New South Wales Origin Contenders 2015: The Forwards

Last week we looked at the backs in contention for a spot in this year’s Blues lineup, and now we turn our attention to the big men up front. With Game One now just a month away, here are the men in the frame for a coveted blue jumper in the engine room.

Front Row

Captain Paul Gallen will be in the side somewhere if fit, whether it be here or at lock, however the timeframe for his recovery from a painful hip injury remains uncertain. Aaron Woods is a near-certainty to win a spot, most likely in the starting 13., while James Tamou has hit form after a poor start to they year and should join him in the squad. The final spot is expected to go to Shark Andrew Fifita, who is an absolute match-winner on his day but remains prone to lapses in discipline. The likes of Kade Snowden and David Klemmer will come into calculations should injuries hit the front-liners.

Aaron Woods is one of the best young props in the game
Source: www.zimbio.com

Hooker

Robbie Farah has a mortgage on the no.9 jumper, but if disaster were to strike there’d be a tough call to be made, with the edge probably going to Parramatta’s Nathan Peats. He will line up opposite Melbourne’s Ryan Hinchcliffe in the City-Country game, with former starter Michael Ennis seemingly on the outer. Hinchcliffe does not play the position regularly, however, and is a bench prospect at best. Don’t discount Canterbury’s young gun Michael Lichaa either – he’ll get his chance eventually but ideally the Blues hierarchy would like to keep him under wraps for a few years yet.

Robbie Farah’s name is permanently inked on the Blues team sheet
Source: Fox Sports

Back Row

With Greg Bird named in the Kangaroos squad it appears as though his off-field dramas won’t stop him from lining up for the Blues this year. Ryan Hoffman and Beau Scott are the other incumbent starters and Hoffman should be there again after a strong start to the year and Scott should recover from his current ankle injury in time to take his place as well. There’s always the chance Gallen lines up at lock, particularly if Bird is selected at five-eighth as proposed by Andrew Johns recently. Despite plenty of contenders for a bench role, incumbents Boyd Cordner and Trent Merrin will almost certainly be there, with veterans Anthony Watmough and Luke Lewis fighting it for the final spot – Lewis’s versatility and Watmough’s indifferent form give the Shark a slight edge at this stage. Other fringe candidates for a bench spot include in-form Dragon Tyson Frizell, versatile Bulldogs forward Josh Jackson and enigmatic Titan Ryan James.

Boyd Cordner will be looking to establish himself as a long-term Origin player
Source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au

Cover Image Source: www.sportingpulse.com

Nick Fray, Orign Online

State of Origin Player Profiles: Gallen, Farah & Woods

Nick Fray, Origin Online and Over the Line Sports

Paul Gallen, New South Wales

Front Row, Cronulla Sharks

Origin Appearances: 17

Origin Tries: 1

Origin Status: Tortured hero

Make no mistake – this is the biggest game of Paul Gallen’s life. Nobody better exemplifies the suffering of Blues players and fans than the courageous skipper, who made his Origin debut in 2006 – the same year Queensland’s Origin streak began. The Blues’ inability to re-claim the shield throughout his entire Origin career will no doubt have caused many sleepless nights for the lionhearted Shark, and his desperation to finally get that breakthrough win will be obvious from the opening whistle.

With club side Cronulla in the midst of a season from hell and the spectre of ASADA continuing to linger, Gallen’s whole season may hinge on the outcome of tonight’s game. After eight years of heartbreak and several near-misses, leading his beloved Blues to victory tonight would earn Gallen some degree of satisfaction from a year that has been further soured by ongoing injury issues, and with Gallen’s body betraying him more and more as the years roll on, this may be his last chance to get the monkey off his back.

Despite his ailing body, Gallen maintains a phenomenal work-rate in both attack and defence, and there is little doubt that along with Robbie Farah he will be at the heart of everything for the Blues tonight. For a man who has given so much to the game for so little reward, a relieving win for Gallen would be one of the year’s more heart-warming stories. While he is not exactly a beloved figure north of the border, even the most cynical of Queensland fans would be hard-pressed not to afford a brief smile for one of Origin’s most battle-scarred gladiators.

Robbie Farah, New South Wales

Hooker, Wests Tigers

Farah: Out to claim Cam Smith’s mantle as the best Source: Fox Sports

Origin Appearances: 9

Origin Tries: 0

Origin Status: Perennial bridesmaid

It is quite incredible, given his importance to the Blues cause, that not so long ago Farah was branded as a player unsuitable for State of Origin. The knock on Farah was that his playing style was too unconventional and that he would struggle to get on the same page as his teammates. Yet, anyone who has watched Farah since his return to the fold last year will tell you that his inclusion has been the catalyst for this Blues side’s rapid improvement to the point that they are now on the verge of finally reclaiming the Origin shield.

For so long in the shadow of Maroons counterpart Cameron Smith, Farah has always refused to concede that Smith is the superior player and that belief has carried his game to such a standard that he may well have a point. Despite suffering a dislocated finger earlier in the year that cost him a month of football, Farah has statistically outperformed his more decorated rival and with his club side the Wests Tigers well-placed for a finals charge this could well be the year he supplants Smith as the game’s pre-eminent hooker.

With Gallen, Farah will shoulder the burden of leadership tonight, and like Gallen he will wear his heart on his sleeve for the full 80 minutes. If the Blues can get up and finally end Queensland’s streak, there’ll be few prouder Blues than the tough Tiger.

Aaron Woods, New South Wales

Front Row, Wests Tigers

Woods: The second coming of ‘Blocker’ Source: Fox Sports

Origin Appearances: 3

Origin Tries: 0

Origin Status: Cornerstone for the future

A common belief in rugby league is that front rowers take the longest to mature, not really reaching their peak until their mid-20s. It is therefore scary to think how good Woods might become in a few years as, at the age of just 23, he has already established himself among the top few props in the NRL. A powerful ball-runner with a healthy work-rate, Woods looks to be the Tigers’ successor to Steve Roach and that tag looks to apply at Origin level as well.

With three Origin games under his belt, Woods now has a feel for Origin football and his promotion to the starting side for Game One proved the Blues selectors have faith in him to set a platform for his side in the fiery opening exchanges. With crafty Tigers teammate Robbie Farah directing his runs in attack, Woods will be looking to get his opponents on the back foot and provide the same kind of territorial advantage his side enjoyed for much of Game One.

Wiser Woods ready to rip into Maroons

Chris Kennedy, nrl.com

Wests Tigers and NSW prop Aaron Woods says he is far better prepared for the State of Origin cauldron this in his second season in Blues colours, and says the job in front of him is pretty simple.

“I’m a lot more confident, more experienced. I sort of bought into the week too much last year, worrying about the little things and not worrying about myself so I can’t wait for next Wednesday,” Woods told journalists after the squad’s first training session.

“It was pretty tough [last year], I sort of bought into the week, I wasted a lot of energy going into the games, I felt a bit flat in the games.

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