State of Origin is months away – but Wally Lewis has lit the fuse for an explosive series by naming his Origin ‘Dream Team’ for the first time.
Remarkably, ‘The King’ has found room for just one New South Welshman in his XIII – barnstorming winger Eric Grothe.
Lewis has brushed Blues legends like Andrew Johns, Brett Kenny, Brad Fittler, Peter Sterling, Ray Price and Steve Roach in a move that is certain to have NSW fired up come Origin time.
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Wally’s team is:
Fullback: Billy Slater
Wing: Kerry Boustead
Centre: Gene Miles
Centre: Mal Meninga
Wing: Eric Grothe
Five-eighth: Darren Lockyer
Halfback: Johnathan Thurston
Second-row: Paul Vautin
Second-row: Trevor Gillmeister
Lock: Gorden Tallis
Prop: Arthur Beetson
Hooker: Cameron Smith
Prop: Greg Dowling
Coach: Wayne Bennett
Speaking on Andy Raymond’s Podcast, Lewis was unapologetic about snubbing the Blues greats.
“Thurston is something!,” he said. “I’d have to put him in brackets with Peter Sterling. But if it’s got to go to just one, I’d give it to JT.
“Picking Fatty (Vautin) will amaze a lot of people and Fatty used to say “I’m a Neville” but if there’s one bloke I loved having in my team it was Fatty.
“Gorden Tallis is one of those blokes that, he could play against his mother or any of his family and he’d bash them from pillar to post …. And wait until full time to see if they were OK.
“Greg Dowling, I can honestly say he did not receive anywhere near the credit he should of in State of Origin. Particularly when I knew I was about to get a little bit of a touch up from the big, aggressive NSW forwards, I’d say to GD, ‘Get rid of these blokes, make sure they’re not annoying me. If they are I’ll be blaming you’.”
Andy Raymond UNFILTERED is available on all podcast services.
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