NSW Origin Side

Well its come and gone with every man and his dog having a say. The Blues team has been announced and to say a few curveballs were thrown on the selection table would be appropriate. Buhrer? To say he is a massive bolter is an understatement. Ryan Hinchcliffe should consider himself unlucky. Really unlucky.

The rest of the side was probably as expected. Ben Creagh was probably another smoky considering Tariq Sims was considered a certainty. Hasn't ever really excelled at Origin level and the whole running away from Justin Hodges incident is hard to forget but he is a hard worker and will play important minutes from the bench.

1. Brett Stewart - Hard to leave out, back to his best and can score tries from all over the park. Great defender from the back. Selects himself.

2. Jarryd Hayne - Playing in a shit Eels side at the moment and not in top form himself, but apart from his magical run from 2009 when has he ever really been 'in form'. Always plays well in Origin, just youtube his Origin performances and you will see why they persist with him.

3. Michael Jennings - So he played reserve grade yesterday. Big deal. Was in a similar situation last year and played a blinder in origin one. Ricky Stuart will get the best from Jennings.

4. Josh Morris - Super strong, super fast, form centre this year south of the border. Picks himself.

5. Akuila Uate - Best winger in the game. Say no more.

6. Todd Carney - In blistering form and is untouchable on his day. Plays at a different speed to most other 5/8's.

7. Mitchell Pearce -  Back to his best in the last 4 weeks. Defended like a man possessed last year and he is as tough as a $2 steak.

8. Paul Gallen (C) - Needs no introduction.

9. Robbie Farah - Outplayed Michael Ennis this year and deserves his spot.

10. James Tamou - Massive improver this year and is getting better each week. In big games you pick big men. He is as big as they come.

11. Luke Lewis - Picks himself, plays like a champion each week.

12. Glenn Stewart - Another champion player. Will add a lot in attack down the right edge. Dominates for Manly on that side of the field.

13. Greg Bird - Plays his best game every chance he gets at Origin. Phil Gould talks about an 'origin player' and he fits that mould to the bone.

14. Jamie Buhrer -  Very, very dicey selection. A dud selection in my opinion. Hopefully he proves us wrong.

15. Ben Creagh - Been rewarded through loyalty by the coach. All the hype was with Tariq Sims but Creagh won't let the Blues down.

16. Trent Merrin - Been tremendous for the Dragons from the bench this year. Punches out big numbers week in and week out. He will have benefitted from the Origin experience last year.

17. Tony Williams - No more destructive ball runner in the game. A real X Factor coming from the bench. So he hasn't played in 9 weeks, the Blues need him and he will be fresh as a daisy.

So there is the team and my opinions on the selections. Leave your thoughts. Love to hear them.