State of Origin 2016: Anthony Minichiello says James Tedesco a must as Blues chase points
June 12, 2016 - 5:41PM
Chris Barrett
Sports Writer
His Wests Tigers' teammate Mitchell Moses says the Blues are "kidding themselves" if they don't pick James Tedesco and former Test and NSW fullback Anthony Minichiello has thrown his weight behind the electric 23-year-old, arguing Laurie Daley's side needs a player like him to break Queensland's defence at Suncorp Stadium next week.
Daley's squad for game two of the State of Origin series on Wednesday week will be announced on Monday night and it's anticipated there will be minimal change from the team beaten 6-4 in the first match in Sydney.
Penrith's Matt Moylan, who made his debut in that defeat at ANZ Stadium, was expected to be retained but after two blistering performances since his return from a shoulder injury Tedesco could hardly have made a better case for his inclusion.
The Tigers No.1 was the frontrunner before fracturing his shoulder in late April and against South Sydney last Friday again demonstrated the attacking zeal the Blues are in need of.
"In game two you know it's going to be a dry track up there and you know there are probably going to be a lot of points so Tedesco is a great option for the side because he creates something almost every time he touches the ball," Minichiello said on Sunday.
"He almost breaks the first tackle every time he runs the ball. I suppose the NSW attack came under a little bit of criticism in game one and I think he would add to it somewhere on the field. He would certainly add to the creativeness of the attack.
"I would pick him. I'm not sure if I would drop Moylan, but I definitely would have Tedesco in the side. It's do or die. You need points. It's going to be a completely different game up there; it's a dry track, Queensland throw the ball around, you know points are going to be scored in the game and NSW need points. They're probably a better chance of scoring points with Tedesco in the side somewhere."
Veteran Queenslander Sam Thaiday noted on Sunday that Tedesco was a player who thrived on exploiting the tiredness of opposition forwards and he gave Souths no shortage of headaches on Friday, running for 155 metres with four tackle breaks in the 30-14 win.
"He's not just a player who plays out the back and gets those three on twos, he's a guy that challenges any side's defence and I think that's maybe what they need," Minichiello said. "You need to challenge the forwards in the middle before you actually go wide.
"[Tedesco] is electric but he plays tough as well, that's the thing. He can hit the ball up one off the ruck or he can have that sort of flair and skill and then that acceleration which creates power breaking those tackles. He's got a good mix going on."
As for how Tedesco and Moylan could both fit into the same team Minichiello said that would depend on Daley's structure but noted: "I've played with him in the Italian side in the World Cup and he played centre then and absolutely killed it as well."
Moses, 21, was even more emphatic in his endorsement of Tedesco after the Tigers' win over Souths. "If they don't pick him, they're kidding themselves," he said.
"They want points, you give him the ball and he'll put points on the board for you. He's got something like 10 or 11 tries and try assists as well. You hit him out the back and he'll just create things. NSW are looking for points. That's your man."
Likely NSW squad: Matt Moylan, Josh Mansour, Michael Jennings, Josh Dugan/Josh Morris/Joey Leilua, Blake Ferguson, James Maloney, Adam Reynolds, Aaron Woods, Robbie Farah, James Tamou, Greg Bird, Josh Jackson, Paul Gallen. Interchange: Dylan Walker, David Klemmer, Andrew Fifita, Tyson Frizell/Wade Graham/Ryan Hoffman.
