Want to win Origin? Pick MORE Panthers, not less.

Here we are again.

Another heart-breaking Origin loss, followed by more hyper-reactive calls to overhaul the entire NSW line-up.

Sure, the calls to replace James Tedesco are new, but the more common complaint in the aftermath is that Brad Fittler’s team has ‘too many Panthers’ - too many players from the best side in the competition in recent years, the back-to-back premiers who are once again at the top of the table. 

Ridiculous. 

There were six Penrith players in the line-up for Wednesday’s loss - a just reward for their incredible club form, mixed with a little bit of incumbency. 

You might as well add in dummy-half Api Koroisau, who was also a big part of the team’s success in recent years before his switch to Wests Tigers. Matt Burton could probably be included too, given the time he spent with the Panthers squad before he left for the Dogs at the end of 2021. 

But instead of looking at the fact that the Panthers’ combinations were the smoothest and most fruitful for NSW, people are instead blaming them for not doing enough. 

That group of Panthers (Koroisau included) scored ALL of NSW’s points, made ALL of NSW’s line-breaks and provided the only real sense of danger with ball-in-hand. Liam Martin was arguably the best player in Blue, and he didn't even start the game. Isaah Yeo worked his butt off at both ends, Brian To’o and Stephen Crichton made nearly 100 metres more in attack than the other side of Josh Addo-Carr and Tom Trbojevic. Jarome Luai was a menace with two try assists. 

Sure, Nathan Cleary struggled to make an impact, but he was still involved in most of the scoring moves and kept the defence in two minds with his running game. He'll be happy to wear the criticism, it's part of his job.

Nicho Hynes is an amazing player who would make a great replacement for either half if they were to go down injured - but are we really expecting him to have a better chemistry with either half than a premiership winning club combo who’ve been playing together since under-20s? 

No-one can say, in all seriousness, that it wouldn’t have been better to have Burton available instead of Hynes to take that centre role in the dying stages, given he played the role at Penrith with great success. But that’s not either player’s fault, that’s on the coach. 

Where’s all the criticism over the decision to pick Trbojevic and Addo-Carr? Both amazing players in their own right, but both have had their struggles this year. The Foxx had played just one NRL game since the start of April thanks to injury. Neither of their club teams are even in the top eight.

Why was no-one taking on Tevita Pangai’s selection with the same enthusiasm as they criticise the Panthers? Pangai has played six games for the Bulldogs and has struggled to turn their fortunes around. I know he played for Penrith briefly in 2021, but that mercenary role doesn’t really make a case for him as a Panther. 

Hudson Young has been to the sin-bin a league-leading three times this season, on par with Victor Radley - but while Radley is repeatedly chastised in the media, Young avoids criticism and gets a call-up. Meanwhile Zac Hosking and Scott Sorensen have been the epitome of impact and consistency this year - what bolters they would have been.

I’m not besmirching any of these players - Young in particular has been excellent this year. They’re all massively talented individuals who are renowned for a reason, but why aren’t they held to the same standard as the Penrith contingent in the aftermath of a bad loss? 

The only player who’s copped it as much as the Blue Panthers is James Tedesco - arguably one of the best players in the world, the best fullback in a team that’s full of them. 

Yes, he had a shocker, but the calls for his head are just a further demonstration of the ridiculous reaction to Origin defeat on the south side of the border. To drop someone of that stature after one bad performance would be insane. 

The most confusing part is that in the same breath people are complaining about too many Penrith players, they’re also saying that Tedesco should be replaced with Dylan Edwards. An excellent choice, but he’s another Panther! Make up your minds! 

Naturally, some Panthers players won’t be able to represent at Origin level due to international selections and eligibility criteria, despite the constant calls for shifting the goal-posts. We won’t see James Fisher-Harris or Moses Leota pulling on a Blue jersey, but Spencer Leniu played for NSW at Under-20s level.

You can't fill the entire NSW squad with Penrith players, but you can come close.

There’s an upside for regular NRL fans as well. Despite their sluggish start the Panthers have once again risen to the top of the table, and people are getting sick of it. Imagine how hard it would be for the Panthers to minimise the Origin impact and maintain their NRL standard if three-quarters of the team was in the NSW side.

There's no point overhauling the NSW side with individuals from an array of clubs who've never played with each other when we're already 1-0 down, especially in key positions - no matter how talented they are. That mentality harkens back to the last era of Maroon dominance, and no-one wants that.

The Blues team needs a solid foundation to build up from, and there isn't a more solid foundation in rugby league than what the Panthers have at the moment.

Bring in Edwards, bring back Peachey, get Sorensen and Hosking in there, even if on the bench. What have we got to lose? 

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