Following Queensland’s series-levelling victory, attention is turning to a selection call that many fans and pundits questioned from the moment the team was announced — the decision to overlook Canberra young gun Ethan Strange in favour of the more experienced Mitchell Moses who was then subbed off with minutes remaining.
State of Origin history is littered with New South Wales selection decisions that looked questionable at the time and even worse in hindsight.
Unfortunately for the Blues, Game II may have added another chapter to that list.
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It’s a familiar story for New South Wales.
For decades, the Blues have often been accused of picking players based on reputation rather than form, backing experience over momentum and searching for safe options instead of embracing the next generation.
While Queensland has traditionally built dynasties by trusting emerging stars, New South Wales has frequently found itself looking backwards.
The Moses selection felt like another example.
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The Parramatta half entered the side with plenty of credentials, but Ethan Strange had spent the season proving he belongs on the biggest stage. The Canberra playmaker has been one of the competition’s most exciting young talents, bringing energy, toughness and an instinctive running game that many believed was tailor-made for Origin football.
Instead, the Blues opted for experience.
The gamble didn’t pay off.
As Queensland’s defensive pressure intensified, New South Wales looked short of creativity and spark. Their attack became predictable, and when the game demanded someone to seize the moment, the Blues simply couldn’t find an answer.
That wasn’t solely on Moses.
The spotlight must also fall on Nathan Cleary.
For all of his dominance at club level and his status as the game’s premier halfback, Cleary once again struggled to stamp his authority on an Origin contest.
The numbers may not tell the full story, but the reality is difficult to ignore. Cleary has built one of the greatest club careers of the modern era, winning premierships and controlling games week after week for Penrith. Yet Origin remains the one arena where he has too often failed to produce the match-defining performances expected of a player of his standing.
When Queensland needed Cameron Munster to rise to the occasion, he did.
When New South Wales needed Cleary to take control, the game largely drifted past him.
That is not to suggest Cleary isn’t an elite player. He unquestionably is.
But elite players are judged differently. They are judged on the biggest stages and in the biggest moments.
Game II was another missed opportunity.
The defeat will inevitably lead to calls for change ahead of the series decider. Whether that means a reshuffle in the halves remains to be seen, but the pressure on the Blues selectors is mounting.
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Ethan Strange’s omission now looks harder to justify than ever.
The young Raider may not have guaranteed victory, but Origin has always been a contest built on energy, confidence and fearless football. Strange has displayed those qualities all season.
Instead, New South Wales chose the safer option.
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It’s a decision that now sits alongside a long list of Blues selection debates that continue to haunt the state.
The most frustrating part for NSW fans?
It feels like they’ve seen this movie before.
And once again, the ending didn’t change.
