Pick and flick call as the Maroons mix it up

It appears Queensland’s fragile “pick and stick” mentality has been given the Origin flick. In reality, it’s pick and stick when it suits. For years, Queensland has taken the moral high ground and lectured NSW about the desperate need to stick solid in team selections.

In Queensland’s warped eyes, the Blues just don’t understand State of Origin.

Queensland’s mantra now seems to be a little feeble given its treatment of Kalyn Ponga and Dane Gagai – two champions who have always excelled in Origin regardless of how they are going in the NRL.

Both have been dumped for Origin I despite years of service to their beloved Maroons.

Gagai has played 23 Origin games for Queensland, while Ponga was the hero in game three last year.

I am all for picking players on form

but please stop advocating a phantom loyalty that clearly doesn’t exist.

Only a year ago, Maroons legend Cam Smith said: “I lean towards (picking players) based on what that particular player has done previously for an Origin jersey.

“I really do … no matter how your team is travelling.”

Queensland champion Mal Meninga agreed with Smith in a column he wrote for NRL.com in 2019.

“For me, pick and stick is the Queensland way but I understand the arguments for swapping around,” big

Mal wrote. “However, pick and stick is all about established combinations, cohesion, familiarity with each other.”

In the same year, current Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans said selection “continuity” was “something that you probably all want”. “So to some degree we do have more than them when it comes to that,” DCE said.

They are all upstanding comments that ring ever so true. Yet just one day into this year’s series, the Maroons have clearly already shown that they don’t practise what they preach.