THE obvious question about the NSW line-up is whether it is the best team the state could field.

That of course is an entirely different question to whether the best 17 individuals have been assembled.

Coach Ricky Stuart wants a team that can play a game of his design and not be drawn into trying to beat Queensland at their own game, whatever that is.

The Queenslanders, as I recall, don’t seem to have so much a style but a capacity to do what is required to win.

On the issue of Jarryd Hayne’s non-selection, Stuart made it very clear he didn’t want to pick players out of position. He went further and said that Josh Dugan’s fullback play was more the style he wanted to coach, which interpreted another way meant Hayne’s unpredictable individualism isn’t Ricky’s cup of tea.

Stuart has put together a tough, versatile starting pack.

Both second-rowers, Greg Bird and Beau Scott, are former backs, which might become very important with injury because all four bench men are forwards. Stuart has obviously put a lot of thought into his bench. It has been assembled to provide rotation in the muscle department, but all four have the capacity to provide at least one special attribute in attack.

Starting second-rower in the Anzac Test, Ben Creagh, will be a step up in size and power when he hits the field to replace left second-rower Bird. Left centre Michael Jennings should be sweating on Creagh’s right-hand one-armer around the corner.

He can get it away at the last second even when he is falling in a tackle.

Trent Merrin is a rising talent in the St George Illawarra pack. The icing on the cake in his yardage game is his ability to pull defenders together but still create second-phase play with an accurate offload out the back.

Tim Mannah’s main claim to fame, apart from his honest approach to the hard yakka on the advantage line, is the speed of his play the ball.

For that reason, his runs generally ignite some attacking activity on the next play.

Dean Young is so versatile it is difficult to pinpoint the perfect position for him. He is a good ball player when required, but his greatest asset is that he is custom designed for Origin. A competitor from top to toe.

Jamal Idris could have been an impact player from the bench or been selected out of position at left centre instead of Jennings, but his positional play in defence needs work. It will come with experience, but NSW can’t afford to have him learn on the job at Origin level.

Jamie Soward’s selection at five-eighth had finally got to the stage where it was no great surprise. He brings a long list of pluses to the event, chief of which are his phenomenal kicking game and great vision which results in him sending the ball to the right place at the right time.

Whether the injury to Penrith’s goal-kicking right winger Michael Gordon sunk Jarrod Mullen’s chance of being the five-eighth, we will never know. But with Gordon unavailable, Soward’s goal kicking became an extremely important inclusion.

Soward has worked diligently to repair his former defensive frailties but there is one box he hasn’t ticked and won’t tick this side of retirement. He always passes the ball with about two metres of safety between himself and the defence line. This self-preservation routine unfortunately releases the defender to continue sliding outwards to assist with defence and close down outside opportunity.

The top halves don’t allow their opposition to slide off them and become a nuisance elsewhere. They draw the tackle as they hit the lead runner with the ball or sweep it out the back to the second man. When centimetres count in search of tries in the corner, what the inside men do to ‘‘freeze’’ defenders is critical.

Soward’s willingness to run the ball in broken play or when a gap appears is a different issue. He has footwork and blistering speed. Ball playing, though, is the toughest gig on the field.

It requires getting tackled so someone else can get an attacking benefit.

C

anberra fullback Josh Dugan might fit into Ricky Stuart’s style and plans in attack, but if what the lanky speedster served up in defence against Melbourne last Saturday night is repeated in Origin I, he won’t have the No.1 jumper for long.

Ricky’s plans aren’t that forgiving.

Dugan has enough speed to position a ball carrier on the outside and tackle him inside out. But Storm right winger Matt Duffie in the first half and right second-rower Kevin Proctor after half-time beat Dugan with right-foot steps. They led to two tries that would have been prevented by a good defensive fullback.

The optimistic NSW point of view sees a tough Blues pack and bench trying to drag Queensland into a slugfest on the advantage line to maximise their chances which, incidentally, have risen considerably with the injuries to centres Justin Hodges and Greg Inglis.

The realistic NSW point of view sees a Maroons side with superior footballers in the key positions and therefore a greater capacity to turn chances into points.