Plenty of us have strong opinions as to why NSW have been dominated in S.O.O for a decade. I do like listening to different views as it is a major part of following sport, the bit where we crap on about it. One of the solutions put forward is to pick the best players and stick with them as QLD does. Does anyone really believe this would have made any difference? It would have been great to have Hayne , B Stewart, Carney , Dugan , Fergo for example playing for 10 years in a row based on talent alone but it ignores reality. All of these players had massive issues to overcome and it was impossible to achieve. QLD had no trouble punting DCE and when they had a lean period years ago , the old "Pick and Stick" was given a rest. Good old Chief highlighted how we won with Hodgkinson and Reynolds and that this is the answer. Their own club do not think this! I suppose my question is who should we have stuck with for the last 5- 10 years who was not injured or sitting on a roof or playing gridiron or in France?
Main reason NSW have failed the last few yrs is their mindset and game plan.Daley goes into the game too negative.He's always trying to contain the QLDers instead of attacking them.Players like JMorris are picked purely on stopping Inglis but you never going to keep him quiet the whole series.Why not pick players that will scare them with their pace and skill.Whilst Walker didn't deserve a place in the team based on this yrs form,it's a step in the right direction.Why not pick a Cartwright type player at lock instead of always going for ball hog Gallen.Whist Gallen's stats may look ok,he is basically just hitting it up without any danger to QLD.The QLDers love him playing because he doesn't offer anything that will worry them.The halves they have this yr were probably the right call and deserve an extended run based on how they went and the lack of anyone any better at the moment
Phew, for a moment there I was thinking you were suggesting us experts stop trying to pick our own team each week. Because you just have to know us armchair experts know way more than our coaching staff!
The problem for NSW is that they have come up against a once in a lifetime team with so many once in a generation type players. No matter what the game plan or players picked NSW were always going to be behind the 8 ball against this QLD team. Much like the Aussie Cricket team of the 90s.
you need the Gallen types to take it up with nothing in mind other than metres, otherwise there is no go forward and the backs complain they had no room all game. It's WHEN Gallen wants the ball is the problem.
