The Serve

Blues blind faith

One axing. That’s it.

The Blues were crushed in Origin I, despite the friendly scoreline, yet the selectors have taken pity.

The New South Wales hierarchy has clearly been stung by the habit of their predecessors to slash and burn at the first sign of trouble. Seems all that snickering north of the border has made its impact. Queensland have built their history on staying solid and displaying lashings of loyalty, despite seemingly lacking common sense at times.

There is a difference. In times of need, Queensland didn’t have alternatives. Loyalty was a convenient trait. New South Wales do have options.

Lots of them.

The halfback spot will garner most of the attention. Reality suggests it was an open and shut case. Jarrod Mullen’s calf is questionable. He has not yet earned the right to be less than 100% and still be selected. The coach wanted Brett Kimmorley. Enough said.

Greg Bird was a natural replacement for the injured Kurt Gidley. The pair carry similar traits in creativity. Ryan Hoffman was eighteenth man for the Kangaroos so his calling was also expected. Anthony Topou the scapegoat. Everyone else was spared.

Does that suggest Topou is to blame for events at Suncorp?

The standouts for Queensland in Game I were Price and Civoniceva. Price particularly sprightly. He embarrassed his younger rivals with enthusiasm and nous. Brent Kite was on the field for just 36 minutes, with nothing in that limited time suggesting his worth. Brett White freely admitted he was out of his depth. The pair have been given a reprieve.

What?Mark O’Meley, a proven performer on this stage, showed on the weekend that the miles are back in the legs. Even Jason Ryles has been reasonably close to his old Origin form. Not only are White and Kite in the 17, they once again get to start. Luke Bailey had a big newspaper ‘X’ next to his name after Suncorp. Again he will be warming the pine, a place he does not enjoy. ‘Filthy’ was a word he used when describing his bench selection for game 1. The coach has the right to change his starting line up. He has an opportunity to right that wrong.

We’re not talking about Steve Roach and Paul Harragon here. One bad game from those two would have been rightly seen as an aberration. White and Kite have played one match each. They may very well turn out to be representative stars, but so far they have delivered nothing. They do not deserve such a show of faith in a must-win match.