Despite a clutch moment from James Tedesco in the dying stages to win Game 1 of the State of Origin series, the NSW Blues have missed the mark when selecting their side for the second fixture.
The side from south of the border was outclassed during the first half in Sydney, and it took a brain-fade from Kalyn Ponga resulting in a send off for the Blues to capitalise.
Many were expecting a few tweaks despite the obvious forced injury changes. But there are fears the QLD Maroons may get on top of them once again and force a decider at Suncorp for Game 3.
Blues coach Laurie Daley has relegated the best second rower in the competition in Haumole Olakau'atu, to the 20th man, despite the Tongan wrecking-ball running the most metres out of any Blues forward in Game 1.
Outside of the rep window, he has been dominating for the Manly Sea Eagles at clubland, running for 266 metres and 140 post contact metres against South Sydney last week.
He has been the stand-out forward in the competition, but has been replaced by a debutant who has played all os his NRL career on the opposite edge in Dylan Lucas.
“It was difficult. We tried to see whether we could put him on the bench, but just the balance of the side and the balance of the bench with another back-rower there, we felt like we needed a big man," Daley said on Olakau'atu's omission.
“So it's just one of those hard calls that you've got to make. He's a destructive back-rower, but unfortunately (for him) we want to give Dylan a run in this game and I'm sure that he'll play really well.”
There were also other reports circulating that he was dropped because of training workloads in camp and effort areas on the field, resulting in cramping during Game 1.
Conversely to the reports, Olakau'atu led the kick chase for all the first half and was consistently there to meet Selwyn Cobbo from a Nathan Cleary bomb time-and-time again.
Sometimes confidence is all it takes to unlock a player's best, and Olakau'atu is no-doubt playing with confidence at Manly, and has been robbed of a gigantic game for his playing development.
Outside of the back row, there are concerns surrounding Cameron Murray's involvement in the match. Murray changed the whole landscape of the game when he came on at the quarter mark of the match. His leg speed, accompanied by his lightning play-the-ball pace, changed the complexity of the match and spearheaded the comeback for the Blues.
Many, including myself, were expecting Yeo to shift to the front row and Murray to claim the starting 13 jumper, given starting prop Mitchell Barnett looked gassed after the defensive onslaught the Blues faced in the opening stages. It would have sharpened out the forward pack nicely and kept the Maroons struggling in the field position battle.
It feels as if Daley and the Blues staff have failed to identify the issues out of Game 1, and will be running out with a very similar forward rotation with the inclusion of Payne Haas, which was a no-brainer.
Don't get me wrong, Haas will change the tone of the Blues engine room tenfold, and I give credit where credit is due to Daley and the Blues for giving him a starting jersey.
Mark Nawaqanitawase coming in on the six-man bench is an intriguing selection, given I would have either had him starting on a wing or not selected at all. Casey McLean's versatility is too vital, and as we saw in Game 1, he could seamlessly slot in for the concussed Tolutau Koula.
If something similar occurs in Melbourne, Nawaqanitawase will only be able to fill in as a winger, therefore forcing Koula to shift to the centres if an injury to the outside backs. It seems less invasive to have Nawaqanitawase start rather than backs coverage for an emergency given he can only play a singular position.
Reports from Nine surfacing earlier that Mitchell Moses didn't train on Wednesday following his hamstring injury is a concern. Ethan Strange's excellent Origin debut a fortnight ago didn't play a role in securing a starting spot, and has been selected on the six-man bench.
With only four of the six players being able to be selected to play, I am expecting Murray, Addin Fonua-Blake, Victor Radley and Apisai Koroisau all to feature in the game. It means Strange misses out if all goes to plan on match day, barring injury.
It is a fairly underwhelming sequel since he has shown he has what it takes to step up to the Origin arena.
The Blues and Maroons have formed into their camps before heading down to Melbourne for their clash at the MCG on June 17.
