State of Origin 2023: Blues coach Brad Fittler officially loses the plot with bizarre game 3 team

Not content with losing another State of Origin series, Brad Fittler has officially lost his marbles in a bizarre end to his coaching reign, writes PAUL CRAWLEY.

NSW coach Brad Fittler is fighting to save his job. NRL Imagery

Brad Fittler and his NSW chief selection advisor Greg Alexander have not only lost another State of Origin series, they have officially lost the plot.

How on earth can Fittler come out on the Sunday Footy Show and say “there will be a few changes but not many”, explaining that while the score got away from the Blues in Origin II, “I don’t think we’re too far away”.

But the very next day Fittler does an Olympic class backflip by rushing in a total of seven new faces with five players dropped, while making 10 positional changes.

Yet only two of those changes were forced by injury (with Payne Haas and Tom Trbojevic unavailable).

It is so bizarre everyone you talk to just can’t get their heads around what the hell Freddy must be thinking.

And Blues fans are also entitled to ask why wasn’t Fittler brave enough to make at least some of these changes when the series was still alive?

The perfect example is Cody Walker’s selection at the expense of Jarome Luai, while Nicho Hynes has again been brushed to bring back Clint Gutherson as the bench utility.

NSW coach Brad Fittler is fighting to save his job. NRL Imagery

Meanwhile, the likes of Hudson Young, Tyson Frizell, Junior Paulo and Stefano Utoikamanu all become the latest collateral damage.

No wonder Blues fans are so confused.

You can only imagine what the players must be thinking.

WHY BRING IN WALKER NOW?

Walker is the best example of a selection process that makes absolutely no sense.

Because if Walker is the answer now, why wasn’t he selected when the series was still alive?

There’s no disputing the Rabbitohs star has been the NRL’s standout five-eighth all season, and there was a huge push for Walker for game two.

Yet he was snubbed in favour of Luai.

But now the 33-year-old gets called up for a dead rubber, while Hynes (who is 27) doesn’t get a look in, and neither does Matt Burton (who is 23).

If the series was still alive you could understand it.

But surely it would have made more sense going for youth ahead of age in this instance.

And remember, Walker hasn’t played for NSW since game three of 2020 when he was previously thrown under the bus.

WHY GUTHO OVER NICHO?

Gutherson is another strange selection given his last Origin was also three years ago.

Now the Parramatta fullback gets recalled to do exactly the same job Hynes was picked to do in game one.

And this is certainly no knock on Gutherson who is a top shelf footballer and gives 100 per cent every week.

But what has been so different in the last six weeks that Fittler didn’t see from Gutherson coming into the series, when he was overlooked for Hynes?

As for Hynes, he has every reason to be filthy, even though he is too nice a bloke to ever come out and publicly say it.

So I’ll say it for him. The treatment of the reigning Dally M medalist just stinks.

Clint Gutherson is an interesting selection. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

COLLATERAL DAMAGE

You can only feel for all the players who have been used up by the Blues in recent years.

Young and Utoikamanu add to a growing list.

If we want to be fair dinkum, most thought Utoikamanu was a weird selection in the first place given the young Tigers prop’s lack of experience.

But Fittler was prepared to back him – so why wouldn’t you just stick with him and let him develop for the future given the series is already decided?

Of course, Jake Trbojevic had to come back into the team, but don’t forget Haas is injured and Paulo has been dropped, along with Frizell.

Meanwhile, Cameron Murray is now the starting lock ahead of Isaah Yeo (there was also a strong push to start Murray in game two), and Damien Cook now gets promoted over Reece Robson who also drops back to the bench.

And while Keaon Kolomatangi’s selection is hard to argue, again, why wasn’t the Rabbitohs backrower picked for the second game after his impressive return from injury?

Bradman Best is another bombshell. Yes, Freddy had to pick someone to replace the injured Turbo, but has he lost Kotoni Staggs’ phone number?

Best had a standout performance in Newcastle’s 66-0 demolition of the Bulldogs, but it’s no secret he has been well below his best all season. Yet the in-form Bronco doesn’t get a look in again after Staggs found himself out of favour last year, when he got dropped after one game despite playing his debut through injury.