Is there anything better than a State of Origin bolter?
That pick that comes, seemingly, out of nowhere and shocks us all. The selection that messes up all of our predicted sides and creates chaos across social media.
Over the years there have been some memorable ones. Today we'll focus on those made since 2010.
This came about due to a left field pick made for the opener. Where does the selection of Tevita Pangai Junior rank among the top five selection surprises since 2010?
5. Tevita Pangai Junior (2023)
Brad Fittler shocked the NRL world with his selection of Bulldogs firebrand Tevita Pangai Junior. No one saw this coming.
To be fair, the prop is coming off his undoubted best performance of the season.
He ran for 213 metres against the Titans in a super damaging performance. That said, it's hardly been the normal in 2023.
This is a player we expected to rampage into Origin contention during his Broncos days. You could argue this selection is overdue but based on his form since joining the Bulldogs I still can't believe it.
David Klemmer, Tevita Tatola and both Saifiti boys looked ahead of him in the prop pecking order yet were overlooked.
I fully understand why Fittler went with the super aggressive Pangai Junior but no one, Fittler included, can refer to this selection as anything but a shock.
There's an equally likely chance that this time next week we're looking at this pick as either a masterstroke as there is that it will be seen as a miscalculation of epic proportions.
