NSW Blues coach Brad Fittler has made a number of changes to State of Origin II, but one star he has yet to see is Bulldogs star Josh Addo-Carr.
Seven changes were made to the team from Origin I with Matt Burton and Siosifa Talakai to debut, Api Koroisau to play after being on the extended list in the first game, Jake Trbojevic and Angus Crichton to join and Jordan McLean, Clint Gutherson and Victor Radley joining the squad.
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Before Origin I, the absence of Addo-Carr and Jake Trbojevic were the most egregious omissions, and while Manly’s striker was incorporated for Game II, Addo-Carr was still nowhere to be seen.
It was believed that the reason Addo-Carr was overlooked was his height, as Queensland has 191 cm Selwyn Cobbo, while the 189 cm end of Cowboys Murray Taulagi will be incorporated into the 194 cm Xavier Coates.
Addo-Carr is 183 cm tall, compared to Daniel Tupou by 196 cm.
Brian To’o’s other winger is 182 cm tall.
While the bombing didn’t take place in Game I, it’s an option that should be in the back of my mind for Fittler because Addo-Carr has put his best foot this season on a losing team.
Addo-Carr has 11 tries this year, the fifth equal to the NRL, despite the Bulldogs ’terrible season so far, as the club ranks 13th on the NRL ladder and eight points from the top eight.
He also finished third in the tackle break with 77, just behind Blues captain James Tedesco (91) and Greg Marzhew of the Titans (78), and next to Moses Suli of the Dragons and fourth in the breaks with 13.
Josh Addo-Carr was rejected again. Matt King / Getty ImagesFont Photo: Getty Images
But there was no room for the Bulldogs star despite the massive changes, which have stunned the Blues ’old Matthew Johns midfielder.
“I know people say you pick a side and you see it through the series,” Johns said SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“But if there are obvious changes after the first game, you have to make them.
“I’m still amazed that Josh Addo-Carr isn’t there.
“Combining this with what he’s done in the past (at the Origin level), that surprised me a lot.”
But Johns added that Talakai’s selection “was a good selection,” but that Fittler had strayed from what had earned him three of his four series at the helm.
“In the previous hit series, Freddy just picked the best side and almost said, ‘Get out and stop us.’
“(Talakai’s selection) is aggressive, it’s this X factor if you need something, take it off the bench, finish it off and create some space for Nathan (Cleary).
“It’s very good and it finishes and creates space in the middle of the field.”
Matty Johns and Josh Addo-Carr. Phil HillyardFont Photo: FOX SPORTS
But while the NRL world was once again perplexed by Addo-Carr’s disagreement, the man himself was not.
“I wasn’t too surprised to be honest,” he told Code Sports.
“Daniel Tupou and Bizza [To’o] He had a really good first game from Origin and I thought they did everything they could and played really well with the Blues in the first game, so I wasn’t expecting a call.
“To be honest, they were mixed emotions. I know my team at the time was making it difficult, it’s just one of those things. I was always focused on what I had to do for the Bulldogs, so that’s a foot.
“I was burning at first, but then I thought I couldn’t do anything about it now, all I can do now is keep proving that everyone was wrong and play good football for my teammates.
“I feel like I’ve been doing it for the last few rounds. I’ve always bragged about being a constant football player. This year is not mine. “
Addo-Carr is happy with Matt Burton, though. Matt King / Getty ImagesFont Photo: Getty Images
Fittler admitted to making some mistakes in the face of the first game in the series in Sydney.
“When they hit you, you have to re-evaluate. We don’t have a safety net at the moment,” he admitted.
“We went into the first game thinking in a certain way about how the game would go and what we could do, but it didn’t happen.”
Speaking before the first game, Fittler said there was less contempt for Addo-Carr and more praise for how well Tupou was doing.
“It was hard and I understand it caused a stir. It was more of a case of Tupou coming in and he’s sure to be,” Fittler said at breakfast at SEN with Vossy and Brandy Monday morning.
“Right now I feel like … I don’t think it’s right with Foxx (Addo-Carr) or the team to get into Game I.
“We have communicated and he is committed to returning to the team.
“My line with him was that he belongs here, that was difficult.”