josh Morris - He is an attacking machine and big to boot. Full of confidence after a great start to this season and seems to have learnt how to tackle. Has been a slight step off this level for about 12 months, this year it's his turn. Does have a few errors in his game, if we can get that out of him, he'll make this spot his own for a long time.
Right Wing - David Williams - He has rep experience, and to be perfectly honest, NSW aren't exactly plump with wingers, so I'll give him the nod.
Five Eighth - Kurt Gidley/Craig Wing - Whichever one you DON'T give the starting spot to, will come off the bench. There are arguments for and against having either in the starting side. Chances are Gidley would get the nod as he is the captain, but Wing could easily take that role on too. I will say this though, if Wing is on the bench, you've got to give him more game time than he saw last night, I don't care how you do it, but you have to do it.
Halfback - Peter Wallace - He's our best option, and is a much better kicker than he showed in game 1. He won't have another match like that. A bit of variety in the kicking stakes between Farrah, Gidley/Wing and Wallace will relieve some pressure and put Steve Price in 2 minds allowing an overall better kicking game.
All in all the backline has had a fairly drastic change, but in my opinion this is the core of a backline that can take us forward for the next few years.
The line up picked for game 1 was never going to be a long term solution. Really, did anyone think that McManus was going to have a sparkling Origin career? Or that Lyon would play rep footy again next year after he's met the 10 year requirements of the league to declare himself exempt? Campese still has a future, when he gets composure in his game, but he's a back up at best for next 12 months or so.
This series isn't over yet. Far from it!
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