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Michael Westlake

Gillmeister: Maroons to Enjoy Overwhelming Depth in 2011

Seven months out from Queensland’s next State of Origin campaign, the Maroons are already nursing an incredible selection headache.


With Mal Meninga’s all-conquering Maroons chasing an incredible sixth consecutive series win in 2011, the challenge of staying on top has been made tougher with New South Wales overhauling its Origin preparations, borrowing from the Queensland blueprint for success. But amazingly, the Queensland cause appears to be increasing in strength, with a number of returning and emerging stars giving the Maroons the kind of depth that could only have been dreamed about at the start of this dynasty in 2006.


Having secured a clean sweep in the 2010 series, the Maroons have an unprecedented arsenal of weapons at their disposal to continue their winning run. The return of Dallas Johnson to the NRL with the Cowboys after his stint in France is an example of just one of the selection traffic jams facing Meninga and the selectors next year.


Johnson was a mainstay of the Maroons pack until he went to Europe, but in his absence Ashley Harrison stood up to make the Maroon No.13 jersey his own. The centre position is just as competitive. Queenslanders Brent Tate and Willie Tonga, who will be teammates at the Cowboys in 2011, look like being Australia’s first-choice centre pairing for the upcoming Four Nations series.


But Queensland also has to find room for Greg Inglis, as well as his new Broncos teammate Justin Hodges, who will be returning from injury next year and was another foundation stone of the Maroons’ success. Tate and Hodges missed this year’s Origin campaign, while Inglis and Tonga formed Queensland’s centre combination. The halves are the same, with current Test halfback Cooper Cronk, long-term Queensland No.7 Johnathan Thurston and Gold Coast star Scott Prince all pushing to be the one to partner skipper Darren Lockyer in the middle of the field.


“It’s a pretty amazing position to be in ,” says Maroons conditioning coach Trevor Gillmeister.


“Looking across the park, we’re lucky that we’ve got so many proven performers who can do the job for us.


“And then we’ve got guys like young Daniel Vidot who will be looking to make the step up to Origin in the next year or two.


“I reckon the most pleasing area though is in the forwards. Probably at the start of this year, there were a few people getting a bit nervous when we had Steve Price, Petero Civoniceva and Ben Hannant struggling with injuries.


“Pricey and Petero had been doing the job so long and so well for us, it was hard to imagine anyone filling their shoes.


“But the way David Shillington and Matt Scott in particular stepped up this year was terrific to watch. They established themselves as genuine Origin stars, and they are the ones Queensland will build its future around.


“There’s still a long way to go, and obviously injuries and things are going to dictate what happens to a certain extent.


“But Queensland has never been in better shape.”

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