C’mon Laurie! Give us half a chance

If Trent Hodkinson and his Newcastle Knights we’re a racehorse, chances are someone would be calling for the curtain right about now.

Instead, New South Wales State of Origin coach Laurie Daley wants to give Hodkinson the No.7 jersey for Game One.

Hodkinson was underwhelming last season in Origin and he hasn’t had a good start to life in Newcastle in 2016, where he’s leading around one of the worst teams in the National Rugby League.

Daley says he wants to stick true and remain loyal, instead of looking at the other halves showing good form in the lead up.

There’s a host of halves showing their worth, led by Raiders pair Aidan Sezer and Blake Austin.

   

Sezer looks reinvigorated since going to the Canberra Raiders. He seems to have a license to run the football and he’s picking his moments well.

He was stilted in a team where everything was on his young shoulders at the Gold Coast. Now he has freedom and he can look to make an impact.

His halves partner Blake Austin was the most in-form player last season. He’s continued in the same vein in 2016. He was a standout in City-Country last year, has utility value, and yet didn’t even come close to a look in for Origin.

Adam Reynolds has been solid, despite some injuries, and his kicking game remains the best in the NRL and a significant asset to his South Sydney side.

That same asset is crucial to New South Wales chances, given the Blues have been horrendous in this area previously. The Blues last tackle options through Pearce and Hodkinson were simply not good enough. Kick after kick went down the Maroons throats, putting the Blues defence straight back under the pump.

Daley says he wants to remain loyal to those who’ve worn the jersey previously.

But despite winning the 2014 series, he didn’t remain loyal to the Blues halves pairing Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson last season.

Daley also says he will only pick players in their true position.

This is despite picking Mitchell Pearce at Five-Eighth for last year’s series, a position he’d never played prior.

Hodkinson is badly out of form, and the stats tell the story.

Adam Reynolds is averaging 49.33 running metres for 2016, Sezer has 43.40 and Austin 35.33, whilst Hodkinson can manage just 25.12 – the worst in the NRL.

Hodkinson’s potential halves partner Mitchell Pearce has only just returned from a lengthy suspension for disciplinary problems.

You could use this weekend’s City-Country fixture as a platform to run the rule over halves contenders, only that representative fixture gets more ludicrous every year.

Sezer and James Maloney will be the only contenders to line up in Tamworth on Sunday, with their halves partners being Chad Townsend and Jack Bird. ( Yes, Jack Bird in the No.7)

Queensland on the other hand can take their pick of halves options. Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk, Daly Cherry-Evans, Anthony Milford (suspended), Ben Hunt and Michael Morgan are just a few of their options.

You get the sense that Daley will continue making the same mistakes and go with Mitchell Pearce.

For mine, Pearce’s card are marked for Origin, he’s had enough chances. He goes missing in big moments and it’s clear he cannot handle the occasion, and the pressure placed upon him, fair or not.

    

With the game on the line, Queensland is like a well-oiled machine, with their chiefs calling the shots. You saw it with Cooper Cronk’s field goal in Game One last season. You could see it happening, but you just couldn’t do anything about it.

For New South Wales, their halves go missing when the pressure starts to mount. They lack direction and composure, with Paul Gallen seemingly always finding himself at first receiver in key moments.

I’d be picking Adam Reynolds and Blake Austin.

Both are in decent form and both offer something different. Austin can run the football, Reynolds can organise and kick well. He’s also a high percentage goal kicker, which is another area that’s let NSW down in the past.

Both have handled the spotlight well enough so far. Austin has emerged from a fringe first grader to a bona fide star, whilst Reynolds has come from the NSW Cup to a Premiership with South Sydney.

It's probably a year early for Sezer, but having worked with him at the Titans, I don't think he'd be overawed by the occasions like many before him.  

Queensland won’t blink twice if the names read out are the same as 2015 – Trent Hodkinson and Mitchell Pearce.

C’mon Laurie, let’s try something different.

Give us half a chance!

ADAM SANTAROSSA