City/Country Discussion

Ladies and gentlemen, it is that time of the NRL season again. Each and every year the same debates are held after the naming of the sides for the annual city/country clash.

Looking at the makeup of both squads, one thing immediately becomes clear. This is no longer a genuine NSW selection trial, and I don’t believe it has been so for years.

With all due respect to the players selected, only a few are anywhere near Origin selection, while others are selected with a view to the future.

This game has long been treated by NRL clubs as nothing more than an unwanted annoyance, and is looked upon by fans as an NRL token gesture to appease fans in the bush.

Below are a few talking points that need discussing. We would love your thoughts below.

No Longer A Selection Trial

This ‘rep’ game hasn’t been a genuine selection trial for many years. Blake Austin scored three tries in last year’s game yet was still overlooked in favour an out of form halves pairing.

The game is an enjoyable fixture and provokes emotion from the live fans, while giving the local community a big boost, but the result doesn’t matter in the long run.

Looking at the squads the following players have genuine Origin hopes: Croker, Maloney, Frizell, Cordner, Vaughan, Sims, Cartwright, Mansour, Sezer, Peats.

The likes of de Belin and Bird are genuine future Origin hopefuls, but the squads are filled with too many players who are fringe reserve graders to be treated as a rep trial.

Incumbent NSW halves Hodkinson and Pearce will not contest the game, while Andrew Fifita is also missing. Although they may have been injury-related non selections, you’d have to think that if this were a genuine origin trial, they’d demand to be picked.

Where is Ryan James by the way? Josh Morris? James Roberts? Jennings isn’t going to play in the test side, so surely he’d be demanding to play this game also.

Despite my personal thoughts on the Pearce/Hodkinson combo, I expect them to be picked for NSW despite not playing in this game.

And here come the injuries

It must be coincidence that every year, during this very same round, that there are a mountain of, not so serious, injuries suffered.

Jake Trbojevic, who has an outside shot at a NSW jumper and has plenty of rep honours in his future, has withdrawn from this match, as has Wade Graham.

Both players are far more likely to be in Laurie Daley’s sights than the likes of Chris Lawrence and Tyrone Peachey, who will take part in the fixture.

Expect more injuries to be uncovered in the build up to the game as withdrawals are almost guaranteed.

Perhaps I am a sceptic, but I’m willing to hazard a guess that both Trbojevic and Wade would line up for their club sides if push came to shove.

Graham, a genuine NSW chance, has been playing for the Sharks with an injury for weeks. Why should he risk further damage in a game that doesn’t mean anything outside of a one-off result?

Given that good performances over the next few weeks for the Sharks will be regarded higher than a one-off good performance here, what’s the point of players risking their health?

We have players who debuted in the NRL this season playing ‘rep footy’, while we have a future rep centre playing halfback, and a second rower playing on the wing.

Why Bother?

So, if the game is no longer a genuine rep trial, nor are players willing to make themselves available, what is the point of the fixture?

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be watching. It’s an enjoyable game and I like to support the city side based on growing up in the big smoke, but not for a second does the result matter.

Can anyone honestly tell me who won the last five clashes?

It’s a fun day of footy and the community engagement is amazing. I am certainly not joining the call for the fixture to be scrapped, but if the NRL want it to be anything else other than a novelty, they have to ensure players are made available to play, and selectors need to genuinely show that the game matters.

If it did, Blake Austin would have been amongst the first players picked for NSW last season.

Why he wasn’t, don’t get me started, that’s another discussion for another day.