Let's Talk Origin - Round 9

This week we take a look at who impressed and who didn't from the representative round just played.

Firstly though, I'd like to say, what a blessing in disguise the postponement of Friday night's Test Match was. Whilst we didn't see a sell out on Sunday afternoon, we no doubt would have if the fixture was originally planned in the afternoon timeslot. The quality and excitement of the expansive football on display, showcased just how good day time test footy could be in the future.

Also, while everyone is talking about the ageing Australian team and where their futures lie, I'd like to pay homage to an outstanding performance from the Kiwis. They are a powerhouse team at the moment and would have ran over the top of anyone put in front of them on Sunday.

WHO IMPRESSED
JOSH McGUIRE (QLD) - Normally a workhorse front-rower, McGuire took to the hooking duties admirably for Samoa on Saturday night. His smarts out of dummy half were quite surprising, including the opening try of the night where he threw a sharp little dummy before crashing over. If the Maroons wanted to change tactics by playing four forwards off the bench than maybe McGuire has given them that option with the ability to cover hooker if needed.
COREY PARKER (QLD) - One of the few Australian forwards to make any sort of impression in an otherwise badly beaten pack on Sunday. With one of the biggest motors in Rugby League, Parker carted the ball forward 20 times for 208 metres to give his side the chance to attack. A somewhat off day as far as his offloads were concerned though, Parker is usually very selective, but was perhaps trying a little too hard to chase points with a couple of his offloads hitting the deck and turning possession over.
DAVID MEAD (NSW) - Impressed in the number one jersey for Country for the second year running. Scored a crucial try not long after the break to give his side a handy advantage for the rest of the game. The Titans flyer also chalked up 185 running metres, seven tackle busts and two line-breaks. A winger by trade, Mead could well loom as a late contender on the wing for the Blues with Australian wingers Alex Johnston and Josh Dugan failing to impress on debut.
JARROD CROKER (NSW) - Somewhat a seasoned campaigner for Country these days, the Raiders skipper put in his best performance yet at this level. Croker ran for 142 metres busting six tackles throughout and scored the match sealing try with a determined charge in the dying moments. An accomplished goal-kicker, Croker runs a really good and often tough line in attack and has well and truly put aside the defensive demons that plagued him early in his career with a strong display shutting down City danger man James Roberts for most of the contest. Josh Morris should have adequate time to overcome his ankle injury before Origin one, but if not, Croker could come into the frame.
TARIQ SIMS (NSW) - One of many back-rowers who put their best foot forward on Sunday with Josh Jackson and Joel Thompson just to name a few. But fact is, there's probably only one spot up grabs for a fresh faced back-rower on the Blues bench and if you're looking for someone to come on and make an impact, Sims is probably your man. Sims came on and showed he can be as classy as he is strong and brutal, scoring a try with some neat footwork and started the movement for another with a nice offload.
BLAKE AUSTIN (NSW) - Extremely unlucky not to receive man of the match honours on Sunday with an outstanding performance in a losing side. The City pivot scored a hat-trick, mainly through his outstanding support play, but it's more his ability to keep turning up on the big plays that impressed. Austin saved two tries for his team including a great chase down of noted speedster David Mead to show just how quick he is as well. Has really bolted into calculations in the last couple of weeks and if Coach Laurie Daley isn't prepared to take a punt on him as five-eight just yet, the highly versatile Austin must surely be knocking down the door for a spot on the bench.
ANDREW FIFITA (NSW) - The man mountain City front-rower returned from a two game suspension on Sunday to be the dominant prop on the park. Fifita chalked up his customary high numbers in the stats department, taking 19 carries for 191 metres, 28 tackles and three offloads. It appears a spot may have opened up for an extra big man in the Blues team with the probable long term suspension to Greg Bird, meaning skipper Paul Gallen would probably push back to lock forward (if fit).

WHO DIDN'T
MATT SCOTT/NATE MYLES (QLD) - The highly performed Queensland and Australian bookends had minimal impact on Sunday with Scott (58 metres) and Myles (76 metres) failing to make any real dents in the Kiwis defensive line. There's every chance they'll grow another leg when they pull on the Maroons jersey, but they'll need to against a much younger Blues front-row with the likes of Aaron Woods and Andrew Fifita leading the way.
ALEX JOHNSTON/JOSH DUGAN (NSW) - The Australian wingers failed to make a good impression on debut. Whilst Johnston was safe under the high ball, he didn't go looking for work in a game his forwards needed all the help they could get. For Dugan, his positional play in defence was the big detractor showing just how risky positional switches at the top level can be and the price was there for all to see, with two tries to Kiwis powerhouse winger Manu Vatuvei. Dugan also picked up a knee injury late in the contest and will be sweating on scan results to find out the severity. If it's not serious, it's likely Dugan will again be jostling with Matt Moylan for the number one jersey.
THE QUEENSLAND AND AUSTRALIAN SPINE - The normally well-oiled machine of Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk, Johnathan Thurston and Greg Inglis struggled with timing on many of their set plays on Sunday. Whilst Inglis would normally play centre, with Billy Slater missing though injury, you still wouldn't expect the timing to be out that much. There's been plenty of debate over the last week about an aging Australian roster and just maybe, that half a yard of pace they have lost in recent years is starting to show. You can never write off a champion though and as always, they'll be determined to rise to the biggest occasion, but it appears gone are the days they can just come into camp and pick up where they left off.
JAMES MALONEY/JOSH REYNOLDS (NSW) - Many good judges gave Maloney a fair wrap after his performance on Sunday but I'm more than willing to differ. Whilst he did improve as the game wore on, particularly his kicking game, his start was less than desirable with some of his passing in attacking situations average at best. Maloney won't have the luxury of getting better as the game goes on in Origin, with every wrong play so vital to the outcome of the match. Queensland have shown on many occasions over the years, if you give them an inch, they'll take a country mile.

For Reynolds, the results were there for all to see. Whilst he had some good touches throughout, he's nowhere near at the top of his game at the moment. You can never question his passion and commitment to his team mates but the time has come for him to make some changes in his game. He just can't keep making costly decisions that end up hurting his team. Probably lucky to only be looking at 1-2 weeks on the sidelines for tripping, after being suspended last year for a similar incident.

BORDERLINE
MATT MOYLAN (NSW) - The silky skills of Moylan were again on display on Sunday and there's no doubt with the Blues halves pairing so up in the air, Moylan's ball playing is needed in replacing Jarryd Hayne from the back. The big conundrum though is his goal line defence. On a couple of occasions on the weekend, Moylan didn't appear to have the strength and determined mind set needed to fully put his body on the line as the last line of defence. In Origin footy, this level of commitment is paramount in the fullback role. There's every possibility this part of Moylan's game will only develop as his body matures, but whether Coach Daley is willing to risk him this year remains to be seen.

SUSPENSION
GREG BIRD (NSW) - The inspirational Blues enforcer is in massive danger of missing part of an Origin series for the second straight year for the same indiscretion. The NRL judiciary has come down hard on Bird for a dangerous throw tackle on Kiwis winger Jason Nightingale, with Bird looking at 6-8 weeks on the sidelines, which would rule him out of the opening two games of this year's series. Whilst the penalty seems a little harsh on the surface, the fact in today's day and age is, you just can't have your hands between an opponent's legs and lift in the tackle and Bird is starting to miss too many big matches as a result of doing just that.