MICHAEL Ennis seems the natural replacement should Robbie Farah not be fit, but the Blues have a number of suitable replacements.
Ennis’ experience at State of Origin level and his age make him the natural replacement for Farah.
He has plenty of big game experience and would do an admirable job if picked, and given his reputation, will possibly milk a crucial penalty or two in the decider.
However, Blues coach Laurie Daley made no secret before the start of the series he would like to retain Josh Reynolds and this could be the opening Reynolds needed.
Reynolds played five-eighth in last year’s series win, and Daley wanted to stay loyal but he was playing poorly early in the year.
Regardless of his form concerns, Reynolds is the type of player who will give his all for New South Wales.
The question Daley will probably be wrestling with is whether Reynolds’ enthusiasm could cost the team.
There is no question Reynolds is great in attack, but every now and then he come up with an absolute head scratcher of a play, which either gifts the opposition the ball, or puts his team in a bad position.
The Blues like to let their big forward pack do most of the work, and at times, as we saw in game two, shift the ball wide.
Whether Reynolds can be trusted to stick to the game plan in the heat of battle is another Daley will wrestle with.
Of course, like Ennis, Reynolds also has the ability to milk a penalty or two.
At Suncorp Stadium, where penalties flow as freely as XXXX Gold for Queensland, a penalty could be the match winner, especially given Origin’s history of tight margins.
Of course, the options do not end at Reynolds.
Ryan Hinchcliffe and Kurt Gidley would definitely have to be considered outside chances, but both of them could be trusted to get the job done.
Gidley would definitely have the inside running over Hinchcliffe.
He has not played Origin for a few years but was once the Blues captain and knows all about the intensity of Origin.
Gidley could come into the team and not be overawed by the occasion, and be trusted to give good service to the forwards and stick to the game plan, without trying to overplay his hand in a big match.
Likewise, Hinchcliffe would be the same, and could find his way onto the bench if Farah is a concern.
Hinchcliffe has played under Craig Bellamy since 2008 and been one of the unsung heroes of the Storm.
He plays as a forward for the Storm but is a hooker by choice, and could be good cover for Farah.
Even if Farah were fit enough to last the entire match, Hinchcliffe could come off the bench to spell one of the forwards, although this would mean one of the Blues big forwards would need to give way, which could impact the ability of the team to chew up metres.
However, Hinchcliffe has plenty of big game experience; he played in two grand finals along with plenty of finals matches, and given his age and tenure under Craig Bellamy, could also be trusted to stick to the game plan and simply do his job.
The most likely options, of course, are either Ennis or Reynolds, and I would lean towards Reynolds.
Ennis is a great player but is not getting any younger, and Daley has made it clear he wants more youth in the team, which is where Reynolds would enter.
Reynolds is young, hungry and would provide plenty of spark out of dummy-half, and is far more likely to play for the Blues in the future than Ennis.
However, defence will definitely play a part in selection and if Daley thinks Reynolds cannot hold his own in defence he will be forced to look at Ennis.
