State of oranges is shaping up as a banana smoothie.

State of Origin showing once again that forwards win big games. 

So which one of you laughed at me when I said 17 fullbacks are better than any team containing forwards?

Well I laugh at all of you posts ... so I am on the list... but I suspect not alone.

You cant win games of football with guys like Ofahengaui. 

He reminds me of the Bulldogs. Just when you think you've seen everything stupid on a footy field, he finds a new way to surprise you. 

He's like the epitome of a loss. Dont ask me why....he just is.

Enter…. S Katoa & Adam Idiot

Lol.

Well if Ofahengaui can make an origin team, I dont know how you leave out them two... 

Phil Gould made the most important observation at half time when he said, NSW are coming forward onto the ball while QLD are receiving it almost at a standstill and going backwards.

NSW line speed was on song. They shut down the time DCE and Munster had to kick the ball and got on front foot. From there, the 3 fullbacks won the game for them. 

Smart play from Fitler to play Tommy Turbo as a second fullback roaming around the field. Wont always work but QLD kept crabbing sideways once they lost Welch and never recovered.

NSW played a great style of footy.

Winning the collisions halves playing fast over the advantage line, early ball to dangerous ball runners in space.

Great yardage from outside backs and forwards.

Compressed defensive line,  fast line speed, good contact, great adjustment and scramble.

Good bench rotation from Freddy with big boopers coming off the bench.

While this will not be popular the Penrith halves are well suited to that style. Too the pocket rocket remunds me of Utai, a wrecking ball in offense.

For QLD I have never rated DCE as a captain or as an elite talent, I don't rate Homes as an elite fullback.

So 2nd best in 2 key positions, fowards over powered and they lost the ruck battle.

I will be surprised if NSW don't win the series 3-0, pending no major injuries.

For the Dogs we don't win the ruck battle.

In defence line speed, contact and technique is poor from many.
Adjustment and scramble below par.

In attack our dummy halfs don't put runners over the advantage line, create opportunities or give the halves good clean accurate early ball.

Every criticism above applies to Katoa, it will be a minor miracle if he turns into an asset.
He can start with more intent, better positioning and better contact in defence. 
Fix the defence and I think fixing the attack is less difficult. 
Harder running from our players will win mire collisions and give the dummy halves more chance.

So how do they fit absolute dead certainty must have never in doubt first player picked Angus Chrighton into the squad to justify a week off an NRLol suspension???....
18th man???... 19th man???.... Assistant coach???.... Hope for injury or suspension???...  Drop Martin???....

There’s two rounds of NRL before the next SOO. Historically, even if you want to keep the same team, it very rarely happens. NRL will have it’s say, somebody will get injured, somebody will get suspended.

No they'll claim they dropped a QLD player to select him and then he can serve his suspension...

Martin put a great shot on Munster that sailed very close to the wind, Munster lost the plot after that.

Year after year the QLD SOO side is chock full of guys I don't like.
Thurston and Grant being notable exceptions.

If QLD was playing Parra, then of course I'll barrack for QLD.

Qld really needed to get NSW into a grind rather than play the game on their own terms. They needed to score at 20-6 just to get NSW playing through their forwards rather than their backs. 

It would have kept the game tight and given QLD a chance. But once it hit 26 or 32 to 6 it was over. 

Where to from here? Well they desperately need Papallii and Welch back. They also need to get Ben Hunt in the team. He's an origin player. 

Both DCE and Munster were below par especially DCE, but I think it's a one off. They'll come good. 

QLD needs to get their line speed right however. They can also do with a better bench. 

Too many things need to improve for suncorp game but you never know....

Just imagine how great Turbo would be if he wasn't being coached by Des.

I agree that the forwards were light on.

QLD need to stop NSW winning the ruck they need to stop the NSW back 5 making yards and line breaks.

They are lacking a ball runner as dangerous as Latrell or Turbo, their backline was slower.

Grant playing 80 mins on the back of limited prep was a big ask.

I am wondering who can make a difference, they need more pace and strike in the backs.
Hunt isn't a bad option off the bench to give Grant a rest and cover the halves. 

I'd actually start Hunt but it probably takes away an interchange...
Qld had too many players that just weren't up for the game. 

Tino, Felice, Gagai, Coates, Munster, DCE were all pretty average. Brimson is not needed on the bench. Unless he plays fullback, no need for him.

Will be interesting to see all the blues back row up on charges after Rd 15 if there’s no injuries...

OK Freddy, who do we suspend to save face???...

I don’t know what your thing is with Chrighton except it’s silly. If your thing is because he’s a Freddy favourite well he earned it. He was almost, actually probably was, player of the series for NSW in Nov off the back of indifferent form throughout the year for Easts. And in fact he’s always been one of the best players for NSW whenever he’s played.

So Freddy wanted him, badly, and maybe still does.

Questions would be raised if he didn’t.

And for the record, Brandy has already stated he doesn’t see any changes for game two because of how they performed, excepting for injuries or suspension. And I’d say anyone in the backrow from 11-13 or off the bench who don’t make it, then brace yourself, because it’ll be Chrighton that comes in.

Absolutely deservedly.

I think Des coaches these types of players quite well. Don't know why or how but when we had a genius at fullback in 2012 we looked great too. And then when we didn't we looked like crap. Same as Manly.

Chrighton had 1 average/porr season, the first one at the Roosters. Since then he has been awesome and consistently so. He is better than Sims and on the edge a better forward than Murray. Yeo's been great but is probably there more so for his club combination with Luai and Cleary.

The issue is not with Angus or Freddy, the issue is with the NRLol allowing Origin to count towards his suspension when the sides hadn’t been picked...

Had he had got a 5 games suspension for an act in an NRLol game he’d have only missed 3 NRLol games...
If he’d have got an 8 game suspension does he only miss 5 rounds???...

Its not a level playing field for other players, especially those ineligible for Origin selection...

Welch going down HIA destroyed any chance for QLD. But I honestly think the new rules favour NSW. We have a much better forward pack. Mobile and fit. Turbo, Trell and Teddy is a coaches dream in the backline. And the halves and hooker just run off the back of it. Special mention to To’o who was as good as he was at club level in his debut origin game. 

Des is no doubt good at stiffening the defence of a team. But he knows nothing about attack. Cant coach it. Needs to have a team assembled for him or have a top player or two stumble in his lap.
In fact for his team to be firing, he needs instinctive players like DCE, Tommy T, Api Korisau etc...

If he has a team of listeners only, his teams fail.

I can see your point.
A good example is J Graham in 2013 after getting suspended for (was it 12 weeks?) after biting Slater in the 2012 GF.

He could only write off suspension games in his national duties, but didnt have the luxury of writing any off in state of origin.

Either way, I think you are dwelling on it too much.
Although not everyone is eligible to play origin, not everyone that CAN play, will be selected.

As Zef says, he is a definite pick under normal circumstances and missing origin and its purse (50k a game?) -is punishment enough IMO

Says the guy who’s every second post is about Des... ;)

Sorry Steve...

Who was the coach for us in 2012? He coached that decoy play that was so good it was banned during the year.

I also don’t think he needs a team assembled for him. He put that Manly team together that won two comps. He only started to fail with us when management started putting restrictions on how he managed the football side of the club.