Nick Markham | rugbyleaguelive.com | 12/05/08 | 0
Roosters star Braith Anasta is set to be snubbed when selectors sit down to finalise the side for Origin one, with some-time pivot Greg Bird set to get the nod for the contentious position.
And the biggest insult for the in-form five-eighth is that his push for selection has been severely undermined, after being roundly criticised by a number of Country players in the lead up to the season's opening rep fixture, with the remarks filtering back to Origin selctors.
The criticism came when Country coach Laurie Daley asked his team what they thought of City's players in the countdown to the match, with a Country player revealing to News Limited that Anasta is on the nose with fellow rep players.
"It wasn't a heavy go but the impression you got was that people still have their doubts about him," the Country player revealed.
"When you're in these teams you're expected to be honest and open and give your own impressions on strengths and weaknesses of the players.
"The coach can give his input but so can the players.
"You get feedback and a guide on what players think about other players.
"The general feeling on Braith was that he has got errors in his game, that you can force him and he can be put under pressure.
"He isn't reliable."
As a result Bird will almost certainly be selected in the NSW No.6, something that pleases Bird despite the fact he regularly plays in the back row for his club side the Sharks.
"I am still adamant I really want to play five-eighth for NSW if that is the way selectors want to go," Bird told News Limited.
"I wouldn't say that I really put my claims forward after the Centenary Test because I didn't have quite as dominant game as I would have liked.
"If we (Kurt Gidley and Bird) both get selected then I believe that both him and I can work towards a strong combination."
The move to leave out Anasta has been condemned by NSW's most-capped Origin player Brad Fittler, with the Roosters coach confident his club pivot's long kicking game would prove invaluable for the Blues.
"I think Queensland are going to come down here and play it fairly straight, with a lot of running out of dummy-half, and if you've got a big kicking game you can put them under more pressure by making them play off their own line more often. Anasta has got a big kicking game. He would be a great choice for that sort of job.," Fittler told Fairfax.
Anasta is regarded as among the biggest kickers in the game, both in terms of distance with clearing kicks and height with torpedo bombs, while neither Bird nor expected halfback Kurt Gidley have recognised long kicking games.
He isn't reliable
An unnamed Country player
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