Can Mitchell Pearce be the New South Wales State of Origin hero the Blues need?

NEW South Wales haven’t had a true Origin hero in what feels like a lifetime. Can Mitchell Pearce carry the hopes of a state?

Mitchell Pearce dives over the try line but disallowed. Queensland vs. New South Wales during game 2 of the State of Origin series being played at the MCG in Melbourne. Pic Peter Wallis

I ASKED the little bloke sitting beside me a question on his way to school this week.

This was after the State of Origin teams had been named and Mitchell Pearce was back wearing the Blues No 7 jumper.

OK, I said, imagine you’re down the oval playing a game of footy and one of your mates says to you: “I’ll be Johnathan Thurston today, you can be Mitchell Pearce.”

He just smiled.

Let me tell you, this boy loves the Blues.

But I reckon the response not only summed up the feeling of most kids still of primary school age growing up in this era of Maroon dominance, it also spoke for pretty much anyone who cheers for NSW.

Like it or lump it, bloody Queensland own all the heroes.

And have done for more than a decade now.

Can Pearce do the job for New South Wales.

Just go through the list since Andrew Johns retired in 2005.

Darren Lockyer, Thurston, Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk, Cameron Smith, Greg Inglis.

Jarryd Hayne at his peak was one name we could throw back at them.

But that was Hayne at his peak.

So has NSW ever needed a hero more than now, and can Pearce be the man to turn the tide?

This will be Pearce’s 16th game for NSW yet he has never played in a series win.

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And you can only imagine the pressure he must be feeling going back to Suncorp Stadium given in his last game there NSW were flogged 52-6.

But at 28 Pearce is now in the prime of his career.

He has the best kicking game, the best running game.

He is in the best form, he is the best man for the job.

Pearce’s critics will say Laurie Daley has shown blind faith giving him another chance.

I’d still challenge anyone to find an available NSW halfback who deserved the spot ahead of Pearce.

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As much as the NSW squad has been applauded, I still can’t believe Paul Vaughan didn’t make it.

It will be interesting to see how Laurie Daley plays his front-row rotation and what impact the Blues lose when Aaron Woods and Andrew Fifita go off for a break.

Along with Fifita, Vaughan has been the form prop of the NRL.

NSW has also gambled on Josh Dugan’s selection given he hasn’t played since the Anzac Test match and won’t be able to do contact training in the lead up to the game.

Like Vaughan, James Roberts and Dylan Walker couldn’t have done more to press their claims for the right centre spot.

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St George Illawarra had a board meeting this week and the news sounds promising for Paul McGregor.

It’s understood the Dragons have agreed to start negotiations with McGregor’s management to keep him at the club beyond 2017.

Given the Dragons performances so far this year, there is no question McGregor has earned it.

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It’s hard to get pumped up about this weekend’s NRL round with all the Origin star

missing.

But there are still four crucial games to be played and they are all still worth two competition points.

And if the Warriors don’t beat the Broncos they don’t deserve to be in the comp.

As bad as the Wests Tigers are going, the Warriors have so far been the season’s biggest disappointments.