State of Origin Game 2 2024: Mark Geyer calls on NSW Blues to make 7 team changes
A former NSW hardman has made no apologies for slicing and dicing the 12-man Blues side that went down in Origin I, even calling on Michael Maguire to drop captain Jake Trbojevic.
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Former NSW Origin enforcer Mark Geyer has called for a massive seven changes to the Blues side for game two, including the shock axing of captain Jake Trbojevic in the search for more “brutality.”
Geyer has declared that new faces Dylan Edwards, Matt Burton, Cameron Murray, Api Koroisau, Latrell Mitchell and Mitchell Barnett must all be chosen in order to beat Queensland in Melbourne on June 26.
Speaking on Triple M’s Breakfast with Mick and MG, the former NSW hardman made no apologies for slicing and dicing the 12-man Blues side that went down to the Maroons in Origin I.
“Let me qualify this by saying that, no matter who is picked for game two I am unconditionally behind and will support the team,” Geyer said.
“But I’m going to make some changes.
“Dylan Edwards is in, Latrell Mitchell is in, Matt Burton is my five-eighth, Mitch Barnett is in for Jake Trbojevic, Api Koroisau is on the bench, Cam Murray comes in after being out for a bit of a lay-off.
“The team looks completely different to game one.”
Geyer, who made three appearances for the Blues in 1989 and 1991, qualified the reasoning behind his new-look NSW team for game two.
“I think we’ve got to have a look at our team from game one and I think someone like Jake Trbojevic who was captain, when you only play him for 25 minutes, I don’t think we can carry a defender,” Geyer said.
“Like Cam McInnes as well, I don’t think we can carry defenders.
“We need someone like a Mitch Barnett up front, we need Isaah Yeo to play 80 minutes, we need some more variety around the ruck and I think Matt Burton at number six and Jarome Luai at number seven would be a perfect combination.
“Especially with that big spiral kick that he’s (Burton) shown in the last couple of weeks.
“Cam Murray goes straight into the 17 because I think he’s that type of (Origin) player.
“Nicho hasn’t made my team, Jarome Luai will be number seven and Dylan Edwards, who was picked in game one, he takes the spot of James Tedesco.
“I just think we’ve got to go with more brutality.
“We lost a player in the seventh minute which changed the whole fabric of the game, I know that.
“But watching it, I still saw a lot of things that even with 12 men, you can still defend a lot better and attack a lot better than we did.
“Madge (Michael) Maguire has a hard job.
“It’s his first year in and I wouldn’t be surprised if he hardly makes any changes to be honest.
“But my opinion is, this is the team that can beat Queensland in Melbourne.”
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Originally published as State of Origin Game 2 2024: Mark Geyer calls on NSW Blues to make 7 team changes
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