sviruch
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Blues clues: Dogs' Morris could cement place Brad Walter
April 29, 2011.
CANTERBURY centre Josh Morris will tonight move a step closer to regaining his NSW Origin jersey with a solid performance against Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium.
With St George Illawarra veteran Matt Cooper having retired from representative football, Morris is in line to win the left centre berth for the Blues and play alongside brother Brett after making an earlier than expected return from a knee injury sustained in round one.
Provided he plays well tonight, the Herald has been told that Morris will be named in the Country side to play City in Albury next Friday night.
With the match touted as a virtual NSW trial for places in the opening Origin match on May 26, Country coach Laurie Daley and his City counterpart Brad Fittler are working closely with Blues mentor Ricky Stuart on the selection of their teams.
Only four NSW players, Cronulla back-rower Paul Gallen, Newcastle utility Kurt Gidley, Parramatta fullback Jarryd Hayne and Brett Morris are expected to be in the Australian team named on Sunday to play New Zealand next Friday night.
Dragons centre Mark Gasnier, Gold Coast lock Greg Bird, Canberra forward Tom Learoyd-Lahrs and Cronulla prop Kade Snowden are others also thought to be in contention for the Kangaroos.
Those players chosen in the Australian team will be virtual certainties for the Blues but the majority of the team will be decided after the City-Country match, with Stuart having a line-up in mind but wanting a number of potential selections to confirm their places in Albury.
Among them are Dragons five-eighth Jamie Soward and Sydney Roosters halfback Mitchell Pearce, who was all but guaranteed the No.7 jersey at the start of the season alongside troubled teammate Todd Carney but is now under threat from Knights playmaker Jarrod Mullen.
Should Mullen and Soward star for Country, there will be a push for them to form the NSW scrumbase combination in Origin I, while both could also be vying for the five-eighth role if Pearce is halfback.
Gasnier appears certain to be the NSW right centre, with Canterbury's Jamal Idris in line for a place on the interchange bench.The pair are likely to oppose each other in the City-Country match, with Brisbane's Justin Hodges favoured for the role in the Australian team.
Up front, Snowden, Learoyd-Lahrs, Canterbury's Aiden Tolman, St George Illawarra's Trent Merrin and Dan Hunt, Parramatta's Tim Mannah, Manly's Jason King, Cronulla's Luke Douglas and Wests Tigers prop Keith Galloway are expected to fight it out next Friday night for NSW front-row berths.
Bulldogs hooker Michael Ennis will pack down for Country opposite Wests Tigers skipper Robbie Farah but the real rivalry for a NSW jersey will be with bush teammate Dean Young.
The Dragons hooker will be named on the interchange bench for Country but Stuart is understood to be planning to start with him in the NSW No.9 jersey and use Gidley off the interchange bench as dummy half.
Young would then go into the second row, enabling Stuart to carry Gidley, Idris and two props on the interchange bench. Idris is also likely to be used as a back-rower if he is in the team.
However, Gidley may also be used at five-eighth or fullback - depending on how the likes of Soward, Mullen, Pearce, Hayne and Canberra's Josh Dugan fare in coming weeks.
Gallen will captain NSW and with Bird also expected to be in the side, there should be one back-row berth up for grabs in the City-Country fixture.
April 29, 2011.
CANTERBURY centre Josh Morris will tonight move a step closer to regaining his NSW Origin jersey with a solid performance against Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium.
With St George Illawarra veteran Matt Cooper having retired from representative football, Morris is in line to win the left centre berth for the Blues and play alongside brother Brett after making an earlier than expected return from a knee injury sustained in round one.
Provided he plays well tonight, the Herald has been told that Morris will be named in the Country side to play City in Albury next Friday night.
With the match touted as a virtual NSW trial for places in the opening Origin match on May 26, Country coach Laurie Daley and his City counterpart Brad Fittler are working closely with Blues mentor Ricky Stuart on the selection of their teams.
Only four NSW players, Cronulla back-rower Paul Gallen, Newcastle utility Kurt Gidley, Parramatta fullback Jarryd Hayne and Brett Morris are expected to be in the Australian team named on Sunday to play New Zealand next Friday night.
Dragons centre Mark Gasnier, Gold Coast lock Greg Bird, Canberra forward Tom Learoyd-Lahrs and Cronulla prop Kade Snowden are others also thought to be in contention for the Kangaroos.
Those players chosen in the Australian team will be virtual certainties for the Blues but the majority of the team will be decided after the City-Country match, with Stuart having a line-up in mind but wanting a number of potential selections to confirm their places in Albury.
Among them are Dragons five-eighth Jamie Soward and Sydney Roosters halfback Mitchell Pearce, who was all but guaranteed the No.7 jersey at the start of the season alongside troubled teammate Todd Carney but is now under threat from Knights playmaker Jarrod Mullen.
Should Mullen and Soward star for Country, there will be a push for them to form the NSW scrumbase combination in Origin I, while both could also be vying for the five-eighth role if Pearce is halfback.
Gasnier appears certain to be the NSW right centre, with Canterbury's Jamal Idris in line for a place on the interchange bench.The pair are likely to oppose each other in the City-Country match, with Brisbane's Justin Hodges favoured for the role in the Australian team.
Up front, Snowden, Learoyd-Lahrs, Canterbury's Aiden Tolman, St George Illawarra's Trent Merrin and Dan Hunt, Parramatta's Tim Mannah, Manly's Jason King, Cronulla's Luke Douglas and Wests Tigers prop Keith Galloway are expected to fight it out next Friday night for NSW front-row berths.
Bulldogs hooker Michael Ennis will pack down for Country opposite Wests Tigers skipper Robbie Farah but the real rivalry for a NSW jersey will be with bush teammate Dean Young.
The Dragons hooker will be named on the interchange bench for Country but Stuart is understood to be planning to start with him in the NSW No.9 jersey and use Gidley off the interchange bench as dummy half.
Young would then go into the second row, enabling Stuart to carry Gidley, Idris and two props on the interchange bench. Idris is also likely to be used as a back-rower if he is in the team.
However, Gidley may also be used at five-eighth or fullback - depending on how the likes of Soward, Mullen, Pearce, Hayne and Canberra's Josh Dugan fare in coming weeks.
Gallen will captain NSW and with Bird also expected to be in the side, there should be one back-row berth up for grabs in the City-Country fixture.
