CHANGES in ruck speed and personnel will see Queensland coach Mal Meninga take a new approach to team selection for this year’s State of Origin series.
The Maroons are on a mission to win back the Origin shield, a task they have not been confronted with since 2006.
And while Queensland will once again stay loyal to the players who have served the cause so well in the past, this year presents a genuine opportunity for regeneration within the squad.
From last year’s series, tough utility forward Ben Te’o has departed to play rugby union in Europe and winger Brent Tate has retired, meaning at least two new faces could be given an opportunity this year.
While the impressive debut last year of Melbourne Storm star Will Chambers and the irresistible claims of Origin rookie Dane Gagai mean there will be no shortage of contenders for Tate’s vacated jersey, it is replacing Te’o that may require a bit of new thinking.
“With Ben no longer in the mix, it does give us the chance to rethink what we have been doing a little bit,” Meninga said.
“What has also changed this year is the policing of the ruck area by the referees.
“Because of the crackdown on wrestling, the speed of the play the ball has increased and this has made the role of the prop forward even more important.
“What the first few rounds of the competition showed us is that the halves really need that extra fraction of a second of decision time that comes with good forward momentum.
“With that in mind, I think we will be leaning towards having three front-rowers on the bench this year to make sure we can keep that momentum going in the back end of each half.
“We would still probably need to carry that utility role at No.14 like we have been doing, like with Daly Cherry-Evans last year, but we will probably change our thinking slightly to include a bit more size and muscle on the bench this year.”
Mal said the fact that Queensland was blessed with so many talented 80-minute workhorses made the decision to have three interchange props easier.
“Guys like Aidan Guerra, Chris McQueen, Matt Gillett and Corey Parker are all guys we can call upon to go the distance if we need them to,” Mal said.
“The hard part is squeezing them all into the squad and at the same time getting the balance right with the front-row options that we select.
“We are very fortunate that we have a lot of guys in contention who are putting their hand up for selection.
“As we get closer, we will have a better idea of what we are dealing with injury-wise, and we will see who can go to another level with their club form in the NRL to demand selection.”
The first game of this year’s Origin series is on May 27 at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium.
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