Origin questions asked of Milford are the same ones Alfie answered

IT’S 30 years next week since Allan Langer made his State of Origin debut and his enchanting story has echoed all the way to Anthony Milford’s front door.

Anthony Milford. Photo: Jamie Hanson

IT’S 30 years next week since Allan Langer made his State of Origin debut and his enchanting story has echoed all the way to Anthony Milford’s front door.

Can he stand up in defence? Is he mature enough for Origin football? Are we choosing him too soon? Won’t they run at him like a pack of wild boars?

Put simply, is he good enough?

Anthony Milford arrives at Queensland’s State of Origin camp. Photo: Annette Dew

Every question asked about Langer in 1987 was asked about Milford over the weekend before selectors agreed it was time to elevate him to the game’s most pressurised stage.

If Milford has doubts about his ability to cut it in Origin here’s a message to him — read Langer’s story and be inspired by it.

In fact when compared with a baby-faced Langer on debut Milford suddenly morphs from a greenhorn to an old sweat.

Milford will be 22 if he makes his Origin debut next week. Langer was just 20. He looked young. He was young.

Milford stands 11cm taller than Langer and has 22kg of extra bulk to handle the stresses of being thrown around in rugby league’s tumbler dryer.

Langer, one of Queensland’s greatest players, was not even playing in the NRL when called in to partner Wally Lewis in the halves for the first game of 1987.

He was in his second season with the Ipswich Jets.

Allan Langer's first State of Origin appearance in 1987.

Milford has played 106 NRL games for Canberra and Brisbane. Even if he stopped playing now that would be a solid career.

So Milford, who is being talked about as if he is a newborn foal, is actually far more seasoned than we think, comparatively speaking.

Does that guarantee he is ready?

No but you can understand the sentiment that it’s time to see what he has got.

Before our comparison between Milford and Langer gets too cute we must point out that Langer had areas such as kicking and general conjuring when he was simply better than Milford.

But there are lessons from Langer’s journey that could help Milford.

When Langer attended one of his first team meetings in 1987 the coaching hierarchy including Wayne Bennett discussed plans to hide him in defence.

It all got too much for veteran backrower Paul Vautin, who felt the chatter had the potential to undermine Langer’s confidence.

“He’ll be right — he’s a Queenslander,’’ Vautin said.

There’s a message right there.

Self-esteem is everything is sport, especially for newcomers.

If Milford feels a bit of love around him then he might just rise to the challenge.

Langer lost his first Origin game but won the next two and clinched cherished man-of-the-match honours in the third game at Suncorp as Queensland won the series.

He was ready all right.