QLD State of Origin 2019 Thread

As a Blues fan I'd defo rather they pick FAC over Hunt. Hunt is potentially far more dangerous........and he won't lose you a game through a silly dropped ba...........wait what.......but seriously, I'd take Hunt over FAC every day.

I think they’ll stick with Macca unless they convince Smith to come back.

QLD will want a utility on the bench and with Morgan shifting to Centre it will have to be Hunt. If Hunt was to start at 9 Milf would be next in line as the utility and he is in worse form then Macca.

Friend gone for 4 months, so a reprieve for FAC and Hunt a cert for utility.

For NSW, I think it's actually not bad news on two front. 1) Friend is better than FAC. 2) Radley will get an extended run at 9 for the Roosters, boosting his utility value.

Ponga
Oates
Morgan
Chambers
Gagai
Munster
DCE
Aarow
Hunt
Papalii
Kafusi
Gillett
Mcguire

Mbye
Napa
Fifita
Ofahengaue

Glasby

I like that team as long as Chambers and Napa aim up. Not the hugest fan of Mbye as a player but he'll do the job. Lots of in form players.

Both benches look pretty similar

Questionable utility player (mbye/wighton)
Out of form forward picked because he was there last year (napa/crighton)
2 young debutantes who look to have the ability for occasion (Joe O & fifita/Haas & Murrey)

although i think we end up starting with murrey personally

Dip wrote:I like that team as long as Chambers and Napa aim up. Not the hugest fan of Mbye as a player but he'll do the job. Lots of in form players.

Mbye would be hard pressed making the top 16 best fullbacks in the NRL till he was picked in the QLD team. Now he's good enough to do the job.


That'll do me

No Worries wrote:

Mbye would be hard pressed making the top 16 best  fullbacks in the NRL till he was picked in the QLD team. Now he's good enough to do the job.


That'll do me

"the job" isn't being fullback though, so it seems silly to critique his inclusion based on that.

I'm more than happy for Mbye to provide cover for backline injury or give Hunt a rest if needed. As Ryno said, IMO his job is just that not to provide attacking spark. We've got more than enough of that in the starting team. If no backline player is injured and Hunt is not out of puff he might not even see any game time.

ryno_ wrote:

"the job" isn't being fullback though, so it seems silly to critique his inclusion based on that.

Is his job going to be to play hooker for 20mins? Because he wouldn't be in the top 16 best hookers in the comp either lol
He would barely crack the top 32 halves as well

too funny

ryno_ wrote:

"the job" isn't being fullback though, so it seems silly to critique his inclusion based on that.

Do tell what "the job" is and how he's the best available QLDer at it.

No Worries wrote:


Do tell what "the job" is and how he's the best available QLDer at it.

I assume his job will be to do his best impression of 2011/2012 Ben Barba, same thing they picked Milf to do last year and Morgan before him. Starting 13 excluded, I can't think of someone in better form they could have picked for that role instead - not that he's in world beating form, but neither is anyone else in consideration. Unless there's an injury, he's not playing fullback for 80 min, so judging him on that criteria seems pointless.

I would have preferred them not take that direction at all and picked a bigger boy like Hess, Cooper or Rhyse Martin (injury pending), but hey. Kevvie didn't consult me.

origin utilities are always strongly debated, both teams this year are fairly odd calls imo

seems to be a few type of players that get these spots

1. The actual genuine awesome utilities: Eg berrigan, wing etc who not only cover multiple position but will have a dominant role regardless of injuries

2. The player who will have a large role one day so give him a taste now: QLd have done this a bit recently, morgan, DCe, ponga and even cronk before them. doesn't always work out like that tho, see jamaal idris and dylan walker

3. the "we have to have guy who can play 9 even tho our 9 may play 80" player. think josh reynolds playing like 9 minutes in 2 games as a utility. think casey mcguire even got a couple of origin games because he could play 9 too.

4. the "just pick the guy who can play the most position regardless of how good he is" This could be mbye, has filled in at wing at least twice during games and started NRL games at centre, halves, fullback and hooker

5. Pick a forward who can cover positions if needed, EG luke lewis, michael crocker. probably the most preferred options sans having a #1

6. WTF, drop every selector, AKA the jamie buhrer


usually, whoever the utility is gets alot of media attention and has the smallest effect on the actual game. wing and berrigan were perfect at it. morgan always worried me off the bench too but usually they play smallish minutes and the game is won elsewhere

7. The captain

Also include;

7. Can't drop him but can't play him either - Kurt Gidley (c).

ED: Bugger. NW beat me to it.

Player 21 might mean Mbye doesnt get a jersey at all, hunt heads back to his bench hooker role

leaguegod wrote:
usually, whoever the utility is gets alot of media attention and has the smallest effect on the actual game. wing and berrigan were perfect at it. morgan always worried me off the bench too but usually they play smallish minutes and the game is won elsewhere

Exactly right. In almost 40 years, apart from Wing and Berrigan, I can't really think of too many utilities who have made that much of an impact for a number of games. Sure guys have done well there (like DCE and Cronk), but at this level if they were that impactful, they'd be in the starting side. If say Ponga can't make a difference, they're not going to replace him with Mbye to see if he can. To be honest I expect Mbye to be one of two things, injury cover in case a backline player goes down (and not play in the backline if there is no injury), or to give Hunt a rest if he needs it. If he doesn't need it they probably won't give him a run.

lol, i was thinking about doing a separate one for gidley but then thought that after he was demoted, he kind of became more of a #4 despite being captain

Dip wrote:

Exactly right. In almost 40 years, apart from Wing and Berrigan, I can't really think of too many utilities who have made that much of an impact for a number of games. Sure guys have done well there (like DCE and Cronk), but at this level if they were that impactful, they'd be in the starting side.  If say Ponga can't make a difference, they're not going to replace him with Mbye to see if he can. To be honest I expect Mbye to be one of two things, injury cover in case a backline player goes down (and not play in the backline if there is no injury), or to give Hunt a rest if he needs it. If he doesn't need it they probably won't give him a run.

yeah 100%

i get covering for injuries, an early injury can legit fuck you over, with mbye, no single injury can cost them. blue would have some issues if either cleary or cook went down imo but wighton would cover 1-6 and maybe more likely to have a small stint in the pack.


apart from david fifita who is getting pretty under used at club level imo, every forward is playing big club level minutes and each team as a couple of proven big minute rep players, do you actually need a 4th forward rotation wise either ? probably not so may aswell just cover the injury chance.

leaguegod wrote:

yeah 100%

i get covering for injuries, an early injury can legit fuck you over, with mbye, no single injury can cost them. blue would have some issues if either cleary or cook went down imo but wighton would cover 1-6 and maybe more likely to have a small stint in the pack.


apart from david fifita who is getting pretty under used at club level imo, every forward is playing big club level minutes and each team as a couple of proven big minute rep players, do you actually need a 4th forward rotation wise either ? probably not so may aswell just cover the injury chance.

About half the clubs do the same these days i.e. carry a back in case of injury.

I personally don't have a problem with the philosophy but I do question whether Mbye is the right bloke.

Hopefully it isn't because of his previous stints there, which were mainly due to injury or being pushed out of his favoured half position.

Personally I would have gone with Milf but I'm sure Mbye will step up and produce an Adam Mogg-esque performance.