BONUS: Lozplaying as a selector
Sorry for the pun
We’re one round of footy away from the Origin sides being selected, so what better time to join the masses and throw out a side that I’d pick for the series opener than right now?
In years past I’ve done both NSW and Queensland, but I’ve decided to keep it below the border this time around. If I was a Queensland selector I’d pick Kobe Hetherington and Brad Schneider to tank the side, such is my high levels of journalistic integrity.
For a Queensland perspective, check out
if you’re somehow reading this and aren’t subscribed over there for true northern sicko analysis.Full disclosure, I’m not predicting anything here. This is the side I would pick if I was somehow in charge, so I look forward to being very mad on Sunday night when the leaks come in and what Laurie has picked isn’t even remotely close to what I want, such is the petulance of the modern-day fan.
FULLBACK
To me, how much you weight incumbency is going to shape a lot of your own personal decision for the fullback slot. James Tedesco is enjoying something of a renaissance year this season despite the Roosters overall struggles and has firmly established himself again as the best fullback in the sport after losing his Origin and Test spot to Dylan Edwards over the last 12 months.
Edwards, on the other hand, was the man of the match in the decider last year and has had a pretty good year individually for Penrith despite the side’s overall struggles.
One thing I will say is that while the incumbency should hold not-insignificant weight from last year’s series, Laurie Daley won’t be wedded to those that performed so I wouldn’t put any changes past him.
If Edwards was having a bad year I’d be more inclined to pull the trigger, but as of right now I’m sticking with him. Were Laurie to go with Tedesco, then that’s fine by me as well, this is, in my mind, a genuine coin flip.
CHOICE: Dylan Edwards
CONSIDERED: James Tedesco
WING
I am using this forum to address all you mainstream media outlets running your predicted Origin sides with your “experts”.
If you have Brian To'o out of your NSW team for Game 1, then respectfully, you are an idiot, you deserve to have your head dunked in a toilet, and your pen licence revoked. I’ve seen, staggeringly, multiple sides now without the Penrith winger in it for reasons around him coming into camp underdone, having only just come back from injury.
While I can rationalise that thinking, even though I vehemently disagree with it, to then turn around and pick Zac Lomax (who himself is only just coming back from a fairly significant foot injury) and Tom Trbojevic (who can’t be trusted to stay fit for more than 27 minutes at a time) is insulting to the St Marys product.
To’o has been one of NSW’s best since his debut in 2021. Concerns about his lack of height against Queensland’s aerial wingers have been largely overblown. There is no good reason to exclude him from this side, even if he’s only going to get one game in before selection.
The other winger follows a similar logic in that he performed well last year but is only just returning from injury. Jacob Kiraz is having a stellar year, but if Lomax gets through this week then I’m comfortable throwing him in there.
At this point I just cannot comprehend picking Tom Trbojevic. When fit he’s maybe a top five player in the NRL, but that’s a caveat that gets stretched thinner and thinner with each passing season. I don’t trust him to handle the rigours of wing play in Origin anymore, and there’s better centres.
CHOICES: Brian To’o, Zac Lomax
CONSIDERED: Jacob Kiraz, Tom Trbojevic
CENTRE
Maybe the most automatic position group to be selected in the entire squad. Stephen Crichton is on fire for the Bulldogs right now, and his stint to drag his side back into the game and ultimately overrun a very good Canberra side was nothing short of immense.
After skepticism at being handed the leadership reigns, he’s really grown as a leader and role model for a resurgent Bulldogs side, and is now being spoken about as a genuine contender for Blues captaincy (which I would not do but alas).
On the other side, Latrell Mitchell has returned to Souths and resumed the role as one of the game’s genuine superstars with his ability to win his side a match on his own irrespective of what position he’s playing. Add to that his outstanding performances whenever he dons the Blues jersey and these two picks are automatic.
For completeness I did consider Bradman Best just for another option given his stupidly good Origin record thus far but he’s not ahead of these two plus he’s now injured. I also always look for reasons to try and talk myself into Kotoni Staggs but he’s a guy whose Origin chances may well pass him by after his sole appearance.
See above for my Tom Trbojevic opinion, I know he’s performed in the centres for NSW but he’s not that guy anymore, not ahead of Crichton and Mitchell anyway.
CHOICES: Stephen Crichton, Latrell Mitchell
CONSIDERED (seriously): Bradman Best
CONSIDERED (not seriously): Kotoni Staggs, Tom Trbojevic
FIVE-EIGHTH
The one spot where incumbency won’t really matter is halfback because Nathan Cleary, if fit, is going to be picked, which leaves last year’s halves pairing of Mitchell Moses and Jarome Luai battling it out to retain their spot in the side in the five-eighth position.
I’m admittedly biased towards Luai, but I do also think he’s more suited to play the secondary role to a dominant playmaker than Moses is. We’ve seen Moses play at second receiver before, at the Tigers, and while his halfback was admittedly Luke Brooks, the results were mixed to say the least.
I’m not necessarily picking Luai because he’s played with Cleary hundreds of times before, because I think we’ve seen that in Origin before as well and those results have also been mixed, but I just don’t love the theory of a Cleary-Moses pairing.
In all fairness, this is very much like the fullback discussion where I don’t think there’s a wrong choice per se, but my proclivities have me leaning towards Luai. Were they to pick Moses I wouldn’t argue, but whoever misses out is going to be very hard done by indeed based on the strength of last season.
CHOICE: Jarome Luai
CONSIDERED: Mitchell Moses
HALFBACK
It’s going to be Nathan Cleary guys, just accept it. I get his Origin career might be underwhelming given his club accomplishments, but sometimes he gets spoken about like he’s Mitchell Pearce.
CHOICE: Nathan Cleary
PROP
Payne Haas is one of the props, I’m not even going to waste time expounding.
The storylines around his front row partner that have been swirling around in the last few days have been utterly absurd.
First, let’s address the Terrell May conundrum.
His exit from the Roosters in the offseason was shrouded in secrecy and half-hearted attempts at explanations from those who follow the club but aren’t necessarily around the club. The article that came out about May not necessarily loving footy with a passion seemed to paint him as someone not worth investing in because of a perceived lack of trust that he would respect his trade, but the results on the field have rubbished that line of thinking.
When Buddy Franklin moved to the Swans from Hawthorn he stated it was as much to get away from the Victorian media and the fishbowl that was Melbourne, and live in relative (used loosely here) anonymity. He was once asked how much footy he watches in his spare time, and his response was something along the lines of none, or very little.
I’d wager there’s far more players than you think that treat footy as a paying job. A privileged job, to be sure, but a job with all the normal stresses and day to day lulls, magnified a thousandfold due to salaries and public interest.
The bottom line is Terrell May has been performing as a top two prop this season. Questions about his defence are frankly silly, and the insistence that a lot of his runs are empty calorie is downright insulting. You want empty calorie runs? Look at Jake Trbojevic’s output.
I cannot believe there’s genuine human beings who look at this side and the form in the year 2025 and try to argue there’s still a spot for Jake Trbojevic. I do not care if he’s good around the boys, you do not pick cheerleaders for Origin. The Blues got away with it last year, if they do it this year I may jump off the Tasman Bridge.
My other starting prop would actually be Mitch Barnett. While I don’t buy the theories about May not being picked because you can cover his impact and he needs long minutes anyway, I still would start Barnett because I think his game suits the opening stanza of an Origin encounter a bit more. I’m still picking May but off the bench, Haas plays his usual long minutes, May comes on to replace Barnett around 20-25 and plays the game out, Barnett can give Haas or Isaah Yeo (lock spoiler alert) a breather and also provide edge cover if necessary.
My other prop off the bench is Spencer Leniu for the headcase destroyer role, which he excelled at last series. Not much more to say here, except if you can’t pick May in your Origin side for some vague character concerns, but are more than happy to pick Leniu after his choirboy twelve months, then I can’t help you.
There’s also been far too many sides predicted that have just handed Stefano Utoikamanu a spot, I assume on the basis that he plays for the Melbourne Storm now and not the Wests Tigers. Have you actually watched the Storm play this year? Stefano may be worse than his Tigers stint towards the back end, he’s been thoroughly underwhelming, but people fall in love with the talent that should be there, plus the good team biases.
As for the Jacob Saifiti rumours, just…no.
CHOICES (starting): Payne Haas, Mitch Barnett
CHOICES (off the bench): Terrell May, Spencer Leniu
SECOND ROW
Three must go into two here, with Hudson Young, Angus Crichton and Liam Martin all vying for the edge forward spots. While I think Crichton and Martin are both very deserving of starting, I’m going to start Young and Crichton, with Martin off the bench, and bear with me.
Some of the best footy Liam Martin has ever played, outside of the Grand Final last year where he rightfully won the Clive Churchill Medal, was at the back end of the 2021 season, when he was mainly coming off the bench for Penrith and splitting his time between middle and edge, with Kurt Capewell and Viliame Kikau as the team’s starting edge forwards. Granted, that approach didn’t last the full season because Capewell got hurt and Martin ended up starting the last few games, but impact bench forward is not a role unfamiliar to him.
Martin has fallen victim to the love of Supercoach points when people analyse his game, because he isn’t a guy who racks up huge numbers in attack, but he tackles all day, runs hard when he does get the ball, and annoy the shit out of his opposite number. He’s a bully and a mongrel, someone players love playing with and hate playing against, and excuse the cliche, but a perfect “Origin player.”
Young and Crichton are both more specialist edge forwards capable of big minutes and rare attacking plays with ball in hand, whether it be a sharp line run or a dainty offload to a surging support player, they’re both embodiments of the old cliche of “stuff happens around them.”
Crichton was the Wally Lewis Medallist last series and cannot be dropped, and while the Roosters have been hit and miss he has not, and Young has been a key part of the Raiders surge up the ladder this season, although he didn’t cover himself in glory during the Bulldogs comeback last week.
I did consider Haumole Olakau’atu as well but he’s a bit behind this trio, especially given Manly’s recent form dip, plus he doesn’t offer as much bench value as a specialist edge forward.
CHOICES (starting): Hudson Young, Angus Crichton
CHOICE (bench): Liam Martin
CONSIDERED: Haumole Olakau’atu
LOCK
Isaah Yeo is the captain of this side, and with Cameron Murray out for the year there really isn’t anyone worth discussing.
CHOICE: Isaah Yeo
HOOKER
I won’t bury the lede here, I’m picking Reece Robson, but I do think there’s an interesting discussion around the Blues hooker.
Would I consider Robson among NSW’s best three hookers? No, probably not. I think Api Koroisau is the most talented in a vacuum and both Connor Watson and Wayde Egan are having great years, but that’s more personal preference than anything.
I do also think Robson’s contributions last season were somewhat overshadowed and overlooked by the halves and the other forwards. He was an immensely important part of the game plan with his ability to soak up pressure in the middle of the field, and his service, while maybe not as crisp as a Koroisau or an Egan, certainly was of an acceptable standard.
Much like Edwards, there may be flashier and more talented players than Robson, but he got the job done and deserves to hold his spot, I don’t think the other options have been so much better that they’ve demanded selection.
CHOICE: Reece Robson
CONSIDERED: Wayde Egan, Api Koroisau
UTILITY
There was a time where I would’ve said that utilities are pointless because coaches don’t use them right so just pick four forwards, and then last season happened and Connor Watson showed tremendous value to the Blues.
He’s had another great year so far, and with his ability to cover hooker, middle forward and edge in a pinch, he may have that utility spot on lockdown.
I did consider Ryan Papenhuyzen after an article that came out earlier this week about a possibility of him fulfilling the bench utility role but Watson has more positional versatility and outside an injury in the outside backs I’m not totally sure how you’d use Papenhuyzen, and I’m not a huge fan of picking for injuries.
I also considered Scott Drinkwater for the sheer fun of it.
CHOICE: Connor Watson
CONSIDERED: Ryan Papenhuyzen, Scott Drinkwater
RECAP
Dylan Edwards
Brian To’o
Latrell Mitchell
Stephen Crichton
Zac Lomax
Jarome Luai
Nathan Cleary
Payne Haas
Reece Robson
Mitchell Barnett
Angus Crichton
Hudson Young
Isaah Yeo (c)
Connor Watson
Spencer Leniu
Terrell May
Liam Martin
Ryan Papenhuyzen
In conclusion, this is the team I would pick, but I am extremely scared of what nonsense Laurie Daley may pull on Sunday night.