Crisis, what crisis?

FORMER Queensland prop Steve Price says he does not believe New South Wales has a front-row crisis heading into this year's State of Origin series.

FORMER Queensland prop Steve Price says he does not believe New South Wales has a front-row crisis heading into this year's State of Origin series.

Price played 28 Origins for the Maroons in a distinguished career which also included 16 appearances for Australia.

Questions have been raised over the quality of the NSW pack because of injuries and poor club form.

But Price, who played in the NRL with Canterbury and New Zealand for 16 years, said he believed new Blues coach Ricky Stuart would pick a formidable front row and stick with it.

“If you look at the guys that played last year they've got some depth,” he said yesterday, while launching the ARTIE program at Nambour High School.

“They'll be picking some guys and sticking with them. They don't need to turn them over.”

Price said Queensland's success was partly due to the consistency in the team, with coach Mal Meninga selecting basically the same squad for the past four years.

“Queensland has had the success obviously, so the transition between front-rowers hasn't been too dramatic,” he said.

“Petero (Civoniceva) and myself were there for a while, then Ben Hannant came in.

“Benny's been around for Matty Scott and big Shillo (Dave Shillington) as well. We've had consistency really.”

Price was dropped from the Queensland side early in his representative career before coming back to become of the game's premier forwards.

The combination he formed with Civoniceva saw them rarely lose the battle of the props and he said it was the selectors' faith which ultimately made him a better player.

“I got dropped and came back a lot better player,” he said.

“I think it's the psychology to do with the selectors too. Just because you get dropped it doesn't mean you're gone forever and the players need to know that.

“It happened with Matty (Scott) and he earnt the respect of the selectors and got recalled.

“He has learnt from his experience and he's a stand out player now. There's no reason the NSW guys can't be like that.”

Price said he expected Stuart to select Cronulla starting props Kade Snowden and Luke Douglas, while Canberra's Tom Learoyd-Lahrs and Brett White were near certainties.

GOLD Coast hooker Nathan Friend has kicked off the NRL player merry-go-round after agreeing to a three-year deal with the Warriors starting next season.

The 30-year-old will shift to Auckland in 2012, with the contract guaranteed for two years and containing an option for the 2014 season.

The Warriors will be Friend's fourth club, after appearances with Brisbane, Melbourne and Gold Coast.

Originally published as Crisis, what crisis?