MARK ‘SPUDD’ CARROLL: Tough for NSW to leave Keaon Koloamatangi out of Origin in favour of Stefano Utoikamanu

When I wrote about the need for Queensland to find some forwards with mongrel and a bit of craziness in their eyes, I wasn’t thinking of a rep retired 33-year-old who turned his back on the Maroons.

Don’t get me wrong: Josh Papalii is a wonderful player who has more than earned his place among Queensland’s very best Origin players.

And, yes, big Papa has been in irresistible form for the table-topping Raiders.

But what happened to the Maroons’ famed pick and stick policy?

Mo Fotuaika played in the series-levelling win over NSW in Perth but now finds himself kicked to the kerb and replaced by a bloke who, in 2023, said his time in a Maroon jumper was over because he wasn’t going to be picked.

Now, all of sudden, Papalii wants back in.

Imagine if a New South Welshmen had done that!

They would be giving it to us in spades, questioning how you could go back to someone who said Origin wasn’t for him anymore.

Queensland – sanctimonious one minute, hypocrites the next.

Papalii’s selection may be great for him and his superannuation fund, but if that’s not the definition of desperation then I didn’t go to school.

Billy Slater must think it’s 2001 all over again when Queensland flew 34-year-old Allan Langer out from England to rescue them.

Let’s hope for NSW’s sake Papalii won’t have the same impact as Alf.

Personally, if changes had to be made, I would have gone with Papa’s Canberra teammate, the red-headed lunatic, Corey Horsburgh.

As for the Blues, I reckon South Sydney’s Keaon Koloamatangi is a bit stiff to miss out, but I do understand Laurie Daley picking an unchanged side.

Stefano Utoikamanu deserves his spot, but I love what Koloamatangi brings to a side.

I know he was off his game a little in the Rabbitohs’ loss to the Dolphins, but I reckon that was because he knew he was on the cusp of an Origin recall after a two-year absence.

I have been there myself.

You see your name mentioned as a candidate and you probably fall into the trap and overplaying your hand.

Koloamatangi has been a standout in a forward pack that has gone backwards for much of the year, averaging 148 run metres a game with a tackle efficiency of 95 per cent.

But what really impressed me was his willingness to play with a facial fracture in the one-point loss to Melbourne, knowing another hit to the same area would not be pretty.

It was initially diagnosed as a four-to-five-week injury, but the big man wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

As his coach Wayne Bennett said: “You can’t question the toughness and the want to play for the club.”

That sort of attitude is tailor-made for Origin.

AND DON’T GET ME STARTED

Nathan Cleary’s place among rugby league’s greatest is assured.

The ability of a player who has delivered his side four straight premierships and have them in the hunt for a fifth cannot be queried.

The performance to drag his side back into the 2023 grand final and go on and win it single-handedly will be talked about long after we have all gone.

But, by his own admission, Cleary is yet to dominate State of Origin.

Yes, he’s been part of series-winning Blues teams.

Yes, he has been part of some memorable victories across his 15 Origin appearances.

But I’m talking about a career-defining performance that leads NSW to victory and seals his place as an Origin great.

Think Joey Johns, Allan Langer, Johnathan Thurston or Ricky Stuart.

Some players are tremendous at club level but don’t always thrive in Origin for a variety of reasons.

Others are solid NRL talent who suddenly grow an extra leg and play out of their skin when called on by their state.

The jury is out on which category Cleary belongs.

Father – and Penrith coach – Ivan Cleary is Nathan’s biggest fan, but concedes his son still has unfinished business in the Origin arena.

“He’s far from the finished product. He knows that. Probably the obvious one is Origin, he knows he wants to be more consistent in that area,” Ivan said last year.

“He’s had some good moments, but in other moments he knows he can step up there or prove (himself worthy of that stage).

“He’s still trying to work it out.”

Cleary needs to work it out quickly to ensure the Blues don’t blow what looked the “unlosable” series after convincingly seeing off Queensland in game one.

He was hampered by injury in game two and turned in a sub-par display by his high standards.

I know things didn’t go the Blues’ way (Ashley Klein, I’m looking at you, my friend!) and they did well to fight back from a 20-point deficit, but the game was there to be won at the end and wasn’t taken.

Blame for failing to ice a game invariably falls back on your playmakers and Cleary and Jarome Luai finished second behind Tom Dearden and Cameron Munster.

If Cleary does produce the goods and is holding the shield aloft on Wednesday week, he will join the legendary Steve Mortimer as the most successful Blues No.7 with four series wins apiece.

That should seal his legacy once and for all.