Queenslanders might have been getting around with a general, lingering deflation ever since New South Wales put them to the sword in Origin I on May 31st, but from today the swagger officially returns.
Selectors for the Maroons have revealed the squad for Origin II and have apparently decided to plug up some of the many holes that the Blues found with a couple of bonafide Origin legends.
Johnathan Thurston and Billy Slater both find their way back into the QLD squad, as the axe has been swung and a number of reps from game one’s abysmal effort find themselves on the outer.
Thurston and Slater both find their way back into a massively revamped QLD side, which now also sports four debutants in Valentine Holmes, Coen Hess, Tim Glasby, and Jarrod Wallace, as well as extremely big man Gavin Cooper.
Making way for them are Sam Thaiday, Nate Myles, Jacob Lillyman, Corey Oates, Aidan Guerra, and Justin O’Neill – all savagely omitted from the team – as well as Anthony Milford who is out through injury.
Coach Kevin Walters noted that while axing so many long-time Maroons was a difficult call, the time was right to transition the Queensland side to a new generation of Maroons.
“We didn’t get the result we needed in game one so we went to plan B to bring some new players in the team which haven’t played Origin. The transition period for Queensland is now.”
“We’ve picked who we feel are the best 17 for Queensland.”
The full squad looks a little something like this:
SQUAD NAMED: Maroons’ bring JT and Billy Slater back for #SOO Game II, with Storm’s Tim Glasby the #Origin bolter https://t.co/fgvFcqLuiS pic.twitter.com/3cF0CGhsoa
— ABC Grandstand (@abcgrandstand) June 12, 2017
Can the Blues maintain their good form despite this new-look Maroons?
Will changing the side this dramatically prove to be a masterstroke, or a disaster?
Can Thurston and Slater orchestrate the biggest Origin comeback since Wayne Bennett smuggled Alfie Langer back into the country under a false name in 2001?
All will be revealed come Origin II, which goes down Wednesday, June 21st at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium.
Source: Daily Telegraph.
Photo: Mark Kolbe/Getty.
