Panther power puts odds in NSW Blues' favour
If history is anything to go by, the benefit of having six Penrith players running out together in State of Origin will benefit NSW.
Call it intuition, call it combinations or just call it a mental edge.
Whatever it is, the numbers show that when Penrith’s six State of Origin stars run out together on Wednesday night, the odds will favour NSW.
Of the past six times NSW have picked at least half a dozen players from the one club for a State of Origin game dating back to 1985, the Blues have won five of those games.
Queensland’s most recent era of success was also built on club combinations, with Melbourne players often dominating the spine and key positions.
For NSW, such club combinations have been rare in recent seasons.
Penrith are the first NRL team since St George Illawarra in 2011 to field six or more players in a NSW side, with the Dragons having seven Blues for Game I that year.
Like the Panthers, the Dragons of 2011 were into their third straight big year and were sitting at 11-1 in their premiership defence before entering camp.
“It definitely helped me because it was my first Origin series,” Dragons half Jamie Soward told AAP.
“Having so many Dragons guys, it took the pressure off everyone else to accept me.
“The other guys who didn’t know me had probably formed opinions.
“People would say I was soft and only kicked, and all that. So to have guys in the team who trusted me forced other guys to trust me.”
Soward’s 2011 team did not lift the Origin shield, with coach Ricky Stuart playing five Dragons in Game II and four in Game III.
But after the dominant Queensland team had torn NSW apart between 2007 and 2010, they did go some way to putting the Blues back in Origin reckoning with a win in Sydney forcing a decider.
“I just remember going in there with a team that had finished minor premiers twice, won a comp,” Soward said.
“And we had eight guys there who knew how to win in those big games.
“Gaz (Mark Gasnier) and Beau (Scott) had been there before, but the familiarity around how I played as a playmaker definitely helped me.
“Penrith will have that with the way they’ve played the last couple of years.
“They have the best halfback in the world (in Nathan Cleary), one of the world’s best five-eighths (in Jarome Luai) and the best lock in the world (with Isaah Yeo).
Defence also looms as one of NSW’s biggest advantages.
Cameron Smith told Sydney radio on Monday of how Queensland had spent early days in their Game I camp working out their defensive structures.
NSW have had it far easier in that facet, with the Panthers who regularly defend together at club level complementing 13 players backing up from last series under Brad Fittler.
It was another thing Soward did not take for granted in 2011.
“I had Beau (Scott) who was looking after me at the Dragons, so it was a plug-and-play situation with those guys,” Soward said.
“We had a combination straight away defensively which is important. And they had GI (Greg Inglis) and (Billy) Slater swinging around the back.”
Stuart’s thinking in 2011 was no doubt borne out of his own career.
He spent the majority of his Origin days playing alongside Laurie Daley in the halves, with fellow Raiders Brad Clyde and Glenn Lazarus in the middle.
It was a time when NSW enjoyed their most success in Origin, thriving off the Canberra club combination and stability around the selections.
“When I played with Loz, I knew where he would be,” Stuart said.
“I didn’t have to hear him. “Instinctively we knew one another’s games and he knew what my role was at the ruck and he knew what he had to do outside the football to receive it.
“That comes through repetitive practice and muscle memory. That’s the beauty of picking players whose combination becomes instinctive.”
Penrith players are also well aware of the upside.
Think Yeo in the middle, linking with Cleary and Luai on the edges or going short to Liam Martin.
Or the combination Cleary already has with Martin when he comes on the field, together with Luai having regularly played and defended next to Stephen Crichton and Brian To’o.
“It’s nice, you don’t have to worry about building relationships there,” Yeo said.
“We have been building them over the past five or six years, so that is pretty cool.
“You know how each player gets the ball, you know how they like it.
“Having played so much footy together, I think it helps in games like this. It is so helter-skelter, so fast, you can’t hear yourself think.
“That’s where I feel like that helps.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I guess we may all agree on the fact, that the ABs and Boks are the two in contest for No 1 in rugby history (the triple-A sort of) …. the Wallabies, England and France are the next tier, with Ireland being the new kid in town (AA) …. in my view it makes little sense creating imaginary competitions (unless you have too much time to waste)
43 Go to commentsWhat a joke. Total joke and the pundits commentating, all of whom know a bit about the game, could barely disguise their contempt. Reaching for the card then pulling back when he realised a red card would carry further match suspensions is simply not his decision to make. A clear and obvious influence on the outcome of this match and indeed, the championship path.
2 Go to commentsI like the idea, in NZ the Ranfurly Shield and NPC coexist, both having their own bragging rights. The World Cup would be the pinnacle, but the competition and travels of these trophies would be interesting.
43 Go to commentsDon’t worry Sonny bill Williams leave that awkward situation about the curfew in the pass whoever it was it doesn’t matter its no big deal we back our All Blacks through the storm and the thunder until we see the Sun light again.
42 Go to commentsWho listens to this retard? He was a massive liability as a player but obviously a media sensation
42 Go to commentsI’m not surprised by such ‘virtue signalling’ by Sonny Boy. Butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. He’s such a pious Islamic muppet, imo.
42 Go to commentsI’ve actually never heard of the guy (then I don’t watch League as it is boring). But if he is good enough.. then good luck to him. If not, well, he can always return to league.
2 Go to commentsIt is pretty clear that by almost any measure that NZ are a more successful rugby nation than South Africa. Quite aside from the distasteful events during the last RWC final. NZ lead SA in all significant measurements.
43 Go to commentsDickson went to his pocket for a card, saw who it was, changed his mind and spoke at length to TMO. One angle clearly shows Care diving over a Saints player to kill the ball. 1st yellow, reason given for not Red was player was falling backwards. He was only falling backwards after contact with Lawes. Graham try should have stood. Mitchell did not have both hands on the ball, ball went forward from a Saints boot dragging over it. 2 intentional knock-on's. One of which had an overlap on the outside. If Quins are happy to win by intentional foul play, then it does not say much for them. Would appear to be a bad day for Karl Dickson, also for the RFU in appointing a Ref who spent 8 years as a player at one of the clubs.
2 Go to commentsLet’s not forget about Ardie Savea just yet.
6 Go to commentsThe URC and the Euro Championscup can’t run at the same time, basically dilutes both competitions.
1 Go to comments“While Sotutu should start at No.8 for the All Blacks against England, but it’s only in that arena that he can prove just how good he really is.” And that my friends is where simply hasnt shone despite multiple opportunities. Even in this performance you can see what did him in in the test arena..he almost always still runs at the opposition almost ramrod upright making him easier to stop than it should be.
6 Go to commentsShould have been 0-0 and a message from SR CEO to both teams - “don’t worry about turning up next year”.
4 Go to commentsGreat work Owen Franks. A great of this team, scoring his first try for the Crusaders since 2010.He was beaming, justifiably. A fine win, he and the rest did the job up front.
1 Go to commentsDanny Care. Lang in die tand.
1 Go to commentsBig empty stadium does nothing for atmosphere but munster are playing well with solid performance
1 Go to commentsYes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
4 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
4 Go to comments