New South Wales has embarrassment of State of Origin riches - just ask them

FAIR dinkum, should Queensland even bother showing up?Somebody alert the trophy engravers and just whack “NSW” on the Origin shield now. Or maybe not...

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Fair dinkum, should Queensland even bother showing up?

Somebody alert the trophy engravers and just whack “NSW” on the Origin shield now.

It’s going to be 50-0 in all three games, if Queensland is lucky.

The Maroons have a casualty ward that could fill Suncorp Stadium while the Blues look like they’ll have the luxury of picking seven halfbacks and five five-eighths.

This could be as close to the Origin shield as Queensland gets.

Not to mention the nine centres and 12 props (it would have been 13 before Tevita Pangai Junior opted to stick with Tonga).

There’ll be overlaps all over the field! Oh the humanity! The scoreboard operator might end up with RSI.

At least they’ll only have the one fullback – James Tedesco – and one hooker – Damien Cook.

Small mercies, hey?

It’s tough to win at Origin level at the best of times but when it is 17 against 56, it really is dire straits.

That annual gushing of NSW smugness and arrogance may be justified for once.

Good luck Kevvie. Because you’ll need it against this unbeatable Blue tsunami.

“Hey Dane, We are going to win by this much”.

But as Channel 9 commentator Ray Warren once said, “Hold the phone Blocker!!!”

The Blues can only pick 17 blokes too.

Gee whiz, this could change things.

Despite the fact that every man and his dog south of the border has been thrown up as an “Origin contender” in the first 10 rounds of the NRL season, NSW selectors this weekend still have to whittle their broader and deeper talent pool down to a starting 13 and four reserves.

Which means only one halfback, one fie-eighth, two centres and two props.

And they still have to come to Suncorp Stadium for the series opener on June 5 where they will play a Maroons team in its natural state of being rank underdogs.

So in short, Queensland has NSW right where they want them.

Queensland’s depth is wafer thin in some positions. No doubt. Always has and always will be.

But the Maroons’ top shelf is still pretty handy.

Kalyn Ponga during his eye-catching Origin debut last year.

That Kalyn Ponga goes OK at fullback.

Corey Oates knows how to find the tryline (14 in his last 11 games at the old Lang Park) while the likely centre combination of Will Chambers and Dane Gagai know what they are doing at this level.

Cam Munster has been one of the form playmakers in the competition and DCE was going more than all right for the Sea Eagles before that ankle injury.

Ben Hunt is a better hooker than he is a halfback, Josh Papalii is smashing them for the high-flying Canberra and try-scoring demon and front row warhorse Matt Scott has to get recalled after winding back the clock with the Cowboys.

And a backrow of Matt Gillett, Felise Kaufusi and Josh McGuire/Jai Arrow will not let you down.

Super sub Michael Morgan during the 2018 Origin series.

Throw in Michael Morgan as your no. 14 and some big boppers like Dylan Napa and Smokin’ Joe Ofahengaue in the forward rotation on the bench and it is a long, long way from the worst side to ever represent this fine state.

A long, long way.

That Blue tsunami is more like one of those nasty Mooloolaba shore dumps which can cause a lot of damage if you don’t pay attention, do stupid things and don’t respect its power.

It’s certainly not going to be easy for the Maroons, but it isn’t ‘Mission Impossible’ either.

Come to think of it, tell the engraver to cool his jets.

We just might have a series on our hands.