State of Origin 2022: Ricky Stuart backs Jack Wighton to return and offers twist to centre dilemma
Ricky Stuart is convinced Jack Wighton will return to the NSW side for Game III and offered a twist on who should join his Raiders star in the centres.
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Ricky Stuart is convinced Jack Wighton will return to the NSW side, with the Raiders coach saying Brad Fittler should move Matt Burton.
The Blues’ best player in game one, Wighton has 80 minutes to cement his spot in the decider, when he runs out for Canberra against St George Illawarra at WIN Stadium on Sunday.
Wighton was deemed unavailable for selection ahead of Origin II after being forced into isolation with Covid.
After watching the Blues trounce Queensland in Perth from his lounge room, Wighton resumed training with the Raiders this week.
“Jack was back in doing a little bit of work over the weekend, transitioning back in after seven days out with isolation,” Stuart said. “I think it’s done him good.
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“He’s had a big start to the season, he looks fast, he looks strong and he’s had a really good week at training.’’
Blues coach Fittler boasts an embarrassment of riches to pick from at centre for the blockbuster clash with the Maroons in Brisbane on July 13.
Fittler can stick with Origin II centres Stephen Crichton and Burton or recall Wighton or rush Latrell Mitchell back, who returns after three months out against Parramatta on Saturday night.
The dilemma for Fittler is, Burton, Wighton and Mitchell are all left-foot kickers and, therefore, preferred left-sided players.
However, Stuart said Wighton’s selection for NSW was necessary, while offering a twist in who should move from left-centre for the Raiders star.
“I think they can move Burton across to the other (right) side and pull Jack into the left-hand side,” Stuart said. “I don’t think that’s a tough decision at all. I think it makes the team stronger to be quite honest.”
Stuart added that he sensed no sign of Wighton being underdone or fatigued as a result of the virus.
“He was back in doing a little bit of work over the weekend, transitioning back in after seven days out with isolation,” Stuart said. “He’s had a big start to the season, he looks fast, he looks strong and he’s had a really good week at training.
“When your senior players are training with that energy and intensity, it rubs off on to the players, especially the younger boys. That’s why you call them leaders, they’re leading in the right direction with the right standards.’’
Burton responded to fill Wighton’s void in Origin II with a stunning NSW debut.
Penrith’s Stephen Crichton, who played from the interchange bench in Origin I and right centre in Origin II, is viewed as the most likely player to miss out, should Fittler thrust Wighton back into the team.
One option that is unlikely to eventuate is that Wighton is chosen as the utility No.14 option on the bench.
With Damien Cook holding down a bench spot, the Blues are loath to add Wighton on the bench, which would mean they have just two forwards on their interchange.
It means that Wighton will either be in the starting line-up – or not at all.
Mitchell’s special talent deserves special treatment
-Brent Read
The Last Dance, the epic docu-series about the halcyon days of the Chicago Bulls, turned up on the box again this week. Once again, it – or more particularly Michael Jordan – sucked this columnist in.
Strangely, it got me thinking about Latrell Mitchell and State of Origin. NSW coach Brad Fittler will sit down over the weekend to select his side for the final game of the series and his biggest decision will be whether to recall Mitchell or leave him on the sidelines.
It could define the series. Maybe even Fittler’s tenure in charge. Make the right call and you are a genius. Make the wrong one, and you know how it goes.
Fittler has the security of three series wins and another year on his contract, but opting in or out of Mitchell is the sort of decision that lingers long after the series is over.
Back to Jordan for a moment. The Bulls superstar was given a long leash by his coaching staff and teammates during his stellar career. Longer than most players.
If Jordan wanted friends and family on the team bus, his coaches occasionally looked away. If Jordan wanted his mates staying at the team hotel, he made the reservations.
The gym was Jordan’s temple but on rare occasions, training was designed around his schedule rather than the other way round.
Jordan’s coaches gave him more latitude because they recognised he helped them win games and rings. Mitchell is a freakish talent with a similar capacity when it comes to influencing the outcome of matches.
The Rabbitohs superstar hasn’t played for months but you don’t have to be a rugby league savant to realise Mitchell is capable of turning the Origin series on its head.
It shapes as a defining decision for Fittler as he mulls over changes to a side that squared the series with an emphatic win in Perth. Mitchell missed the opening two games of the Origin series through injury and illness.
After making his way back from a hamstring injury, via Philadelphia and world-renowned trainer Bill Knowles, he was struck down by Covid.
He will make his return on Saturday night against Parramatta and Fittler will no doubt be watching closely, every touch of the football giving the Blues coach more to chew on.
He went through a similar experience on the sideline on Thursday night as Ryan Papenhuyzen made his return after long-term injury. Papenhuyzen provided a damning assessment of his own performance after Melbourne’s loss to Manly. Pretty poor was how he described his effort on ABC Radio.
Papenhuyzen, by his own admission, wasn’t up to speed. Even after a lengthy period on the sideline, some rated him an outside shot of cracking the Blues squad for the final game of the series.
If his own assessment was anything to go by, we can put a line through Papenhuyzen. Mitchell is a more challenging call because he has been there before and would have been there again but for misfortune.
At the same time, NSW are coming off an impressive win and Fittler must find a way to get Origin I star Jack Wighton back into the side. Fittler no doubt feels a sense of loyalty to the blokes who did it for him in game two, but what of the loyalty owed to Mitchell for what he has done in the past.
He starred last year and few players relish the big stage as much as Mitchell. As far as stages go, there is no bigger one in Origin than a deciding match at a seething Suncorp Stadium. If history is anything to go by, Mitchell will rise to the occasion.
It will take a brave man to leave him out. Sometimes exceptions have to be made.
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The players union wants to sit down with the broadcasters and the NRL to land on a fresh policy for the use of dressing room cameras.
Rugby League Players Association chief executive Clint Newton isn’t against them, but believes there needs to be agreement on a time and a place for their use.
His comments come after NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo revealed he wanted to speak to Sydney Roosters star Victory Radley, who was caught on camera simulating a lewd act on teammate Joseph Suaalii in the dressing rooms after NSW’s win in the second State of Origin game.
Newton wants to make it clear he isn’t opposed to giving broadcasters and media access to the sheds. Only that he wants more care to be taken with what footage is used.
“There is a bigger problem at play here because the balance isn’t right, and there are numerous examples of these concerns,” Newton said.
“The current broadcast access players and clubs provide fans is rare globally because the privacy of the players’ rooms is largely considered off-limits for live content.
“We need to respect this valuable insight which is provided to our viewers. Players want fans to connect with them and allowing fans into these private areas is one way to do this.
“But access of this nature was never designed for unrestricted, uncut and entirely unfiltered content. If players are giving this exclusive access to their private environments, the NRL needs to work with us, the clubs and broadcasters to clearly define what is on and off limits, and then broadcasters can properly filter the content.”
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