Parramatta stars pushing for title glory and possible State of Origin berth
38 minutes ago
CHRISTIAN NICOLUSSI
The Daily Telegraph
Subscriber only
NSW fans could be about to witness the start of a Blues and Gold revolution.
Parramatta have generated a lot of excitement in the pre-season — and a few Eels are entitled to consider themselves serious contenders for Brad Fittler’s Origin team this year, especially if the western Sydney club starts the NRL season as well as expected.
The Eels failed to have a single player involved in last year’s series — the first time in more than 20 years — but have Mitchell Moses, Jarryd Hayne, Nathan Brown, even Bevan French and Tepai Moeroa all in the mix to stop Queensland.
Experienced Origin campaigner and Eels centre Michael Jennings said he would be surprised if at least one Eels player was not included this year.
Parramatta supplied four NSW players in 2010, five in 2002 and a whopping nine in 1983 during the club’s golden years.
Brown, who enjoyed his best season to date _ and whose aggression would be perfect against the Maroons — told The Daily Telegraph one of his personal goals was to push for an Origin berth.
“I need to start well here at Parra and play my best footy, and then everything will take care of itself, but I’d love to play Origin this year,’’ Brown said.
“I’d bring plenty of pride and passion (to a Blues jersey), and I’ve taken a lot of confidence out of last year.
“We have a quality team and we definitely have some representative players of the future. There’s a lot of talent in this group.’’
Fittler told The Daily Telegraph he was keen for Parramatta and the other Sydney clubs to be firing early, which would be a positive from a Blues’ perspective.
“To get our best team we need some Sydney teams doing well, Cronulla have held the fort, and the Roosters have as well,’’ Fittler said.
“The top of the ladder has been dominated by the likes of Brisbane, Melbourne and the Cowboys.
“I enjoyed working with Mitch with Lebanon, and while I haven’t seen any of the game against Newcastle, apparently they did really well, which is great news.
“They’re all in contention because it’s so early.
“Nathan Brown is a guy who plays with spirit, and seems to be a player his teammates like the fact he is playing.’’
French said Origin for him was realistically a couple of more years away and he had a lot of areas to improve on, but would not pass on a call-up if Fittler came knocking. He also spent time with Moses and Moeroa at the Emerging Blues camp last month.
Jennings rarely disappointed against Queensland and was unlucky not to build on his 18 Origin games last year. While still only 29, Jennings expects the Generation Next Eels to have a strong presence on the rep arena.
“I thought there were a few who missed out last year were unlucky,’’ Jennings said.
“There’s a great chance for someone to make it this season, I’ll be surprised if nobody makes it, but we’ve got some talent here.’’
Jennings knows first hand how clubs lift when players are involved in the Origin series.
Replies
Pick em All. All i say: Don"t Argue Freddy Pick em all.All i say
I hope we don't get no one in NSW and QLD side better for us the team we playing I hope they got there star play out so can get a easy win
We are on the up, just not yet.
Timmy Mannah to Captain NSW Blues!
Hey snake....you agree
Tims already embarrassed himself for NSW, nobody needs a repeat.
Is Nathan Brown one of NSW's best 17 players ?
I think so.
Is he one of NSW top 5 middle forwards ?
Trickier to answer.
Woods, Klemmer & Trbojevic will almost certainly be our 3 starters if fit. From there Browny would have to beat out the likes of Fifita, Tamou, Merrin & Frizell for one of the 2, maybe 3 bench spots. He's certainly in the mix no question.
I think Mitch Moses is a real chance if he can get out of the gates quickly. They can't go back to Pearce or Adam Reynolds, Nathan Cleary is steadier but not nearly as dynamic. You would think that Maloney is a lock for left half, the right side is a bit of a crap shoot.
If Jarryd starts well I can see him being picked at right centre, since it is an area of weakness for the Blues, and he will certainly be able to handle Inglis better than most.
French is a couple of years away, and I don't think Moeroa will ever reach that level.
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