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After a decade of remarkably embarrassing football, the NSW Origin side has this year announced a radical new game plan. Selecting Aboriginal footballers who probably should have been playing three years ago.
Aside from Timana Tahu and Jamal Idris, the NSW Origin team has been notoriously non-Indigenous throughout Queensland’s iconic eight-in-row streak, with a history-making Maroons side that was majority Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
In an almost a mirror parallel to the starting line up of Mal Meninga’s 2006 Queensland side, this year’s Blues squad is made up solely of blackfellas and white boys with last name’s that are hard to pronounce, like De Belin and Trbojevic.
The blues side is as follows:
NSW Blues team for State of Origin game one: 1. James Tedesco, 2. Tom Trbojevic, 3. Latrell Mitchell, 4. James Roberts, 5. Josh Addo-Carr, 6. James Maloney, 7. Nathan Cleary, 8. David Klemmer
9. Damien Cook, 10. Reagan Campbell-Gillard, 11. Boyd Cordner (c), 12. Tyson Frizell, 13. Jack De Belin. Interchange: 14. Paul Vaughan, 15. Jake Trbojevic, 16. Angus Crichton, 17. Tyrone Peachey, 18. Tariq Sims, 19. Nick Cotric.
Speaking to the Advocate today, the Blues coach says he’s surprised it hasn’t happened before to be honest. Like, maybe a few Islander boys got a run, but it was mostly just tattooed little westies and sons and nephews of former greats.
“I dunno aye” said Coach Brad Fittler.
“Not sure why they’d never done it before. I mean, it was clear that Queensland had”
Ex NRL player Anthony Mundine has relished in the fact that NSW have finally decided to ‘fight fire with fire’.
“What’ve I been saying!?” said Choc.
Many analysts say that aside from winning, another positive that can come from this selection is that now maybe young Koori kids won’t grow up supporting the Maroons, or even worse, playing for them.
