New South Wales selectors are in the spotlight after the Blues were again outgunned in a State of Origin decider in the Sunshine State, with the decision to play Jack Wighton at 18th man leaving some perplexed.
The Maroons pulled off a remarkable 22-12 victory in front of more than 50-thousand adoring fans as the Suncorp cauldron, despite losing two players to head injuries in the opening five minutes. The Blues lost Cameron Murray as he attempted his first tackle of the game.
The match provided dozens of talking points and enough moments to warrant a second viewing and the result was well in the balance deep into the second half. But the Blues made a multitude of errors in their own 50, with wayward passes by Jarome Luai and Stephen Crichton leading to swings in momentum while knock-ons from Siosifa Talakai and Junior Paulo also added to the building Queensland pressure.
A steppy-solo try by fullback Kalyn Ponga put his team on course for the unlikeliest of wins before Ben Hunt ran away after a failed Nathan Cleary chip and chase to send the crowd into raptures.
The State of Origin shield? That's in Queensland. Source: Getty Images AsiaPac
'He should have been there'
Speaking to NITV, Over The Black Dot host Dean Widders commended the Maroons for a monstrous performance based on heart but said he was also scratching his head over the Blues team makeup for what was always going to be a dour decider.
"I believe that Jack Wighton, how he was left out of the team was one of the biggest selection stuff ups that we've had for a long time," he said.
"He is a player that delivers at that level.
"I know Talakai has been playing good at Cronulla and Crichton at Panthers, but they don't deliver what Jack does at that level. He should have been there.
Widders also said winger Josh Addo-Carr should have been there "from the word go".
"I know that's biased because we are Blackfullas but I just look at the make up of the team and what they needed last night, the X-factor that they bring and the fact they've delivered before."
"I would have even put Kotoni Staggs in there, his ability to beat players one on one. He would have grown into a quality player for the Blues but now they've stalled his progression."
Jack Wighton was the Blues best in game 1 but had to watch the defeat from the sidelines. Source: Getty Images AsiaPac
'They really missed Latrell'
Widders said the game was reminiscent of an "old school style Koori Knockout" match, and with that in mind, Blues coach Brad Fittler should have pulled out all stops to get Latrell Mitchell into the jumper, even if the superstar had declared himself unavailable for selection.
"He had his Alfie Langer, Andrew Johns moment waiting, and we didn't give it to him," he said.
"As soon as he got named for Souths to play, I would have been on the phone to him and said 'yeah bra you get through this game we got ya'.
"I think the lack of communication left Latrell in doubt whether he was going to get there, so I think he wanted to take the pressure off himself."
Widders noted Queensland's aggressive "we're just going to rip into these blokes" attitude to the game, highlighted by a punch-up between centres Dane Gagai and Matt Burton, a moment that changed the intensity of the match.
He is adamant Mitchell would have been perfect to counteract it.
"He would not have taken that. He would have been the one who stood up to it and come and grabbed Dane Gagai and thrown him around. it's what he does, and it rubs off on his teammates," he said.
Widders was also full of praise for Gagai's effort in protecting a fallen Selwyn Cobbo who was knocked out in the opening minutes.
"For his first instinct to go there and make sure he was okay, that's what the brotherhood's all about and that was one of the great moments," he said.
Dane Gagai protects his friend Selwyn Cobbo while players from both sides scuffle. Source: Getty Images AsiaPac
