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Message: [QUOTE="Big Pete, post: 2984856, member: 1899"] This is peak Rugby League nerdom, but this is the side New South Wales should have gone with in that game. Brett Stewart, Joel Monaghan, Jamie Lyon, Matt Cooper, Jarryd Hayne Kurt Gidley, Matt Orford Willie Mason, Danny Buderus, Jason Ryles, Nathan Hindmarsh, Ryan Hoffman, Paul Gallen Robbie Farah, Brent Kite, Anthony Watmough, Mark O'Meley Did it bother anyone else that Manly rarely had to put up their best players in Origin? Sure, they had to give up Stewart, but the only way the 'monkey see, monkey do' logic doesn't pass muster is if you don a tin-foil hat and believe Bozo wanted to wrap Brett in cotton for the premeirship race. Lyon, Orford and Watmough I'd consider no-brainers. Kite had never been that impressive in the Origin arena, but he had a career year in '08 and if there was ever a time he deserved to be there, it was 08. I didn't have enough words, but Hayne was one of the Blues worst in Game III. He's never looked comfortable on the right hand-side for whatever reason. In 2009 Hayne would play down the left for NSW and was arguably the best player of the entire series. As Queensland found out with Israel, it's crazy what a positional swap will do for a player. Five-Eighth was always a concern for NSW. Anasta was a logical choice, but not enough had changed in his game to earn a reprieve. Finch, Mateo, Mullen, Campese and Soward would have all been in the conversation but either didn't have the runs on the board or their form was too up and down to be selected. The Blues were high on Gidley, he had a combination with Buderus and could play that running five-eighth which suited Orford's game. I never understood what Ryles, O'Meley or Hindmarsh did to be exiled from the Blues squad. Ryles and O'Meley in particular rarely got out-muscled in the middle and usually offered something in the middle of the ruck. I could understand possibly wanting more spark on the edge, so I would have been OK with G. Stewart on the right edge, but the wholesale changes messed the Blues up. Finally, Buderus needed a proper relief hooker. Farah was close to the best player in 2007 and was more than deserving of an opportunity. Queensland would still find a way to win, but at least the game would have been a chance of being more entertaining. [/QUOTE]

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