Brisbane youngster Peter Wallace was today named halfback for NSW for game one of rugby league's State of Origin series after injury ruled Newcastle utility Kurt Gidley out of contention.

Wallace will partner Test five eighth Greg Bird at ANZ Stadium on May 21 with odds on favourite Gidley ruled out this morning after suffering a fractured cheekbone for Newcastle in last night's 18-4 NRL loss to Melbourne at Olympic Park.

It opened the door for 22-year-old Wallace to make his debut for the Blues, beating off established halfbacks including Parramatta's Brett Finch, Manly's Matt Orford and Newcastle's Jarrod Mullen for the position.

Wallace has been a revelation since joining the Broncos from Penrith in the off season, helping to lead Brisbane into the top four while skipper Darren Lockyer battled with a knee injury.

Sydney Roosters captain Craig Fitzgibbon is the other surprise selection, the 30-year-old backrower earning a recall to the Blues on the interchange bench after missing out for the past two seasons.

"Eighteen months ago everyone thought he had lost his legs but he has found them again and it's a deserved spot for him," said new NSW coach Craig Bellamy.
"Obviously he is experienced in big games which will be good for us, and he is a goalkicker as well."

Gold Coast forward Anthony Laffranchi won a deserved State of Origin debut jersey after narrowly missing out on an Australian Test jumper for the Centenary Test last week, named alongside Fitzgibbon on the interchange bench with Anthony Tupou and Dragons utility Ben Hornby.

Melbourne winger Anthony Quinn and Newcastle prop Ben Cross were also been selected for their NSW debuts, Cross to combine with his former Storm teammate Brett White.

NSW selectors made nine changes to the side which won the final game of last year's series with incumbents Gidley, Nathan Hindmarsh, Andrew Ryan, Steve Simpson, Matt King, Jamie Lyon, Brett Kimmorley, Brent Kite and Luke Bailey all missing from Bellamy's 2008 team.

Former Melbourne star King was considered ineligible as he is now playing in the UK Super League, while Gidley (cheekbone), Simpson (knee) and Bailey (wrist) missed out due to injury.

Manly prop Kite is the most controversial omission, dropped from the NSW side despite a strong performance for the Kangaroos in last week's Centenary Test win over the Kiwis.

"Brent played for Australia three or four days ago, he was in our discussions for a long time but this is a team we think will do the best job in the way we want to play the game," said Bellamy.

Sydney Roosters five-eighth Braith Anasta is another unlucky omission with his strong club form overlooked in favour of Bird's proven ability in both the Blues and Kangaroos jumpers.

The full team
1. Brett Stewart (Sea Eagles)
2. Jarryd Hayne (Eels)
3. Mark Gasnier (Dragons)
4. Matt Cooper (Dragons)
5. Anthony Quinn (Storm)
6. Greg Bird (Sharks)
7. Peter Wallace (Broncos)
8. Brett White (Storm)
9. Danny Buderus (Knights)
10. Ben Cross (Knights)
11. Ryan Hoffman (Storm)
12. Willie Mason (Roosters)
13. Paul Gallen (Sharks)

14. Anthony Laffranchi (Titans)
15. Anthony Tupou (Roosters)
16. Craig Fitzgibbon (Roosters)
17. Ben Hornby (Dragons)


In form Gold Coast halfback Scott Prince has been snubbed by Queensland selectors, with Karmichael Hunt picked to partner Johnathan Thurston in the halves for Origin I against NSW.

Queensland chairman of selectors Des Morris said it was a tough decision, but he said selectors felt that Prince was a halfback and Hunt's versatility won him the No.6 jersey following the unavailability of injured Test skipper Darren Lockyer (knee).

"It's a big job to fill obviously with a player of Darren's calibre not available, we feel he's played a fair bit of that position during the game and he's very strong in defence," said Morris of Hunt.

"We think he'll be a good mix with Johnathan (Thurston)."

Morris said he felt for Prince but pointed out the Titans' play maker was competing against the best halfback in the world.

"I think he'd be disappointed but Scott's a halfback in our opinion and unfortunately he's competing against Johnathan Thurston who's probably got the edge on him at the moment."

Hunt's selection in the No.6 jersey has opened the door for Billy Slater's Origin recall at fullback.

Manly centre Steven Bell has lost his spot in the backline, with selectors opting for Test representatives Justin Hodges and Greg Inglis in the centres.

The Maroons will field an All-Australian front row with North Queensland's Carl Webb and Penrith's Petero Civoniceva joining hooker Cameron Smith who will captain the team.

Brisbane recruit PJ Marsh has earned himself an interchange position despite playing just 63 minutes of football in the past six weeks due to a rib injury, while a powerhouse season from Brisbane's Ben Hannant has handed him his Origin debut on the bench.

The other player to make his Queensland debut is Melbourne winger Israel Folau.

The reigning premiers are heavily represented with six Melbourne players dotting the line-up, while five Broncos also made the 17.

The full team
1. Billy Slater (Storm)
2. Brent Tate (Warriors)
3. Greg Inglis (Storm)
4. Justin Hodges (Broncos)
5. Israel Folau (Storm)
6. Karmichael Hunt (Broncos)
7. Johnathan Thurston (Cowboys)
8. Carl Webb (Cowboys)
9. Cameron Smith (capt) (Storm)
10. Petero Civoniceva (Panthers)
11. Michael Crocker (Storm)
12. Sam Thaiday (Broncos)
13. Dallas Johnson (Storm)

14. PJ Marsh (Broncos)
15. Ben Hannant (Broncos)
16. Nate Myles (Roosters)
17. Jacob Lillyman (Cowboys)

great threaqd.
cant wait till the blues bury the toads up to there necks.

come onnnnnnnn the blues
end result n.s.w 2 qld 1

qld 2-1 after nsw win the first game

cmon qld, win the 3rd game so i can collect

June 15, 2008

PARRAMATTA half-back Brett Finch thrust his name into Origin III reckoning and the Eels into the NRL top eight with a scintillating performance in the 44-6 demolition of Wests Tigers.

Finch and halves partner Feleti Mateo toyed with a Tigers side pummeled into submission by a powerful Eels pack, former Blues No.7 Finch giving NSW selectors plenty of food for thought as they look to rebuild a side demolished by the Maroons in Origin II.

With NSW half-back Peter Wallace no certainty to be fit for the Origin decider on July 2 after undergoing minor groin surgery last week, Finch picked the perfect time to find his best form, playing a leading role in five of the Eels' eight tries at ANZ Stadium.

NSW bench utility Kurt Gidley, who was set to be handed the half-back role ahead of game one before injury struck on selection eve, would also come into calculations if Wallace was ruled out.

But Finch, who has played three matches for NSW with the last being in 2006, made sure his name was in the selectors' thoughts.

“He's been really good for a number of weeks, but I thought today was the most patient and composed the team's been and he was a big reason for that,'' Parramatta coach Michael Hagan said.

“I thought he and Feleti were really in control in our attack.''

It's a pity Mateo isn't eligible to join Finch in the sky blue after continuing his recent purple patch of form with another man of the match display.

Mateo can't play for NSW after declaring his allegiances to Tonga.

The 24-year-old, who has played two Tests, had until the May 8 Rugby League International Federation meeting to seek permission to play for NSW and Australia, something he had said he was keen to do after representing City Origin earlier this year.

By not seeking a switch, he remains eligible for Tonga and lost to NSW for at least this year's series.

“His management was informed a week before the deadline that they needed to seek permission to change (allegiances),'' ARL chief executive Geoff Carr confirmed.

“We made sure we told them, so there was no mix-up.''

Mateo would have come into the mix for a spot on the bench had Gidley been thrown into the starting line-up, and there is no doubt his stunning ball skills would be handy for a NSW held scoreless in Brisbane.

But NSW selector Laurie Daley today said mass changes for game three were unlikely, despite the game two result.

“As a selection group we haven't met yet and we haven't discussed the outcome of Wednesday night's performance,'' Daley said.

“We're all very disappointed with how it turned out, I don't think anyone expected 30 points to be put on NSW and us delivering nothing.

“I think one thing which has worked in Queensland's favour over the years have been when NSW has lost we've made wholesale changes.

“I'm not all for making a lot of changes.''

June 16, 2008

RUGBY league has mourned the passing of one of the giants of State of Origin, Dick Turner, who died in Brisbane this morning after a long illness, aged 76.

"Tosser" Turner never actually played for Queensland, yet he was the heart and soul of the Queensland State of Origin sides that would change the face of interstate rugby league.

He was the man the Queensland players cheered the loudest after their series levelling victory at Suncorp Stadium this year as an ailing Turner (named only the night before as the Queensland Team of the Century manager) was wheeled into the room for what would be his last ever Origin outing.

In some ways the former Brisbane Norths and Redcliffe player, and Redcliffe coach and chairman, set the scene for Origin in the early 1960s when he lured a young Artie Beetson from Roma to Redcliffe.

In 1982 Origin moved from a one-off event to an all-or-nothing series, with Beetson the coach and Dick "Tosser" Turner the new co-manager.

To this day it’s hard to put a finger on just what he did, but champions from Wally Lewis to Darren Lockyer will attest to the influence he had in cultivating a unique Queensland Origin spirit.

Dick Turner’s life-long commitment to the game in Queensland also saw him as Chairman of the South Queensland Crushers between 1995 and 1998.

In 1996 he stepped aside as Queensland manager and a year later became the first Chairman of FOGS (a post he retained until his death), the association of Queensland Former Origin Greats who continue to raise tens of thousands of dollars for charity each year.

"He was a man of tremendous passion when it came to Queensland and Rugby League, yet he had enormous compassion for any individual who needed a hand," ARL Chief Executive, Mr Geoff Carr, said.

"Dick was one of those guys who had a smile for everyone and he understood the camaraderie of football teams like few others."

National Rugby League Chief Executive, Mr David Gallop, said that one only had to look at the esteem in which Dick Turner was held by so many champion players to realise how special he was:

"You had to be inspired by the way the biggest names in Queensland’s Origin history gathered at the Queensland Team of the Century Dinner and the FOGS lunch in Brisbane to wish him well.

"He was a man who had an enormous impact on their lives and on rugby league."

June 23, 2008

GREG Bird is almost certain to miss State of Origin III with scans confirming the Cronulla utility had suffered a ruptured posterior capsule in his left knee.

The injury is expected to sideline Bird for between 2-3 weeks, leaving him next to no chance of being selected in the New South Wales side for the Origin decider on July 2.

Scans also revealed Bird had suffered bone bruising around the knee after coming down awkwardly in the first half of Sunday's dramatic 16-14 win over Parramatta.

Both the anterior and posterior ligaments were intact.

Meanwhile Bird's Cronulla teammate Brett Kimmorley was cleared of any fractures following scans on his left eye socket and cheekbone.

Kimmorley came off second best when collected high and late by Eels prop Fuifui Moimoi in the final minute on Sunday.

The veteran half-back is expected to be fit to play in Monday night's match against Canberra.

Moimoi was charged with a grade one contrary conduct charge as a result of the hit and faces a one-match stint on the sidelines.

what a week for me, got kendale bale at horsham cup then qld wins series 2-1, im on fire on the punt

Well Done Apollo.

6673 New South Wales $2.10
6674 Queensland $1.70