THAT time of the year has finally rolled around again: Origin.
This is the only time of the year when it is socially acceptable to come up with the most childish, inventive, horrible abuse you can think of and tease those ‘ferals’ that aren’t where you’re from. It’s truly glorious.
Ahead of Game 1 Sportsbet has the Maroons at $4 in head-to-head betting with their special deposit bonus odds.
Let’s preview the game ahead.
NSW Cockroaches
The Blues have named several debutantes to take on the Maroons’ grey brigade.
The Blues backline is very different to what we are used to seeing. Penrith duo Matt Moylan (fullback) and Josh Mansour (wing) have fluffed out the NSW back-line, but with Moylan untested at Origin level and Mansour boasting a carry looser than Lindsay Lohan their selection has some Maroons rubbing their hands together.
Blake Ferguson was a surprise inclusion in his second Origin on the wing, given his form at club level wouldn’t warrant selection in an under 12’s side at the moment. Surely Laurie Daley won’t be letting Ferguson and Dugan out in Cronulla to celebrate their selection together. Things didn’t go so well last time that happened…
Josh Dugan was initially in the squad at centre, obviously not good enough to resume his mantle as custodian, but an elbow injury has seen him replaced by Josh Morris.
Adam Reynolds has finally got a run at Origin level. The tattoo sporting pygmy from Redfern is surgical with the boot and his pairing in the halves with James Maloney looks to be the best thing NSW has going for them.
The forwards are a line-up of the usual suspects, Cordner, Jackson, Woods, Gallen and Bird with Robbie Farah resuming his place at hooker, despite Mick Ennis being a better hooker than anything you’d find in the Cross at 1 a.m. on a Saturday night. Ennis’ form this season has been a leading reason for the Sharks success but despite this, Laurie Daley elected for Robbie Farah, who has barely played half the season and whose form is simply insipid.
The real screamer comes on the bench in the form of Dylan Walker. NSW has plenty more utility players than Dylan Walker. At club level he has been as effective as a fly sway against King Kong. The other bench players to watch will be Andrew Fifita and David Klemmer. Fifita can either win a game as a gigantic prodigy or lose it as an undisciplined lay-about. Klemmer is a psychotic firebrand in the mould of Mark Geyer. Everything Klemmer does in Origin has undertones of violence.
SportsBet.com.au has NSW at $1.91 with a line of -1.0.
Josh Mansour and Blake Ferguson lead the way for NSW in first try scorer markets on $10 each. Hot on their heels are Michael Jennings ($12) and Josh Morris ($15).
Queensland Cane Toads
The Maroons have won nine of the last 10 Origin series. So with a record like that, new coach Kevvy Walters was never going to go all razor gang on last year’s squad.
Several injuries and a retirement have required a little re-shuffling and the blooding of two debutantes.
Billy Slater’s season ending injury earlier this year has seen Darius Boyd move back to the custodian role. Boyd isn’t flashy but he is staunch at the back. His vacated wing spot has been taken over by leviathan winger Corey Oates who finds the white line more often than Charlie Sheen.
The retirement of Maroons stalwart Justin Hodges paved the way for speedster Justin O’Neil to make his state debut as well. Again, O’Neil isn’t flashy with the pill but he is quicker than the road runner with an open field ahead of him.
An injury to Cooper Cronk during training has sent a chill through the Maroons camp. Everyone seems to be losing their minds at the prospect of Cronk sitting out Game One in the sick bay. But a simple re-shuffle of Thurston to his preferred role of halfback and Michael Morgan’s elevation to starting 5/8 would see the Maroons take the field with a Premiership winning halves pairing. Nothing to sneeze at or get too upset about really.
Forward, Nate Myles, gained a reprieve with his selection despite poor 2016 form with Manly. But what would Origin be without Myles’ forehead? What else would Paul Gallen have to belly ache about?
The Maroons’ back-row has been ripped from the Brisbane Broncos: Sam Thaiday, Matt Gillett and Corey Parker are all in top form. Gillett especially is shaping to have the best series of his life off the back of his form so far this year.
Queensland’s bench is a list of usual suspects: Papalii, Guerra and McGuire take the pine with Michael Morgan, who still may make a start if Cooper Cronk is deemed to crook to play.
WilliamHill.com.au gives Queensland a line of +1.5 @ $1.91. It seems the only reason the Maroons are not liked to win is because Game One is played in Sydney.
SportsBet.com.au like Corey Oates as the overall first try scorer with odds of $9. He is followed by Dane Gagai on $11, Greg Inglis on $12 and Darius Boyd and Justin O’Neil both on $15.
All in all I think the Maroons are going to get away with a win and beat the Blues like a drunken step-dad. The only thing that may play against them is the fact the Blues may rally behind Paul Gallen’s reported last Origin series.
I have the Maroons by -6.5, which SportsBet.com.au gives odds of $3.18. and a left field pick of Sam Thaiday to be first try scorer, who has odds of $6.50 from SportsBet.com.au.
