Queensland State of Origin team selection: Wayne Bennett, Greg Inglis endorse Selwyn Cobbo
Everyone north of the Tweed has a view on whether new Maroons coach Billy Slater should pick Selwyn Cobbo for Game 1 - but Wayne Bennett’s recommendation comes with a twist.
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Queensland legend Greg Inglis says Selwyn Cobbo is ready for State of Origin and has urged rookie Maroons coach Billy Slater to unleash Brisbane’s ‘GI-clone’ on the injury-ravaged Blues.
And Inglis’ assessment has been backed by super coach Wayne Bennett, the former Maroons mentor who orchestrated Queensland’s epic upset of NSW in 2020 with a youth policy that blooded 14 debutants.
The brilliant Cobbo will deliver his final audition for a Queensland debut when the in-form Broncos teenager takes on the Titans in the M1 derby at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.
The 19-year-old is the talk of the league, having scored nine tries in his past five games, including a Magic Round hat-trick and three doubles to rocket into the Queensland selection frame for Origin I on Wednesday week.
STATE OF ORIGIN SELECTOR: PICK YOUR MAROONS TEAM TO BEAT THE BLUES
The chief concern is Cobbo could be too raw for an Origin baptism in Sydney. Just 12 months ago, he was an unknown, had yet to make his NRL debut and was on a $60,000 rookie deal with Brisbane’s feeder-club Wynnum Manly.
If anyone is qualified to assess Cobbo’s Origin claims, it’s Inglis. ‘GI’ was also 19 when handed his Maroons debut against NSW, scoring a double in the 2006 series opener, lighting the flame for a sizzling 32-game career that netted an Origin record 18 tries.
“There is no doubt that Cobbo is Origin-ready and he would be able to handle himself,” Inglis said.
“He is incredibly talented, that is for sure. He is in form now.
“It took him a couple of games to get the confidence. My little mate ‘Reyno’ (Broncos halfback Adam Reynolds has helped him out a lot. He has obviously played himself in contention for (Origin).”
Inglis was blooded for Queensland after 22 first-grade games. Cobbo plays his 19th NRL match this week against the Titans and while Inglis sees eerie parallels between himself and the Broncos young gun, he urged Queensland to handle the Cherbourg flyer with care.
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“(The question is) whether you put Cobbo in for game one, game two or game three, or even next year,” Inglis said.
“I was 19 (when he debuted for Queensland). There was talk about it. What is happening now with Cobbo is what happened to me.
“I remember Craig (Bellamy, Inglis‘ coach at the Storm) and I had a good talk about playing Origin (in his rookie season of 2005).
“Craig was brutally honest and I didn’t play until the following year.”
Cobbo has drawn comparisons to Inglis and Souths superstar Latrell Mitchell with his Indigenous heritage, tall frame and explosive running style, but the former Queensland skipper advised the Broncos ace to be content in his own skin.
“It was like Latrell being compared to me,” Inglis said.
“I was compared to David Peachey and Mal Meninga. At the end of the day he just has to play his own game, be his own man, be his own player.
“I like his build and his ability to sniff out anything. I don’t think he will be on the wing for long. But where he is now and the way he has started out, I think it is the right position to put him in.
“You don’t want to put a rookie straight into fullback in big games so they don’t lose their confidence. The way he is playing — he is full of confidence now.”
Queensland’s last victorious coach, Bennett, is famed for backing fresh talent in the Origin arena and he believes Cobbo would relish a Maroons baptism on NSW soil at Homebush.
“I would have no issues picking him (Cobbo). He would handle it,” Bennett said.
“The big thing these days is they all play each other in the NRL. They face each other week to week in the NRL and many of these rep guys have played against each other in the under-age levels.
“Stepping up to Origin is not the big deal it used to be.”
Cobbo said his dream is to meet Inglis in the flesh and emulate his hero by wearing the Queensland jumper.
“I’ve never met Greg, so I would love to finally shake his hand one day,” said Cobbo, who turns 20 three days before Origin I.
“I loved watching Greg Inglis play. He is my idol. I just loved everything he did on the field.”
WILL TITANS’ FORM COST BIG TINO AN ORIGIN SPOT?
- By Brent Read
Queensland coach Billy Slater has declared the Maroons No.13 jumper up for grabs as rival locks Pat Carrigan and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui brace for an Origin audition in Friday night’s Broncos-Titans derby.
Carrigan has assured Slater he is ready for a Queensland debut and he can send an emphatic message to the Maroons coach by outpointing Origin incumbent Fa’asuamaleaui in the M1 derby at Suncorp Stadium.
Fa’asuamaleaui featured in all three games for the Maroons last season — starting at lock in two matches — and he has been touted as a future Queensland Origin captain, having ascended to the Titans leadership post at age 22.
But Carrigan is breathing down Big Tino’s neck after a barnstorming return from two knee injuries, with his workrate and second-phase football underpinning Brisbane’s surge to five consecutive wins.
Carrigan was a member of Queensland’s extended squad under Wayne Bennett in their famous 2020 series triumph and the Broncos ironman says he is ready to take the next step by clinching a maiden Maroons jumper for Origin I on June 8.
“I will back myself if I’m picked for Queensland, I would love to have a crack at it (Origin),” Carrigan said ahead of his forward battle with Fa’asuamaleaui.
“It will be a good test coming up against Tino. He is a good mate of mine, he is a good 13 and a quality player. He has been consistent for them and he is leading their club now, so we know he will be coming at us flat out and it will be good to go up against him.
“For any Queensland kid growing up, playing Origin is the dream. It was 100 per cent my goal to play Origin this year.
“When I did my ACL (last season), I had a good chat with Darius Boyd (former Broncos and Queensland fullback) and he told me when he did his achilles, his goal was to come back bigger and better and it was my goal, too.
“I wrote some goals down and Origin was one of those.
“It’s important I play well for the Broncos first, but whoever will get picked will do a good job and if Queensland win, I’m cheering for them.”
Carrigan and Fa’asuamaleaui have posted impressive numbers this season.
The Broncos lock is averaging 143 metres and 33 tackles per game, while Titans skipper Tino has been a shining light in a losing team with a weekly mark of 137 metres and 31 tackles.
While Slater has been impressed with Fa’asuamaleaui’s consistency this season, he says Carrigan is in the conversation to make his Origin debut.
“There’s a lot of Queenslanders playing well, everyone is under pressure for their spot,” Slater said.
“I’m not worrying about names, I’m looking at actions and Pat exhibits the actions of an Origin player with his attitude.
“There’s a number of guys I will be watching closely over the weekend before we finalise our team for Origin I.”
Carrigan’s teammate Selwyn Cobbo was absent at Broncos training on Tuesday due to a personal family matter, but the teenage winger is expected to face the Titans in his final push for a shock Origin call-up.
STATE OF ORIGIN SELECTOR: PICK YOUR MAROONS TEAM TO BEAT THE BLUES
SECRET DRIVE PUSHING COBBO’S MAROONS CASE
Robert Craddock
Kotoni Staggs said be would not look forward to chasing Selwyn Cobbo in a State of Origin game as one of Australia’s greatest wingers joined the call for the youngster’s promotion.
There is a chance Broncos duo Staggs and Cobbo could make their Origin debuts against each other in the opening game in Sydney with Staggs a strong chance of playing centre for NSW and Cobbo in a tight tussle with Corey Oates for a wing spot for Queensland.
“To be honest you see what he does every week - it’s not a fluke,’’ Staggs said of Cobbo.
“He would be the person I would put on the wing. He steps up in the big games. I think he is ready.’’
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Asked about the possibility of containing the quicksilver Cobbo, Staggs quipped: “I don’t think I will be chasing him if he gets a break.’’
Former champion winger Kerry Boustead, who played the first of his 25 Tests at age 18 in 1978 after surging through the system from club football in Innisfail, believes age should not be a factor in deciding whether 19-year-old Cobbo is ready.
“I would pick him,’’ Boustead said.
“The simple fact is he has been playing football for a long time and he has a natural feel for it and all the skills. I just don’t think age really matters.
“I know a lot of people will say he is too young but like me he probably played his first game when he was six years old.
“What I love about him is he seems to have a real eye for where people are on the field and where the opportunities lie.’’
The selectors are understood to be focussing on the complete package of the wing candidates, not simply run metres but a willingness to take up hard carries and minimise errors which can be crucial in Origin.
“That is fair enough – you on have to look at the way the Cowboys have been playing this year after making so few mistakes,” said Boustead.
“They don’t drop many balls or miss many tackles and once you do that you are really in the game.’’
WHY MAROONS MUST GAMBLE ON COBBO
- By Robert Craddock
For almost half a century, cricket great Greg Chappell has sprouted a simple selection philosophy ... “if they are good enough they are old enough.’’
Chappell was talking about his own sport but the mantra of giving exceptional youngsters an early crack extends much further than cricket ... which brings us to Selwyn Cobbo.
The Broncos Indigenous flyer turns 20 just three days before the first State of Origin match in Sydney on June 8 and coach Billy Slater must decide whether to unleash him in what would be the most keenly awaited Origin debut of recent times.
Most pundits agree Xavier Coates deserves retention on one wing which leaves Cobbo fighting with his Broncos teammate Corey Oates and Cowboys Murray Taulagi for the other spot after another Cowboy, Kyle Feldt, sustained a knee injury on Saturday night.
It’s a fascinating debate because Oates’ form this season could have been no more Origin themed if he had been wearing a maroon jersey.
Not only has he been generally safe under the high ball but his robust surges from dummy half when the Broncos have been pinned near their own line, like a four-wheel drive powering through a muddy creek bed, are just the type of hard yakka efforts that would get a large tick from Slater.
Oates has averaged 161 run metres per game compared Cobbo’s 124m but Cobbo’s form over the past month - the fends, the speed, the pace and power – has been outrageous.
There is a theory Oates should get first dibs but the Origin schedule of matches in Sydney and Perth before the final game in Brisbane means Slater must front load his game plan.
Queensland must gamble to win in Sydney and Cobbos should be that gamble.
Whatever aces Slater thinks he has up his sleeve should be slapped on the table for the first game. Queensland needs to win one of the first two games to bring the decider to Suncorp Stadium.
Queensland cannot die wondering.
There’s not much point bringing in Cobbo for the final game if it's a dead rubber, lauding his magical ways and wishing you selected him earlier.
Former champion Test fullback Gary Belcher appreciates the delicate nature of the selection debate involving the question how young is too young to blood a player you think could be there for 10 years.
“But the teenagers now are a lot more confident than when I was playing,’’ said Belcher.
“They just seem to thrive on that sort of stuff. Cobbo just looks like one of those players the more on the line, the bigger the occasion, the more he steps up.
“I don’t doubt he is up to it. With Oates and Coates and Taulagi playing well I would not be shocked if he didn’t play because he is going to be there long term. You don’t want to start him early and have him suffer an early stumble and it to become a nightmare but he is super confident.
“If they picked him I would be over the moon and jumping out of my skin to see how he goes. His defence also looks really good which is important.’’
Queensland have been looking for clues in how Cobbo might handle the big occasion and found evidence to support Belcher’s claim that he might just rise in the spotlight rather than be intimidated by it.
The pressures of professional sport may well grind him down eventually but the game still a game to Cobbo.
He is one of the few players who plays the game with a smile on his face and the cavalier way in which he chances his hand has echoes of unshackled backyard brilliance about it.
The pressure seems to drive rather than intimidate him.
Youthful minds may not have the wisdom of old sweats but nor do they have the scars of defeat or the fear of the unknown.
Slater’s fears for Origin ace
- Travis Meyn and Peter Badel
Maroons coach Billy Slater has urged the Titans to revamp their handling of David Fifita as the Gold Coast’s $3.5 million star prepares to make a last-ditch audition for Queensland Origin selection.
Fifita has been rated a “good chance” of returning from a knee injury in next Friday’s Queensland derby against former club Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium.
He will sit out Sunday’s clash with the Sharks at Cbus Super Stadium, the third game he has missed since injuring his knee in round 8 against Penrith.
The Broncos derby will be Fifita’s final chance to impress Slater before the new Maroons coach selects his Queensland team for Origin I in Sydney on June 8.
Fifita, 22, could be considered an outsider for Queensland selection on the back of his injury and patchy form after being played at centre and off the bench by Titans coach Justin Holbrook.
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Slater, a 319-game NRL legend, said Fifita had to get his knee right and receive more support from the Gold Coast’s game plan to get back to his devastating best.
“The priority for Dave right now is not Origin, it’s to get healthy and get himself back on the field,” he said.
“Dave can do some special things on the field, but the last thing he needs to be focusing on right now is the flashy stuff. He needs to be doing all the work around it.
“To be honest, if I was at the Titans, I would look at getting some continuity around him. He needs players around him who understand how he likes to get the ball and that’s the key for the Titans to get the best out of Dave.
“You see it in strike centres, they need the right service. Sometimes people just think you need to get the ball to Dave and it doesn’t matter how he gets it, but defences are so good these days that every team who plays the Titans, the number one guy on their tip sheet is David Fifita. There is a lot of attention around him.
“The Titans need to create some structures to get him into space and have other guys around him who can do the heavy lifting for him. If the Titans can do that with their attack, he will repay them, but hopefully he gets his knee right soon.”
While he will miss at least three NRL games, the injury has given Fifita an opportunity to reset after he lost his way on the field during the Gold Coast’s form crash.
Holbrook said the Titans’ highest-paid player had been able to escape the spotlight and was edging closer to return.
“He is in the limelight all the time so it’s good for him to narrow his focus, get his body right and get him back in as quick as we can,” he said.
“I’d love to have him back next Friday night. I think he will be a good chance next week.
“He’s not 100 per cent, there’s still a fair way to go. But if not next week, I expect him to definitely be right for the week after (Cowboys game).
“It’s not up to me (if he is available for Origin). I’ll worry about our side and it’s up to the selectors to choose.”
Fifita has made five appearances for the Maroons since making his Origin debut in 2019.
At his best he is a walk-up selection, however the Titans have struggled to shape him into a consistent force despite his club record 17-try season last year.
After quitting the Broncos in 2019 to join the Titans, Fifita said he was targeting a return against his former club but is refusing to rush his knee.
“The knee is coming along good. I’m in week two now so hopefully I’ll be back in a couple of weeks,” he said.
“My first priority is just getting my knee right. I’ve just got to get back there and play my best footy.
“That’s (back for Broncos game) what they’re saying. But I know my body and I’ve just got to go week by week and take it as it comes.
“I can’t really put a date on when I return. I don’t want to come back again and then aggravate it then I’m out for another couple more weeks. I want to get it right and I know the staff at Titans are doing a really good job.”
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