Mass Changes Would Signal the Deserved End of Brad Fittler's Reign as NSW Blues Coach
Redefining the Blues: Analysing the Impact of Potential Mass Changes as Brad Fittler's Era with NSW Blues Nears a Fitting Close.
A large portion of selections made by NSW prior to Game I weren't my cup of tea. The selections of Hudson Young, Tevita Pangai Junior, Api Koroisau, playing Cameron Murray off the bench, and the halves combination were all choices I disagreed with.
As Game II looms, injuries are going to force NSW's hand into making changes, more than the shocking loss did.
Nathan Cleary and Cam Murray (maybe) are out, and Latrell Mitchell will return. That's three changes that Fittler will need to make. If he has any confidence in himself, the choices he has made and the players he’s selected, they're the only ones that should be made.
There's a lot more to coaching than strategy and winning games. There's no better recent example than Ricky Stuart sticking it to the "Muppets" that denigrated his resting of Jarrod Croker to preserve his 300th game in front of a Canberra home crowd.
Now, that decision didn't make the team better against the Tigers. It didn’t have any tangible positive impact. What it did do is show that players deserving of respect and admiration get it at the Canberra Raiders under Ricky Stuart. It shows the jersey means something. It shows that the coach has the players' back in the face of media scrutiny.
Brad Fittler could take a few pages from Ricky Stuart's book.
Just stay away from calling anyone weak-gutted dogs. Or weak, gutted dogs. Or weak, gutter dogs. Whatever the hell he said.
You're Hudson Young.
After two or three years of great form, you’ve been rewarded with dream of pulling on the sky-blue jersey of the NSW Blues.
You’ll actually wear a bastardised Navy one, but who cares, right?
You were selected because of your talent, aggression, and ability to get under the opposition's skin. Not only were you selected, but Brad Fittler also has so much faith in you that you'll start on the left edge.
Now, imagine you're thirty minutes into the match. You've made a few silly mistakes and got penalized for stripping the ball, which isn't easily swallowed in the Origin arena. But you were also one of the few Blues bringing any kind of intensity.
Unfortunately, the team is down 10-0.
You're taken from the field.
Disappointing. Not the start you wanted, but maybe some time on the bench to recompose yourself is exactly what you need for a great second stint. I mean, you were picked for a reason, right? It's your debut. Surely there's some leniency.
You never come back on.
Now, as I said, Young wouldn't have been in my Game I team, but I can see why he was selected. If Fittler believed in his selections, then he has to be given a second chance.
This isn't the first time Fittler has selected a player in a critical role only to throw them on the scrap heap after no time at all.
David Klemmer was 25, one of the best props in the world and looked like he’d start in a Blues jersey for five more years. In 2019, a wrist injury forced him out of Game II. He was then snubbed from Game III. Upon being recalled thanks to a Tariq Sims suspension, Klemmer didn’t hide his distaste. He hasn’t played since, despite being a premium prop.
Cody Walker debuted with the number 6 on his back in Game I of the 2019 series. He was dragged (at five-eighth!) after 56 minutes.
Damian Cook has been one of NSW's best players in every game he has played as hooker. He was dropped to the bench in 2022 in a bid to copy the Maroons’ deadly Ben Hunt/Harry Grant combination. He's now completely missing, despite being the best hooker in the competition, especially from a NSW perspective.
In 2022, Stephen Crichton spent his entire debut on the bench until being thrust on due to a Katoni Staggs injury.
Speaking of Staggs, he was the first-choice centre in 2022. He hasn't sniffed the side again since, despite some great form this year at the Broncos.
Last year, Jake Trbojevic (and Josh Addo-Carr), who was the last player I could have ever imagined not being in the team when fit, was left out of the team in Game I.
Most recently, Nicho Hynes, the reigning Dally M, was catching a cold on the sideline until Tom Trbojevic was sidelined with a head injury.
Obviously, the main concern in this situation is the level of confidence that the player directly involved has in themselves and their coach.
The bigger issue is what it says to all the other players and the instability it creates.
Queensland has a pick-and-stick philosophy for a reason. This approach instils confidence in each player, filled with the trust of their coach to complete their job effectively.
What do you think the rest of the team thought when stalwarts like Jake and The Foxx were left out? There are even smaller examples, like Pangai Junior being selected over someone like Daniel Saifiti, despite him having a better season AND having already performed in the State of Origin arena.
It is the rare person that performs better on the brink of termination.
Barring a few key players, that might rhyme with Yathan Meary, Pames Bebesco, Jamell Titchell, and Risaah Row, one poor performance could be the end of Origin careers.
With the injury to Nathan Cleary, Fittler and the Blues are at a crossroads.
With their fetish for combinations, this is one way I could see them going.
Adam Reynolds comes in for Nathan Cleary. To match with Reynolds, they select Cody Walker. Hey, they've already got Reynolds, Walker, and Mitchell. Let's swap Cook in for Koroisau. If Murray is healthy, let's start him at lock over Yeo. While we're at it, let's drop Young for Keaon Koloamatangi.
Perhaps slightly hyperbolic, but moving a few changes could very quickly become a completely different team. Especially if they continue hunting combinations like the Golden Fleece, ignoring Queensland’s success with a complete lack of them.
The message sent by making mass changes to the side he named in Game I would be career suicide for Fittler, whether they win or lose. It would send a bile-worthy message to the team, the fans, and anyone analysing his coaching performance.
In the same vein, Jarome Luai cannot be dropped under any circumstances.
Heading into Game I, a Hynes/Cleary partnership looked like the best choice to me. Clearly, Fittler thought Luai was the best five-eighth. He has to stand tall with his selection.
To admit to the world (and Luai!) that he was selected purely because of his combination with Cleary is not only a punch in the face to Luai, but proves a consistently terrible selection philosophy.
The best player should be selected, not the player that is good enough to put in because of a club combination. Combinations mean nothing. Take a look at Queensland’s current team and show me any club combination they rely on.
Better yet, here’s the 2005 NSW Team.
Not much of a reliance on combinations.
The best player at the position should be picked. Fittler's selection shows that he thinks Luai is the best player. He cannot drop him for this game.
Now, who he does pick, I don't care. I believe Adam Reynolds, Mitchell Moses, and Nicho Hynes could all slot in at 7 and get the job done.
In the case of Fittler, though, not selecting Hynes would be just the latest slap in the face to his own selection process and players.
Answer this for me. If Queensland had the same options to fill in for Daly Cherry-Evans and Nicho Hynes had been the 18th man (QLD already have a 14) for Game I, who do you think Slater would choose?
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that he would choose Hynes. He wouldn't worry about it being too big of an occasion. He wouldn't care about it being at the opposition's home ground. He would fill him with absolute confidence, give him a job, and trust him to do it.
We saw Slater do exactly this with Tom Dearden last year, and he excelled.
The thing is, it's not just about Game II of the 2023 State of Origin Series.
Nicho Hynes is one of the best players in the NRL. If awards mean anything, he's the best.
At only 26 years old, he is going to be around for a long time.
Adam Reynolds is 32.
For the next five years, Nicho Hynes is going to be the next option in case of an injury if he's not in the starting side.
The time to show that you have confidence in him to do the job is now.
Mercenaries in Origin just don't work. Last year, Fittler picked Talakai. I disagreed, but he picked him and then never selected him again. If Fittler believed in him enough for one game, surely one poor performance in a short stint shouldn’t put a line through him?
The same can be said for Pangai Junior and Young. If he doesn't believe in them enough for another shot, it's just proof that he mangled the initial selection.
There are three scenarios.
The ship goes down with Fittler on it, standing by the crew he selected.
Fittler signs his own termination by making sweeping changes to his team. Win or lose, he’s out.
The Blues complete a heroic comeback and win the series with minimal changes to the team picked in Game I.
Only the first of the two is palatable. The third, while I’d love it, is currently unlikely at best.
Only time will tell if Fittler has learned from his past indiscretions. Of course, he would first have to recognise them as such.
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