BY TIM

The day of Origin II has arrived, and the Maroons have been riding a wave of whatever emotion you feel when your prop out-jumps the opposition fullback. Meanwhile the Blues have had to do a lot of soul searching after doing the same thing they have done for the best part of the last 20 years, picking a bunch of individually brilliant players, squeezing them into 13 positions and dominating the opening minutes, only to be run down and picked apart like a greyhound lure blowing a motor.

Injuries in the weeks since Game I have caused changes to be made, but largely the selection policy has remained the same, same core of individual brilliance (now older) and hope to God they do something. Now, one would like to think that lessons have been learnt and the coaching staff might have put a focus on the team playing as a team, but having a look at the coaching staff and NSWRL in general, that God might just happen to be a gas leak.

So with a State (Group? Side?) that is perennially unwilling to learn from its past mistakes, and a group of individuals that may or may not turn up, is there much chance of them being able to level the series in enemy territory? (That paragraph sounded a lot more Raiders centric than I wanted, but that’s the state of the 2023 season. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

The writer of this (semi) serious article can see but one shining light coming from the NSW camp. Maybe, just maybe, the tactical genius that is Brad Fittler, the coach who has got NSW into this position (not to mention allowed someone to tell the media that they were planning to “ambush” the Maroons in Brisbane), can muster the strategic nous to lock himself in the bathroom.

A very bold strategy, for sure. But locking away the mastermind of leaving Nicho Hynes gathering splinters while watching a lead evaporate, only to throw him on an edge with 12 to go with the game all but sealed, behind a locked door somewhere (preferably without outside communication) could be a stroke of genius, that through the shear randomness and chaos of it all, may just lead to the playing group banding together without the suggestions of someone with some of the worst takes on Channel 9. (What a packed list to be a part of)

Though this strategy doesn’t come without it’s risks. With Fittler no longer able to meddle, the job will probably fall to the man with some of the worst takes on Fox Sports (also an impressive list) in Greg Alexander, though hopefully with little to know listed head coaching experience (that I can find, don’t hate me too much, I’m not well versed on who was where and when) he will just sit in the NSW box and watch the game without input.

With the punters leaning towards another Queensland victory and reality rather looking the same. I think there is only one thing that I can ask for at this time. If you live in Brisbane and know a dodgy locksmith, I hear that the bathroom locks in and around the NSW locker room need some “fixing”.

Enjoy the game.

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