NSW Origin side 2018

Woods needs to go. He's been soft for years and one of the boys that doesn't rip in when we need it.

The Dragon 3 have to be there. Vaughn, JDB and Frizzell.

At this stage these guys would be my locked in.

1. Tedesco
2. TTurbo
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11. Cordner (c)
12. Frizzell
13. J Turbo

14.
15. Vaughan
16.
17. JDB

Pieman wrote:and the difference here is they would be replacing an out of form FB with the form FB of the comp (if they stay the way they are now)

tedesco will be the number 1, but TTrbo is most certainly breathing down his neck for the jersey IMO

Tedesco will be named at FB with Turbo at CTR/wing. Take that to the bank!

I would be willing to bet cold hard cash on it. How much cash are ya gonna give me Pieface?

Where did I say 'I BET TTRBO WILL BE FULLBACK"?

I totally agree Tedesco will be the fullback with TTrbo on the wing MooseGoose.
And I said a few posts ago, TTrbo is clearly breathing down his neck for the FB spot though.

@honeysett
No Klemmer? He is a certainty to start at prop.
RCG is a certainty for the bench too IMO.

I don’t rate Klemmer and he’s shown fuck all this year. He’ll be there but I won’t be happy with it.

RCG is nearly there for mine.

Be silly not to have Wade Graham as your 14

Mighty Fishes wrote:Be silly not to have Wade Graham as your 14

He was imperative last year in losing us the series. He made two insanely dumb mistakes and for that he's banished from my team.

Re klem, been pretty critical myself but last weeks have been storng, i also think he one of the few players we have where he seems to perform at a much higher level in rep jumpers then he does at club level

completely agree re woods, and he is one who even when in form at club level, doesn't play a style that suits rep footy, he shouldn't be there


Teddy will be fullback, i think them switching a couple of times wouldn't hurt, he may not have the ball playing of tturbo but his open field ability on the back of offloads has been pretty important for us in the past

agree with honeysett re graham, great player but his brain farts are to costly at this level

Maloney probably played his best game since the 2016 prelim, i'd have green/maloney right now, while still praying cleary makes it back in time to play a couple of games before game 1

I tend to think that Maloney will be there if cleary is healthy or not. If cleary is healthy he will be the 6, if cleary cant play he will be the 7.

Without McLean busted and Fifi catting out, looking more likely Woods will get his jumper back by default. I can't imagine Freddy would want to go into the series with 2 props on debut (assuming Klemmer goes from the bench where he's best).

Next man up would be Vaughn or Ryan James I guess?

i don't think ryan james is chance

i think if he picked today, freddy would be picking woods and klem to start, RCG and vaughn off the bench


he did mention junior paulo the other day but also mentioned that his form isn't up to it atm, if he picks it up, he could be a sneaky bench option for freddy


there is probably also the strong chance we go in with only 3 full time props, Jake trbo and JDB probably play more then 80 minutes total in the middle being the argument and i'm not personally worried about either of them not being big enough to do a job, especially jake who has played some prop for nsw last year

if the back row is expected to be

cordner
frizz
jake T

then a bench of
Prop
Edge
JDB
Utility


will cover the middle minutes easily enough (with frizz also a chance to spend time in the middle)

Why isnt Ryan James a chance? Played really well last week against the StG pack which will probably supply 2 origin players and likewise this week against Broncos with another 2 origin players.

RCG is in the conversation but he just feels like a meh pick. Like Glasby last year, which I guess didnt go badly... but both RCG and Glasby both feel like they have a low performance ceiling, albeit low risk.

i think you're selling RCG a bit short tbh and he played great off the bench for australia in the world cup, i think he'll do a good job.

i've never been high on james, in the few big finals game he has played, he always gone missing too, different player to woods but i do feel he is similar in the way he may do good things during regular club games but i just can't see him doing that at origin level, maybe thats unfair but that's just my personal perception

leaguegod wrote:i think you're selling RCG a bit short tbh and he played great off the bench for australia in the world cup, i think he'll do a good job.

i've never been high on james, in the few big finals game he has played, he always gone missing too, different player to woods but i do feel he is similar in the way he may do good things during regular club games but i just can't see him doing that at origin level, maybe thats unfair but that's just my personal perception

Im sure RCG could do a good job... but is "good" good enough? I dont think hes a starter and NSW probably has better bench options.

I remember thinking James played well in the last finals game Titans played v Broncos. Any finals/rep games before that are a distant memory.

Did anyone see a story about Daley picking the team on form ?? I was getting ready this morning and there was something on Sunrise

RCG was excellent in the back half last year, was great off the bench for Aus and his side is 3 - 1 (their only loss was by 2 points).

He is a gun prop, and should be one of NSW first picked, even if its to fill a bench spot.
He would be one of QLD first picked too IMO if he was from there. The bloke is one of the top few props in the league and deserves his shot in origin.

He is an absolute certainty.

James, yeh he would be OK IMO. Has so many penalties and mistakes in him but is a bit of a hard nut.

Starting props will be Woods and Klemmer, bench props will be RCG and someone else, most likely JDB or Vaughn.

I've never been a wrap on Woods. It there was a moment in tonight's game that confirmed for me he is a spent force and shouldn't be there. Game was tight, Raiders with no bench, Bulldogs in possession and Woods plodding back early in the set and giving away a penalty by causing a Shepard. Unforgivable laziness. If Fittler is serious, he can't have both the Dogs big men, they simply aren't doing enough and to go into the game with 3 forwards from a dogs pack getting nailed each week would be a huge error. I think all three are fighting to save their position and none are doing much to say, having been in multiple losing series, "you can't afford to drop us" or "we derserve it more than Vaughan, JDB, RCG, Finnucane et al.

Seriously, what do we have to lose dropping at least two of the three....another Origin series???

Woods and Jackson simply shouldn't be there if these other guys keep playing the way they are yet I read that Freddie had pencilled in McLean as the fresh face and was likely sticking with:

Woods
Klemmer
Jackson
Cordner
Frizell
JTurbo
Graham

So really only has one spot to fit in the likes of:
Vaughan
RCG
JDB
Finnucane
James

I'd have the Dragons triumvirate over the Doggies one every day of the week based on form over the last season and a bit

My side as of now:
Teddy
Mansour
Mitchell
Roberts
Turbo
Maloney
Green
Vaughan
Api K
Klemmer
Cordner
Frizell
JTurbo

RCG
JDB
McLean (if fit)/Finnucane
JBird

Maloney is a certainty with Cleary out.
I think the halves will be him and Keary with a view to bring Cleary in for maloney when he is back healthy

That side is very close to what it will be IMO.

I too dont want woods there, and hope he isnt picked. But he will be. I wonder what he does well that coaches / stats guys see that we dont. Its not his cat like ability to find his knees and elbows like tim mannah. He doesnt bend the line. Offloads? Backing into the defence? I really dont know why he is a lock for rep sides

klem has improved the last 3 weeks for us, has played well for nsw and australia in the past, i think he should be there and should start


woods can't be picked, either can jackson

i also can't pick wade graham, i just don't trust him despite his ability

my pack, without including woods who i agree is likely to be there

klem
cook/api/peats/mcinnes - i just don't know here
RCG
cordner
friz
jake T

Peachey - can play hooker which i think is important because all of our 9 option are pretty ordinary, none should play 80
JDB
Vaughn
Crighton


crighton will almost certainly be graham, i do think having an edge on the bench to play the last 50 on the left edge will work, friz's second stint will be in the middle like last year

Pieman wrote:Maloney is a certainty with Cleary out.
I think the halves will be him and Keary with a view to bring Cleary in for maloney when he is back healthy

That side is very close to what it will be IMO.

I too dont want woods there, and hope he isnt picked. But he will be. I wonder what he does well that coaches / stats guys see that we dont. Its not his cat like ability to find his knees and elbows like tim mannah. He doesnt bend the line. Offloads? Backing into the defence? I really dont know why he is a lock for rep sides

Agreed, but thoughts on Green. If the Warriors keep winning, he will be very hard to ignore, surely.

Ice wrote:

Agreed, but thoughts on Green. If the Warriors keep winning, he will be very hard to ignore, surely.

6. Green
7. Maloney

9. Pearce