How to stop singing the Blues
With game one of State of Origin on Wednesday, Adrian Proszenko looks at how New South Wales can break their drought.
WHenlooking for reasons why Mal’s Maroons have made sport’s most unpredictable contest so, well, predictable, you need to look no further than the T-shirt stalls at the country markets north of the border.
The best seller, in baby sizes, is the one that’s emblazoned with: ‘‘I can’t even talk yet and already I hate NSW’’.
So when you hear Ricky Stuart talk about ‘‘inculturation’’, you need to realise just how farnswhave fallen behind. Andit’s not the only area where the Blues are playing catch-up.
Think about all of the recent changesnswhave made, mostly as a result of Brian Canavan’s ‘‘Blueprint’’ report last year. The appointment of a stand-alone coach; the establishment of a Blues-inwaiting squad; the creation of clear development pathways to the senior squad; the establishment of a former Origin greats programme . . . you name it, Queensland have been doing it for years.
Canavan – ironically a Queenslander who was a Maroons staffer in a previous life – concedes Nswwere not just behind on the scoreboard.
‘‘The Queensland Academy of Sport and theqrlprogramme had been running since 2000,’’ Canavan explains. ‘‘So in effect, NSWIS really 11 years behind them.’’
That alone doesn’t explain the anomaly of the bananabenders attempting to win an unprecedented seventh straight series. That statistic is all the more surprising when you consider this one – as of 2010, Queenslanders made up only 23 per cent of thenrltalent pool. Compare that with 52 per cent for NSW, the rest comprised mainly of Kiwis and a sprinkling of Poms. Yet, when it comes to choosing 17 to represent their state, they seem to find all the good’uns.
‘‘You talk to anynrlcoach now and the core of their team is the one, six, seven and nine,’’ said former Nswselector Geoff Gerrard. ‘‘They have the best one, six, seven and nine. One of the biggest issueswe had over the last few years was the front row. They had Petero Civoniceva, Matt Scott – they had an edge in that regard as well.’’
This is true. It’s easy to pick and stick when you can choose from the likes of Johnathan Thurston, Cameron Smith and Billy Slater. But then again, they were once untested rookies too. Throughout their period of dominance, the Maroons have used four halves, compared to 14 for the Blues. Last year alone, the Maroons used just 19 players compared to NSW’S 30. The overall figure during the golden run is 44 Maroon players as opposed to 73 for the vanquished. The Blues had neither the cattledog spirit nor the cattle.
Coaches, players and even selectors have been punted. However, despite the carnage, the one constant has been Bob Fulton, now the chief adviser to Stuart. However, those who know him say Bozo is no clown. ‘‘Bozo knows about the game,’’ Gerrard said. ‘‘I’m not going against his judgment, the bloke knows about footy.’’
So much discussion in recent times has centred around what it is to be an Origin player. What mythical qualities must thisman possess? The answer depends on which side of the Tweed River you were born. While the Maroons have boasted match-winners across the park, they haven’t neglected the honest toilers. Daniel Wagon, Dallas Johnson, David Stagg. This time it’s Ashley Harrison. Every one of their teams has one. None of the aforementioned would have piqued the interest of Blues selectors. Which begs the question – how many games would an Alan Tongue have played had he been born in Townsville instead of Tamworth. Would Nathan Hindmarsh have finished with more than just 17 Origin appearances?
In recent years, Jamie Lyon, Matt Cooper, Ben Hornby and Luke Bailey are among those who have made themselves unavailable for rep footy. It’s hard to recall too many Maroons doing likewise.
Stuart has invested as much of himself into three games as one would expect an entirenrlseason. This is where inculturation meets obsession. Nor can he be accused of borrowing from the Maroons playbook. Hehas shown his hand at the selection table – the Blues have gone for fast, mobile back-rowers, with just two specialist props. They will be looking to work over the Maroons bigmenand then shift to the edges.
Whether the plan comes off will depend on whether he chose the right generals. Can they execute under pressure? Weknow his opponents can. Wheneach of the past six series has gone on the line, when a big play has been required, a Queenslander has stepped forth. ‘‘We worked our butts off over that period, all the players and all the staff,’’ said Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan, Craig Bellamy’snsw assistant for three years.
At least at junior level, things are starting to change. According to Canavan, Nswwon 72 per cent of all junior representative games in 2010, including school footy, second-tier footy, under 16s and under 18s. The Blues won this year’s inaugural Nycorigin match at Penrith.the Maroons are fielding a teamwhich, even sans Lockyer, is arguably one of the best they have assembled. Andthe buggers always find something to play for. This one’s for the flood-ravaged. This one’s for Lockyer. This one’s for Petero . . . ‘‘Their current coach played in the first game in 1980; they have had a 30-year Origin campaign; they keep finding a way,’’ says former Blues coach Phil Gould in Neil Cadigan’s book Greats of Origin.
‘‘There is always something or someone dedicated to something; someone’s last game, someone’s last series, someone’s crook, someone’s dying. They are all the time finding something and if they can’t find it they create it . . . you need to understand why they play and what they are thinking and what they believe in because if you ignore it, you don’t know what you are dealing with.
‘‘So as stupid as it sounds TONSW people, to them it’s the truth and it’s what drives them. Andunless you’re ready for it, they’re going to beat you.’’