Origin will make Milford 'bulletproof'

Queensland confirm Johnathan Thurston is out of State of Origin game 1
Greg Davis, The Courier-Mail7 minutes ago

MAROONS superstar Johnathan Thurston has succumb to a shoulder injury and has been ruled out of Origin 1 this Wednesday night.

“I’m devastated I won’t be playing next week, but the call needed to be made and it’s the right decision for the team,” Thurston said in a statement this morning.
Maroons coach Kevin Walters said it was a tough but selfless decision.

“It shows a lot about Johnathan’s character, and what this team means to him, that he’s prepared to move on quickly and get behind Anthony, myself and the rest of the team during such a tough period,” Walters said.

“We knew Johnathan was going to be up against it, but because he has been such a great player for us over many years, we strongly believed he deserved to have that chance to prove his fitness.”

The Cowboys captain backed Anthony Milford to perform on debut against the Blues.
“He’s a dynamic young player and I’m sure he will grab the opportunity with both hands and put in a performance that all of Queensland will be proud of,” Thurston said.

Thurston will stay in Queensland camp is planning to stay on in Maroons camp to mentor Milford.

Maroons doctor Matt Hislop said while Thurston had made progress on his shoulder injury but not enough to play.
“We always had a plan that Johnathan had to pass through a number of stages, and if he ever didn’t progress through one of those, we would sit down and make a call,” Hislop said.

“We did some further objective tests late yesterday which showed he had not progressed to the stage where we could move on to the next step of skill work and contact.”

Jarrod Wallace has been added to the Queensland squad as the 18th man.

“I’m devastated I won’t be playing next week, but the call needed to be made and it’s the right decision for the team,” Thurston said.

Though disappointed, Thurston is looking forward to seeing what Anthony Milford produces on his debut.

“He’s a dynamic young player and I’m sure he will grab the opportunity with both hands and put in a performance that all of Queensland will be proud of,” the Cowboys playmaker said.

The withdrawal ends a remarkable run of 36-straight Origin appearances for Thurston who injured the shoulder in the Anzac Test and has been racing the clock to prove his fitness.

He said yesterday he was still keen to play but the shoulder was still giving him pain and was not moving freely.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...1/news-story/4adea90783487b3c206dd19d8d56dae4
 
On the radio this morning, (and even 10 seconds ago) they said he was confident of playing on Wednesday
 
Well, with Cronk as his partner in crime, he will never have a better half partner. Both Cronk and smith are best in the game for their positions and possibly (in the case of smith anyway) the best ever. He will have a sublime backline and great forwards. If they can match the NSW side in the battle of the ruck, he will have his future as a stalwart in the side over the next two years in his hands.
 
Between Milf playing, NSW picking close to their best possible team and QLD being understaffed, this is the keenest I've been for an Origin in years.


Everybody remember this game, because in 5 or 6 years you may be able to look back on Milf's debut in the same way I wish I could remember Thurston debuting.
 
I still think there's a big chance that Morgan starts and Milford is used off the bench.
 
I can see the reasoning in what you say. Morgans a better defender in a contest that offers very little opportunity for exploiting defensive weaknesses within the first 20 minutes. Milford would be comming on with a tiring NSW pack, and Morgan shifting to lock to both rest Maguire and give a bit more creativity to the position, (Milford doing the same at 5/8). For that to work the qld defence and discipline will have to be just about perfect, whilst Morgan is 5/8 as he doesn't strike me as a bloke who can change the momentum of a game the way Milford can. Then again there isstill Cronk and smith with him.
 
I think Milf doesn't get picked if he isn't expected to play 80. Morgan is a pure utility.
 
It was clear from the Boyd selection that Milford was always going to play. The JT as 18th man was always mind games. The NSW blues still need to train as though JT or Milf are in the team. Muwahahaha.
 
Foordy said:
Queensland confirm Johnathan Thurston is out of State of Origin game 1
Greg Davis, The Courier-Mail7 minutes ago

MAROONS superstar Johnathan Thurston has succumb to a shoulder injury and has been ruled out of Origin 1 this Wednesday night.

“I’m devastated I won’t be playing next week, but the call needed to be made and it’s the right decision for the team,” Thurston said in a statement this morning.
Maroons coach Kevin Walters said it was a tough but selfless decision.

“It shows a lot about Johnathan’s character, and what this team means to him, that he’s prepared to move on quickly and get behind Anthony, myself and the rest of the team during such a tough period,” Walters said.

“We knew Johnathan was going to be up against it, but because he has been such a great player for us over many years, we strongly believed he deserved to have that chance to prove his fitness.”

The Cowboys captain backed Anthony Milford to perform on debut against the Blues.
“He’s a dynamic young player and I’m sure he will grab the opportunity with both hands and put in a performance that all of Queensland will be proud of,” Thurston said.

Thurston will stay in Queensland camp is planning to stay on in Maroons camp to mentor Milford.

Maroons doctor Matt Hislop said while Thurston had made progress on his shoulder injury but not enough to play.
“We always had a plan that Johnathan had to pass through a number of stages, and if he ever didn’t progress through one of those, we would sit down and make a call,” Hislop said.

“We did some further objective tests late yesterday which showed he had not progressed to the stage where we could move on to the next step of skill work and contact.”

Jarrod Wallace has been added to the Queensland squad as the 18th man.

“I’m devastated I won’t be playing next week, but the call needed to be made and it’s the right decision for the team,” Thurston said.

Though disappointed, Thurston is looking forward to seeing what Anthony Milford produces on his debut.

“He’s a dynamic young player and I’m sure he will grab the opportunity with both hands and put in a performance that all of Queensland will be proud of,” the Cowboys playmaker said.

The withdrawal ends a remarkable run of 36-straight Origin appearances for Thurston who injured the shoulder in the Anzac Test and has been racing the clock to prove his fitness.

He said yesterday he was still keen to play but the shoulder was still giving him pain and was not moving freely.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...1/news-story/4adea90783487b3c206dd19d8d56dae4
Click to expand...
Yet another poorly written news article.

It is good for Milf though.
 
People bagging Kevin Walters, Darren Lockyer and Gene Miles really need to give themselves uppercuts. Especially the ones who were convinced they were dudding the Broncos. I mean, hello! Darren Lockyer, Kevin Walters, Gene Miles. 3 of the greatest captains in club history, as if they're gonna screw with us and Wayne. The Journo's were kidding themselves.
 
mrslong said:
People bagging Kevin Walters, Darren Lockyer and Gene Miles really need to give themselves uppercuts. Especially the ones who were convinced they were dudding the Broncos. I mean, hello! Darren Lockyer, Kevin Walters, Gene Miles. 3 of the greatest captains in club history, as if they're gonna screw with us and Wayne. The Journo's were kidding themselves.
Click to expand...
I'll admit I was wrong, as I truly believed that was Walters way of getting Milford into maroon camp, and Thurston was talking out of his arse, because his Cowboys were not the ones affected. Regardless, I thought the selectors selection wasn't to screw with the Broncos, but for the benefit of the Maroons (which has to be their first priority) and Milf himself.

My beef however, is not with Walters or the Qld selectors, it's with the NRL and especially the calendar which permanently screws the Broncos every single year since their inception.
 
The NRL calendar is a joke. I see no reason to *not* have stand alone origin. It corrupts their product, and if they got Andrew Demetriou in that's the first thing he'd fix - get both NRL and Origin running at 100% and watch the profits soar. Another discussion for another thread no doubt.
 
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