Brad Fittler must decide whether to wield axe or pick and stick
NSW are one-nil down, lacking direction in their halves and at risk of losing another State of Origin series to Queensland. The next 72 hours are crucial for coach Brad Fittler.
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The wily big-game player or the maligned halfback with a shot at redemption.
Or just maybe, status quo.
The next 72 hours are crucial for coach Brad Fittler and his assistants as they dissect which two halves can save NSW from surrendering State of Origin supremacy.
“The way I saw it was, we probably should’ve scored more points,’’ NSW assistant coach Greg Alexander said.
“With some of the pressure we put them under with our ball running, we didn’t capitalise and we probably didn’t keep the pressure on them with our kicking game in the first half. We’ll have to have a look at everything.’’
The NSW team for Origin II in Perth on June 23 will be chosen on Sunday week. But the Blues’ brains trust won’t want to leave such a vital decision until then.
The calls for change in the NSW halves emerged after Fittler made the shock decision to bench NSW five-eighth Cody Walker in the 57th minute. The belief is that halfback Nathan Cleary will retain his No.7 jersey.
The contenders to partner Cleary at five-eighth are:
JAMES MALONEY
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. The 32-year-old has had a season to forget for Penrith — but Maloney’s big-game success in grand finals and 12 matches for NSW can’t be disregarded.
His ready-made partnership with Cleary, which helped deliver NSW the shield last year, is a massive lure for the Blues. He could fly into Perth and be running every training session with Cleary from day one of camp.
Maloney’s defence is a major concern, and the Maroons dominated the left on Wednesday — the same side he would defend.
However, Blues staff prefer to focus on a player’s positives, not their weaknesses.
Maloney’s kicking game is viewed as a major plus, particularly after Cleary and Walker let Queensland off the hook with poor kicks.
The Penrith playmaker’s performance against the Roosters on Sunday is crucial.
MITCHELL PEARCE
The most consistent half over the past five weeks.
Blues staff grabbed Pearce in the dressing rooms after his stellar performance for Newcastle against the Roosters two weeks ago.
They wanted to know, if selected for NSW, would he be ready and would he be willing. Pearce told them he had a groin injury.
The Blues took him on his word, but there was also a sense that Pearce was using the groin complaint as an excuse to avoid returning to the arena where he believes he was fed to the lions as a teenager 11 years ago.
Now 30, Pearce hasn’t played for the Blues since 2017. A defensive rock, Pearce would bolster the Blues defence, while his kicking game is world-class.
CODY WALKER
Did we see another case where NRL form doesn’t always equate to Origin readiness?
Walker ran the ball just three times on Wednesday night — half of what he is averaging with the Rabbitohs.
Walker accepted Fittler’s decision to take him off and bring Jack Wighton into the game.
However, the forgotten man in the halves debate is Blues hooker Damien Cook. His combination out of dummy-half with the NSW halves is paramount to levelling the series.
Cook didn’t hesitate when asked who should wear the six and seven in Perth.
“My opinion is that both Cody and Nathan should be there for the next game,’’ he said.
“I thought it was a good idea if Cody was to go off, to give him a quick break and go on for the last 15 minutes to hopefully try and win us the game.”
JACK WIGHTON
The Raiders five-eighth is bigger than each of the leading NSW halves contenders.
At 94kg, Wighton has the size, strength and power to trouble the opposition — as witnessed this season and in his 22 minutes on Wednesday.
A throwback to past Blues five-eighths like Laurie Daley and Greg Bird, Wighton came up with three tackle busts from his five runs.
While Wighton’s limited kicking game would add to Cleary’s responsibilities, his versatility is a major asset.
Fittler won’t consider Luke Keary (concussion) or Adam Reynolds (back fracture).
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