Orford Snub could have NSW singing the Blues

Paul Johnson reports; Have the NSW Blues State of Origin selectors panicked in selecting Brett Finch ahead of an inform Matt Orford?

With the injury to Craig Gower, NSW faced an immediate dilemma, who to call up into the squad to play halfback, and it turns out they have made the riskiest decision of all.

Clearly the selectors and coach of NSW panicked and attempted to coax Johns out of representative retirement one last time but they failed.

Johns then turned down his call up into the Blues squad and the selectors and coach went ahead and made what may be looked back upon as one of the worst decisions in State of Origin history.

They selected Brett Finch. Snubbing the red hot Matt Orford and a host of other better credentialed players in the process.

Finch has never lived up to the rave reviews lauded upon him as a young halfback in Canberra, it was even said that his teammate at the time Mark McLinden was a better prospect, and since moving to Bondi he has done little to prove his worth aside from telling his own club’s supporters where they could shove it after the Roosters snapped a losing streak earlier this year.

So it is that NSW have the overpaid and under performing Roosters halves combination of Braith Anasta and Brett Finch in the first and second receiver roles, and if they continue to struggle then expect Johnathon Thurston, Darren Lockyer and company to run all over them.

Players of the ilk of Matt Orford, Scott Hill, Brett Kimmorley and Preston Campbell should be disappointed and miffed; they are clearly in better form and much better players.

Particularly Orford; who has been one of the top three halves in the league for the last few seasons. Clearly these players were not selected for reasons unknown, but form and not your name or who you play club football for should be the issue.

If NSW lose this game, they will struggle for the rest of the series and it may well be because they lack a form halfback, but do have one who has a tendency to implode when the pressure is on.

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