Prolific contributors of past years may be the club with no one here Broncos’ Origin wipe- out
THE Broncos are facing a Maroon blackout with Brisbane in danger of not having any players in the Queensland Origin team.
The only time the Broncos have not had an Origin player in the club’s 30- year history was in 1997 when Super League contracted players were banned from selection.
Injuries to Josh McGuire ( ankle) and Matt Gillett ( broken neck) have robbed the Broncos of their only certain Maroons players for the series opener on June 6 at the MCG.
McGuire was yesterday ruled out for up to six weeks and will need to make an early recovery to play Origin I.
Captain Darius Boyd, a veteran of 28 Origins, is fighting to earn a recall, Sam Thaiday was axed during last year’s series and five- eighth Anthony Milford is seemingly not in contention to replace the retired Johnathan Thurston.
Winger Corey Oates has produced form worthy of an Origin recall, however he is vying for a super competitive position with Test stars Valentine Holmes and Dane Gagai.
Maroons selector Darren Lockyer, who played 355 games for the Broncos, said Brisbane’s Origin dominance had eased over recent years. “There was one year where we had 11 Broncos in the team,” he said. “Over time, as the competition has evened out, there has been a more even spread.
“It’s been slowly dropping in numbers over the years.
“It is a bit of a surprise, but it’s not like Josh McGuire and Matt Gillett wouldn’t have been there if they were fit.”
At the height of Brisbane’s Origin dominance, the Broncos had 12 players feature in the 1998 and 2002 series.
Nine Broncos played in Queensland’s drought- breaking 2006 series win which kickstarted the state’s Origin dominance and there were JILLAROOS star Ruan Sims has stood down as a Dally M judge after voting on the round seven match between Parramatta and Manly despite playing a club game at the same time.
Sims was featuring for Cronulla at Southern Cross Group Stadium during the Eels- Sea Eagles clash, but gave three points to Mitchell Moses and two to Tim Mannah.
Manly hooker Api Koroisau claimed one point, all of which are supposed to be decided immediately after the game, attended by a judge as per the NRL rules.
Sims took to social media on Monday to explain that she was unable to seven Brisbane players in last year’s series.
Like XXXX beer, the Broncos are synonymous with the Queensland Origin side and it would be remarkable for the club to not be represented in the Maroons even with injuries ruling out Gillett and McGuire.
Ironically, Brisbane’s Origin players this year may be wearing blue if NSW blood James “The Jet” Roberts and retain Jack Bird.
Former halfback Ben Hunt, now at the Dragons, is the frontrunner to snare the Maroons No. 7 jersey.
Legendary Broncos and Queensland prop Shane Webcke said Brisbane’s im- attend the fixture after a schedule bungle for club side Cronulla meant she was playing in the Shire.
She then confirmed she had relinquished her role as Dally M judge.
“I understand there is a requirement to watch matches live when judging for Dally M points,” Sims said on Twitter.
“I respect the game and more importantly I value the integrity of the game above all else. My mistake was an honest one, albeit a mistake that I should not have made.
“For this reason I have made the decision to stand down as Dally M judge.” pending poor Origin representation could actually help the club given it has traditionally struggled to win games during the taxing period.
“The Broncos have traditionally had to navigate the annual grind that is State of Origin,” he said. “They probably won’t have as many players this year in the Queensland side, so that can help them.
“Wayne ( Bennett, coach) can just focus on winning games without losing his best players to Origin duties. I don’t think Wayne would be hitting the panic button at all.”
Four NRL rounds remain before Origin selectors pick their teams for Game One.
The NRL has confirmed another judge will review the Eels- Sea Eagles game.
“We must maintain the integrity of the awards and we will ask one of the other judges on the panel to review the game and allocate Dally M points,” a spokesman said.
Meanwhile, the Australian Rugby League Commission has announced the game is on track to record a $ 40 million profit this NRL season.
However, ARLC chairman Peter Beattie yesterday warned that figure was likely to reduce towards the end of their five- year broadcast deal, which is currently in its first season.
“At the end of the day we are a not for profit business but we are delivering more funds to the game than ever before,” he said in a statement.
The NRL also announced that average crowds had gone up this season, increasing from 15,969 at this point last year to 16,815 this year.