Nathan Cleary, 20. Latrell Mitchell, 21. Josh Addo-Carr, 22.
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These are three names that spring to mind when you picture the future of NSW State of Origin football and the stability we could see in the side for a decade to come.
Brad Fittler’s men are fresh off a 2-0 series triumph as the Blues held off a fast-finishing Queensland side at ANZ Stadium on Sunday.
The 18-14 result came on the back of an 89% completion rate and some heroic individual displays from players like James Maloney and Boyd Cordner.
When you look at the longevity of this NSW side, James Maloney (32) is the only player who will likely hang up the boots in the next couple of years.
Outside Jimmy, our oldest first choice starters are Boyd Cordner, Damien Cook and Jack De Belin – all of which are 27.
Exempt from the list is Matt Prior who replaced the 24-year-old Reagan Campbell Gillard last night.
So, you get what I’m saying, right? We’re young.
Not only is the side young, it’s loaded with confidence.
Look at Latrell Mitchell for example.
Last night, the 21-year-old from Taree opposed a player 9 years his elder in Will Chambers and more than matched him – grabbing him by the collar and dragging him over the sideline before running over him for a four-pointer in the 50th minute.
We’ve got to thank Brad Fittler for not only picking Mitchell, but calling up 11 debutants and bucking the previous trend of picking the same group of players who constantly failed to deliver.
That’s all we needed… a coach who was willing to call up the young guns and give them a chance.
Don’t get me wrong, winning a State of Origin series against Cooper Cronk, Cameron Smith and Billy Slater isn’t easy but it was time we moved on from blokes like Mitchell Pearce and Laurie Daley.
Not only did NSW take a massive leap in the right direction on Sunday, it’s given many Blues fans the confidence that we can live through a dominant dynasty in the next decade – just like what QLD produced recently.
So let’s celebrate and let’s soak it up but for what feels like the first time in forever, let’s draw satisfaction from the extremely bright future the NSW Blues have.