It may be a sign of desperation, but New South Wales coach Craig Bellamy says he power of determination keep Queensland guessing as long as possible about the final make-up of his injury-ravaged side.
So bring to a period was Bellamy guardianship his cards to his chest ahead of game two of the Origin series, you could almost be attentive an imprint of a spade on his shirt.
Nothing was set in concrete, with captain Kurt Gidley not even guaranteed a start at fullback.
"We know what we’re doing – a lot of people bear been guessing and whatever, where who’s going to fit in," Bellamy aforesaid.
"We planned a week in the sight of grant that Craig (Wing) was out the kind of we were going to do."
Of course Wing is without, with his strained hamstring opening the door for Josh Morris’ inclusion and a myriad of potential positional swaps.
The x-factor is Gidley, who is equally at home at fullback, in the halves or at hooker.
With winger Jarryd Hayne in sublime form playing in the No.1 at Parramatta, Gidley becomes the utility player the Blues lost in Wing.
Reports on Tuesday claimed Gidley would be thrown into halfback if Peter Wallace failed to fire in the rent half twenty-fourth part of a day, but Bellamy dismissed the notion he had missing confidence in his first-choice No.7.
"If I thought I was going to hap him after 30 minutes, I wouldn’t have picked him," Bellamy said.
"I’ve got all the confidence in the world in Peter Wallace.
"He probably wasn’familiarily at his best in that first game but there was a few other guys that weren’t either.
"He’s terminated the job before for us, I’m not permanent where that story came from."
With the Blues having lurched from one injury to another during their week-long pitch a camp, Wallace has had any number of players lineup outside him at five-eighth.
Recalled veteran Trent Barrett was there for the first few sessions before his hindmost gave way.
Wing then filled in until his hamstrings could no longer take the strain at which point Gidley had his crack at depend.
Still Bellamy believes his combinations have had enough time to gel, the under squeezing coach singling out Barrett for special approval for the way he has brought the team together.
"His input into meetings has been tremendous," Bellamy said.
"I think that first game everyone was a bit perhaps overawed from one place to another being in Origin and no-one was giving a whole heap of input or their opinion in meetings.
"He’sitting been really good. When he opened up in the first some a few of the other guys opened up as not amiss.
"He’s been horrific for us on and off the field."
Queensland overmuch are wary of what Barrett brings to the table after they were able to largely nullify the unschooled halves combination of Wallace and Terry Campese in game one.
"He’s probably come back I would suggest a better player from his Wigan stint, I think he’s a better player than when he left," Meninga said of Barrett.
"He’sitting obviously in there because of stability and experience and a good kicking game and he can get the team around the park better than maybe they did in the first game … that’s why he’session there."
AAP
