Injuries throw Blues plans into turmoil

Glenn Jackson | May 13, 2008

EVEN if Kurt Gidley is passed fit to play for NSW in State of Origin I, former Blues halfback Peter Sterling has admitted to "grave concerns" about the selectors' naming him in the No.7 jumper.

The Blues' plans were thrown into disarray last night after no less than three selection certainties - Gidley, Brett White and Ben Cross - were injured in the Melbourne-Newcastle match hours before NSW's team is finalised.

Knights fullback Gidley, who was expected to be thrown the No.7 jersey for NSW, suffered a suspected fractured cheekbone in the first minute of the clash, while, just minutes later, White damaged his shoulder in a dramatic opening to the Monday night fixture, won 18-4 by the Storm (match report Page 34). To close out the contest, Cross was heavily concussed in the final play of the game and later collapsed on the sideline.

While Gidley played on and White returned late in the first half, the Blues selectors will be scrambling before the announcement of the side for the series opener at 10am today. Knights coach Brian Smith said Cross was "more of a concern" than Gidley.

Blues coach Craig Bellamy was due to fly to Sydney this morning for final discussions with his selection panel at 8am at the NSW Leagues Club in Phillip Street. The selectors had all but rubber-stamped Gidley as the first-choice halfback, with Peter Wallace or Brett Finch likely to fill the utility role on the bench. Initial reports suggested Gidley's fracture was not depressed, although the injury will leave him in doubt to face the Maroons on Wednesday week.

"I'm not quite sure how Kurt pulled up, but Whitey's OK," said Bellamy, also the Melbourne coach. "I'll talk to the selectors [today] and hopefully we'll come up with the right team."

Gidley will have scans and X-rays today and will be assessed by the NSW medical staff. He faces three weeks on the sidelines, but if he is cleared of a fracture, or if the break is stable, he is expected to be fit for the Origin clash.

"He was pretty smashed up," Smith said. "The doctor cleared him to continue to play but I don't think he was totally with us."

If Gidley is ruled out, Sterling has made an 11th-hour plea for selectors to consider his Knights teammate, Jarrod Mullen. Mullen, who had a great game for Newcastle last night and received glowing praise from Smith after an "Origin-type" contest, debuted in Origin I last year but missed the remaining games of the series through injury. He was again cruelled by injuries during the build-up to this year's series, leaving him largely ignored by selectors, and he was also placed on report last night for his involvement in a possible lifting tackle on Melbourne's Sam Tagataese.

"Mullen has got one of the smartest football brains, and when the Knights were struggling defensively [against Melbourne], he came up with a couple of beautiful kicks," said Sterling, the former Parramatta halfback who made 13 appearances for the Blues during the 1980s. "He knows what to do at the right time. Even if Gidley was fit, I'd still have Mullen as the first choice and Gidley off the bench.

"You need a regular No.7 in the sky blue. I think Mullen is the man, and the fact they went for him last year would have to speak volumes as well. He's a great kicker … if he's fit and healthy, he'd be my choice. His kicking game is second to none. He's not the obvious choice but I think he's the best choice."

Sterling admitted he was "not a fan of Kurt Gidley at halfback", describing him as the "Steve Ella of the modern day - ideal to bring into the game off the bench".

"It's unfair on Kurt. He's a wonderful player and he'd do the very best he can, but I just think it's an extremely tough assignment to be given when you're not a regular halfback for your club," he said. "Gidley coming off the bench could be one of NSW's greatest strengths."

Neither is Sterling a supporter of picking a specialist halfback on the interchange bench - which would remain the likely scenario if Gidley was cleared. "It's an insurance policy for something that shouldn't have an insurance policy," he said. "I don't see the logic in it, and I don't know how you accommodate that.

At five-eighth, Cronulla's Greg Bird appears to have the edge over Braith Anasta, although the Sydney Rooster received support to partner Finch in the halves from his teammate and Blues certainty Willie Mason yesterday.

"Finch and Anasta just sounds right to me in my mind," Mason said. "They'll go with whoever they feel is going to do the job but I think Finch and Anasta have done the job before and I think Greg Bird's probably the best lock in Australia."

Selectors remain torn between Anasta and Bird, largely because of the lack of a regular kicker in the side, although Gidley's injury may render that debate irrelevant.

Sterling also urged selectors to consider Manly's much-maligned Matt Orford at halfback.

"I feel a bit sorry for Matt Orford," he said. "He's been selected there twice before, and he's missed out. He's in as good a form now as when he was chosen on those occasions. If he was deemed good enough then … And for those people who keep saying he doesn't perform in the big games, they're going to have to point out the bad games he's played. I must have missed them."