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Bellamy’s last stand

July 6th, 2010 by Shaun · 112 Comments

A fine way to discourage riff raff I’d say. Or could it be a loyalty test in that only true Queenslanders would pay 15 bucks for a XXXX?

And what of this game tomorrow night? One that I had almost forgotten about till mentioning it in passing to a colleague at work.

Queensland’s focus is on ensuring that NSW receive absolutely nothing from this series. And in front of a crowd made up mainly of the players families and some overly optimistic Blues supporters, they are odds on to do so. As for NSW, I have really no idea what they hope to achieve. Barrett is not going to suddenly find a way to impart his years of experience to Pearce in a week. In fact, Barrett robs NSW of blooding someone like Soward who, even if NSW get flogged, would have gained some valuable experience.

The trouble is with NSW is that they have been too afraid of failure. The chopping and changing of the side over the past few years have been testament to that attitude. There were also the puzzling tactics including an obsession with stopping Inglis that basically crippled the outside backs for the best part of Bellamy’s reign. And while the side for game three does have some nods to the future, it still reeks of some desperation. The pairing of Bird and Gallen is an attempt at intimidation that Queensland simply sneer at. They will not fear either player. They know that Gallen will do a ton of work but is susceptible to niggle and brain explosions and will give Queensland some cheap penalties to get them up the field. Verily it is part of the Maroons’s game plan.

For NSW supporters, this game will be a difficult on from which to gaze into the Origin future. It will be a new coach next year and if sanity prevails, new selectors. At best, we can hope for an indication of the Origin temperament from the likes of Snowden and Mannah. And even if NSW get done like a dinner by this great Queensland side, that may not be a bad thing. Out of such despair, the impetus for Origin redemption will be sparked in some of the players. And the right coach can stoke those embers into a raging fire of retribution.

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Tags: NRL 2010 · Rugby League

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