sidelined

Friday night is the Anzac Test up at Skilled Park. Also on Friday night is City versus Country which is in Albury this year.

The City v Country game has become an Origin trial which is not a bad thing. There is plenty of competition for spots. My only concern is that Ricky Stuart, the NSW Coach, has bough into some of the myths, like Kurt Gidley, that have plagued Origin for the past few years. At the club level, Gidley is a tremendous player but he really hasn’t stepped up to Origin the past few season. He may have some value as a utility but to have him marked as a certainty was bemusing. That point may be academic depending on if he can overcome a shoulder injury. For god sakes I hope NSW does not gamble on him if fitness is still an issue come May 25.

And Soward should be the NSW five-eighth. Has the form and the skills. Why not? NSW selectors could do worse and copy the Queensland approach to selecting players. The Queensland selectors always had a good eye for Origin players. NSW for some reason seem to let personal preferences and politics influences their decisions. The fact that Laurie Daley still has a say in players for NSW is a travesty! Apparently Soward has no running game. Parramatta may disagree with that assessment.

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