Toovey: Blues must make major changes ahead of Origin II

Former NSW player Geoff Toovey is not convinced with the current Blues line-up, suggesting a number of changes, including in the centre positions.

The former Blues captain believes selecting players out of their natural positions may have been coach Brad Fittler's biggest mistake.

“Freddy (Brad Fittler) has gotten away with it in the past, by picking players out of position when they’re in form,” Toovey said on 1170 SEN Breakfast

“I just thought the two centres (Clint Gutherson and Jack Wighton), made two vital missed tackles which lost them the game.”

If Fittler was to take on these suggestions it could see Gutherson and Wighton either miss Game 2 or slot into their preferred positions at fullback and five-eighth.

This could also see Fittler play 20-year-old Dally M Centre of the Year Stephen Crichton, who would make his Origin debut.

Toovey believes the match was lost by going into “cruise mode”, with the Blues unable to put the game away before conceding 18 unanswered points.

“The second half they went into cruise mode, no one took control of the game, not the halves and I thought Damien Cook was quiet,” Toovey added.

“We just needed someone with a bit more mongrel in them to take control and point NSW in the right direction.”

Game two is scheduled for next Wednesday at ANZ Stadium.