2016 State of Origin - New South Wales vs Queensland

[JohnS]

Well folks, it's on again, the annual State of Origin Rugby League 3-game clash between New South Wales and Queensland. Queensland have won this series for so long, I can't actually remember the last time New South Wales won the series, I'm sure our dear friend and well-respected cigar enthusiast, Ken, will remind us in this thread.

Oh, and if you support Queensland, well...they've won for so long that, for you, the anticipation for this upcoming series must be like waiting for Australia to decimate their test cricket opponents every summer during the 1990's and early 2000's!

NSW Coach Laurie Daley has just announced a squad of 19 (to be cut to 17 for the game)

New South Wales VB Blues squad for Holden State of Origin Game One

Greg Bird (Gold Coast Titans)
Boyd Cordner (Sydney Roosters)
Josh Dugan (St George Illawarra Dragons)
Robbie Farah (Wests Tigers)
Blake Ferguson (Sydney Roosters)
Andrew Fifita (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)
Tyson Frizell (St George Illawarra Dragons)
Paul Gallen (c, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)
Josh Jackson (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)
Michael Jennings (Parramatta Eels)
David Klemmer (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)
James Maloney (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)
Josh Mansour (Penrith Panthers)
Josh Morris (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)
Matt Moylan (Penrith Panthers)
Adam Reynolds (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
James Tamou (North Queensland Cowboys)
Dylan Walker (Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles)
Aaron Woods (Wests Tigers)

Source: http://www.nrl.com/nsw-blues-side-named-for-origin-i/tabid/10874/newsid/96197/default.aspx

And if you are a Sydneysider, don't forget that a group of us a planning to catch up for meal, cigar and drink or two to enjoy the first match in Sydney on Wednesday June 1st. Further details here.

[polarbear]

You may want to start doing some crosswords to improve the ol memory a bit

NSW won in 2014

[Ken Gargett]

I can't actually remember the last time New South Wales won the series, I'm sure our dear friend and well-respected cigar enthusiast, Ken, will remind us in this thread.

john, i'm not old enough for that.

i do remember a series recently where we started well, lost cronk and things went downhill. by the time he was back it was over but as soon as he was back, we whomped the hated south.

must say, i'm staggered no beau scott. that bloke was made for origin. you look at selections along the lines of who you do not want to be playing. he was always close to number 1. i'll bet god, sorry thurston, is pleased he is not there.

and on JT, he is now a whisker away from the King himself as the GOAT. how good was he last friday. tough as nails.

[JohnS]

polarbear, on 23 May 2016 - 2:28 PM, said:

You may want to start doing some crosswords to improve the ol memory a bit

NSW won in 2014

Oh yeah, whilst QLD have won 9 series since 2005. I'll start the crosswords tomorrow!

Ken Gargett, on 23 May 2016 - 2:33 PM, said:

john, i'm not old enough for that.

i do remember a series recently where we started well, lost cronk and things went downhill. by the time he was back it was over but as soon as he was back, we whomped the hated south.

must say, i'm staggered no beau scott. that bloke was made for origin. you look at selections along the lines of who you do not want to be playing. he was always close to number 1. i'll bet god, sorry thurston, is pleased he is not there.

and on JT, he is now a whisker away from the King himself as the GOAT. how good was he last friday. tough as nails.

I hear you Ken about 'who you don't want playing'...for sure! Johnathan Thurston, Andrew Johns and (King) Wally Lewis, so hard to separate them for greatness. All have had a massive impact on the game as players.

[Ken Gargett]

it is always interest to look at the opposition and see who would make your team. i know games are not won on paper but it gives an idea.

can't speak for the cockroaches but scott would be one i think would challenge for a spot with us. sam and myles are both past their best and that is a concern. you'd have gallen in as well. cordner is a class player when he fires but not sure who he'd push out - if those two edge sam and myles. tamou ahead of sam or myles also. i'd definitely find a spot for klemmer. big fan of his.

backs? not seen enough of moylan. dugan a good player and makes yards but his problem is that he does not seem to be able to offload or even pass. once he has it, 9 times out of ten, that is as far as it goes. i think mansour is a good player also, though not sure of his defence.

for cockroach fans, you should remember that if folau had not got wandering feet, he would have been part of the backline for the last umpteen years. imagine adding izzy! and this year, you duck the bullet of napa and milford.

strange how we have halves out the wazoo (when one thinks that qld only provides about 20% of the players for the NRL) but nsw can't find them anywhere.

and with guys like morgan, milford, hunt, cherry-evans, mybe, aish taylor, corey norman, kodi nikorimi et al all lining up, hopefully the pain will go on.

toss in kalyn ponga. if you have not heard of this kid, he is the next seriously big thing.

was at my old school so i have followed the career a bit (change from the old days where no sporting scholarships - this year, i gather we provided 8 of the under 20s wallaby squad plus the young bronco, jaydn sua, who was man of the match v the junior kiwis in the recent test). the video below shows some of his talent (added one with sua as well - he played centre at school but now is apparently huge and plays in the backrow).

ponga was at the broncos junior squad but pinched by the cowboys to replace thurston. too young yet to play in the NRL. would not sign an extension and the rumours suggest he'll return to the broncs. or possibly the reds (why buy a ticket for the Titanic if you have seen the movie and know how that horror show ends). recently finally apparently pledged allegiance to qld, rather than nz.

remember that the kid, when the video was shot, was only 15, playing against kids who were almost all 17.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEyanmWO1iU

second one is the sua one. more fun for nsw in future years, one hopes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3doqxzFOYiI

[Ken Gargett]

MAROONS

1. Darius Boyd, 2. Corey Oates, 3. Greg Inglis, 4. Justin O’Neill, 5. Dane Gagai, 6. Johnathan Thurston, 7. Cooper Cronk, 8. Matt Scott, 9. Cameron Smith, 10. Nate Myles, 11. Aidan Guerra, 12. Matt Gillett, 13. Corey Parker, 14. Michael Morgan, 15. Sam Thaiday, 16. Josh Papalii, 17. Josh McGuire.

is this the team?

if not, very likley. mcguire deserves a start ahead of myles. i'd consider morgan for the centres. then either o'neill or gagai on the wing. perhaps cooper on the bench. combines well with jt.

[Ken Gargett]

Johnathan Thurston, Andrew Johns and (King) Wally Lewis, so hard to separate them for greatness.

john, i say this as a respectful qlder, no it isn't.

i know i'll get the rotten tomatos from down south but johns, as good as he was, was never close to wally. had his moments but wally was always on for the big game.

and for me, i agree with johns' brother. jt has gone past him.

[Fuzz]

You may want to start doing some crosswords to improve the ol memory a bit

NSW won in 2014

Proof that even a blind monkey can sometimes find a banana.

[JohnS]

NSW Blues coach Laurie Daley has settled on his final 17 for Game One of the 2016 Holden State of Origin Series at Sydney's ANZ Stadium, releasing Josh Morris (Bulldogs) and Tyson Frizell (Dragons) from camp.

The pair will return to their respective clubs to play this weekend before re-entering the NSW VB Blues camp in Sydney on Monday.

Daley is yet to settle on the starting line-up with the team having completed their first training session at Coffs Harbour this afternoon. 

New South Wales VB Blues squad for Holden State of Origin Game One

Greg Bird (Gold Coast Titans)
Boyd Cordner (Sydney Roosters)
Josh Dugan (St George Illawarra Dragons)
Robbie Farah (Wests Tigers)
Blake Ferguson (Sydney Roosters)
Andrew Fifita (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)
Paul Gallen (c, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)
Josh Jackson (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)
Michael Jennings (Parramatta Eels)
David Klemmer (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)
James Maloney (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)
Josh Mansour (Penrith Panthers)
Matt Moylan (Penrith Panthers)
Adam Reynolds (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
James Tamou (North Queensland Cowboys)
Dylan Walker (Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles)
Aaron Woods (Wests Tigers)

Source: http://www.nrl.com/morris-and-frizell-released-by-nsw/tabid/10874/newsid/96300/default.aspx

 

[golfdude888]

Karn on the blues

Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk

[El Presidente]

See you lads on Wednesday!

Blues by 10 in the opener. 

Maroons by 6 in the second.

Injuries to determine the third. 

 

As a Queenslander I would be a hell of a lot happier if Milford and Napa were on the bench. 

[JohnS]

It was great, as usual, to catch up with the usual Sydney gang  (Fuzz, Jase, Will and NaFFe) and yourself, Rob at Green Peppercorn last night in the CBD. The game was dour, no-one came close to picking the score. 

I enjoyed reminiscing about classic State of Origin contests from the past (in the 80s when the King ruled these contests) and discussing players who have transformed League over the years. I also appreciated how objective we all were about the match, for example, the refereeing didn't seem an obvious issue after the match.