Why not both?National Rugby League Premiership
By W D Nicolson - June 14, 2016
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So Laurie Daley hasn't been able to find a spot for James Tedesco in his NSW team for Origin 2 next Wednesday... so I'm a little disappointed that Tedesco on the wing with Matt Moylan at fullback didn't happen.Look at QLD over the years... they find room for greatness - Slater on the wing, Inglis in the centres, Boyd on the wing etc - now I'm not saying Tedesco is an all-time great or anything like that - but he's a fine footy player with game-winning ability... whether you pick him on the wing or not.
Same goes for Moylan - the clueless who claim he's not the player Tedesco is obviously don't watch him every week - he does exactly what Teddy does for the Tigers - he sparks them.
Now QLD you say can get away with it because of the greatness factor but Slater, Inglis and co all started out as potentially great players at Origin level and it still took some time before they started to dominate Origin - even out of position.
But the point here is QLD realised that having as much quality in your side as possible is a big part of building a great side - even if it doesn't look like the right fit on paper - the ability of the players you pick make it work.
Or at least you give them a chance to make it work.
I get the loyalty argument - and it has merit of course, but so does picking a dynamic player like Tedesco somewhere in the team. Plus he was hurt for Game 1 so it's not like Daley definitively picked someone ahead of him.
And then there's Josh Dugan - who isn't fit for Game 2 but I'd still find room for him in the team - on the wing. And that's not a slight on Josh Mansour - he's a real good player - but to borrow the classic coaching move after a big loss - let's just drop a winger and everything will be fine.
So what does the NSW backline look like if Daley adopted the best available strategy for Game 3 (whether the series is alive or not)?
1. Moylan
2. Tedesco
3. Jennings/Morris
4. Morris/Ferguson
5. Dugan
Now Jennings, Morris and Ferguson all haven't set the world on fire this season (or in Game 1 when NSW didn't really use them) and yes, Dugan can play centre if you want to keep Mansour in the side.
But the key here is this combo has some serious extra pep with Teddy in the backline. And nothing stops him from swapping out with Moylan at times in attack or defence - again, this isn't reinventing the wheel but it adds options - and after Game 1 it's fairly clear NSW needed more options.
And what's wrong with options?
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