Granty
16-05-2006, 09:20 AM
http://townsvillebulletin.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,19145406%255E14793,00.html
Maroons pick seven new faces
16may06
ORIGIN great Mal Meninga brushed aside concerns Queensland selectors had handed him too many boys to do a man's job with seven rookies set to make their State of Origin debuts against New South Wales in Sydney tomorrow week.
Meninga -- an inexperienced 20-year-old when he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Arthur Beetson in the first Origin battle at Lang Park in 1980 - strongly defended the selection of so many first-timers.
They are headed by 20-year-old Cowboys bolter Matt Scott who's been thrust into the starting line-up on the back of just 14 NRL games.
Meninga said Queensland were on the verge of a 'new era' with some players who had the chance to make their own mark and leave their own legacy on Origin football.
Five of the rookies, dynamic teenage Storm fullback Greg Inglis, Manly's Steven Bell, Brisbane's tackling terrier David Stagg, Storm's crash-tackling Dallas Johnson and Scott have all been named as starters.
The other two rookies are 20-year-old tearaways, Townsville's Sam Thaiday and Nate Myles (Bulldogs), who will provide sting off a bench which includes Brisbane utility Shaun Berrigan and rampaging Cowboys forward destroyer Carl Webb.
It's the biggest number of rookies in a Queensland side since 2001 when eight players made a winning debut the year after NSW posted an Origin record score in the last game of the previous series.
Queensland selectors have rewarded early-season form with 14 of the 17 players coming from Brisbane (seven), North Queensland (four) and Melbourne (three) who are prominently placed at the top of the NRL ladder after 10 rounds.
Selectors have gambled on youth and enthusiasm while NSW, who have won the last three interstate series 2-1, have gone the other way, sticking with tried-and-true performers in their Origin pack.
Questions will be asked whether Queensland have picked too many young players for the toughest contest in rugby league.
With the exception of Origin hard-head props Petero Civoniceva (14 Origins) and Steve Price (17 Origins), who are both nearing the end of their careers, the other four members of Queensland's pack - Scott (20), Cameron Smith (22), David Stagg (22) and Dallas Johnson (23) - average just 21.3 years of age.
The other rookies, five who've been selected in the starting side, are Melbourne's Inglis, who is only 19, Manly's Bell, who is the oldest of the debutants at 29 and Stagg, who's 23.
North Queensland's Matt Bowen won the tense tussle for the No. 1 jumper after Australian selectors earlier this month opted for Brisbane teenager Karmichael Hunt for the Test against New Zealand.
"Matty's in great form and he's the incumbent, I think he deserves his opportunity in the side," Meninga said.
Maroons pick seven new faces
16may06
ORIGIN great Mal Meninga brushed aside concerns Queensland selectors had handed him too many boys to do a man's job with seven rookies set to make their State of Origin debuts against New South Wales in Sydney tomorrow week.
Meninga -- an inexperienced 20-year-old when he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Arthur Beetson in the first Origin battle at Lang Park in 1980 - strongly defended the selection of so many first-timers.
They are headed by 20-year-old Cowboys bolter Matt Scott who's been thrust into the starting line-up on the back of just 14 NRL games.
Meninga said Queensland were on the verge of a 'new era' with some players who had the chance to make their own mark and leave their own legacy on Origin football.
Five of the rookies, dynamic teenage Storm fullback Greg Inglis, Manly's Steven Bell, Brisbane's tackling terrier David Stagg, Storm's crash-tackling Dallas Johnson and Scott have all been named as starters.
The other two rookies are 20-year-old tearaways, Townsville's Sam Thaiday and Nate Myles (Bulldogs), who will provide sting off a bench which includes Brisbane utility Shaun Berrigan and rampaging Cowboys forward destroyer Carl Webb.
It's the biggest number of rookies in a Queensland side since 2001 when eight players made a winning debut the year after NSW posted an Origin record score in the last game of the previous series.
Queensland selectors have rewarded early-season form with 14 of the 17 players coming from Brisbane (seven), North Queensland (four) and Melbourne (three) who are prominently placed at the top of the NRL ladder after 10 rounds.
Selectors have gambled on youth and enthusiasm while NSW, who have won the last three interstate series 2-1, have gone the other way, sticking with tried-and-true performers in their Origin pack.
Questions will be asked whether Queensland have picked too many young players for the toughest contest in rugby league.
With the exception of Origin hard-head props Petero Civoniceva (14 Origins) and Steve Price (17 Origins), who are both nearing the end of their careers, the other four members of Queensland's pack - Scott (20), Cameron Smith (22), David Stagg (22) and Dallas Johnson (23) - average just 21.3 years of age.
The other rookies, five who've been selected in the starting side, are Melbourne's Inglis, who is only 19, Manly's Bell, who is the oldest of the debutants at 29 and Stagg, who's 23.
North Queensland's Matt Bowen won the tense tussle for the No. 1 jumper after Australian selectors earlier this month opted for Brisbane teenager Karmichael Hunt for the Test against New Zealand.
"Matty's in great form and he's the incumbent, I think he deserves his opportunity in the side," Meninga said.