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Former South Sydney manager Wayne Bennett has delivered an ultimatum to the NSW Blues up of State of Origin II, declaring they haven't been "prepared to make" pugnacious decisions successful the past.
With Nathan Cleary retired for six weeks, the Blues volition beryllium forced to marque a alteration successful the halves after losing the opening fixture astatine Adelaide Oval.
Broncos halfback Adam Reynolds - who played nether Bennett astatine Souths - has been tipped arsenic a imaginable replacement and the Dolphins manager believes he's the antheral for the occupation astatine Suncorp Stadium.
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"I'd surely instrumentality him, they've got to triumph this game, there's nary ifs oregon buts, there's nary autumn backmost position, there's nary excuses," helium said astatine North Sydney Oval up of the Dolphins' Friday nighttime clash against Manly.
"With Cleary's wounded it's opened up different accidental for a player, astir apt what they didn't privation but it's happened, present they've got to marque the champion choice.
"He's the champion crippled manager in rugby league astatine the infinitesimal successful my mind, Adam Reynolds, helium brings his kicking game, helium brings everything they want, he's calm, he's not idiosyncratic that's going to beryllium intimidated by the position.
"You tin speech astir the different halfbacks but some of those boys (Nicho Hynes and Mitchell Moses) haven't played successful Brisbane successful State of Origin, it's not a spot to spell without your champion players that tin grip that arsenic well, you've got to beryllium capable to grip the night, the moment, different it's each implicit for them."
Before endorsing Reynolds though, Bennett laid down the gauntlet for NSW, challenging them to marque the pugnacious decisions.
"Series aft series, it's been going connected for 40-odd years now, NSW are successful a precise pugnacious spot close present and they've got to marque the close decisions, it's arsenic elemental arsenic that," helium said.
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"I don't deliberation determination is nary different enactment for them and they're going to Brisbane, everyone knows however intimidating Brisbane is, Queensland successful Brisbane, they're 1 down, the bid is implicit if they don't get it close and I deliberation they've got to marque a fewer pugnacious squad selections that I don't deliberation they've been prepared to marque successful the past.
"(Previously they) thought they could get distant with immoderate stuff, they're not getting distant with this 1 successful Brisbane if they don't marque the close squad selections."
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Bennett besides enactment his enactment down Latrell Mitchell if acceptable earlier further challenging NSW to simply "pick the champion team".
"If he's acceptable to play I'd beryllium picking him ... they've got to prime the champion team, they've got to hide astir ages, past, whatever, they conscionable privation the champion 17 players successful Brisbane," helium said.
"It's a pugnacious capable occupation to spell to Brisbane to play with your champion squad fto unsocial 2nd guessing what you're going to take."
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Along with calling for the instrumentality of Reynolds, Bennett besides believes his erstwhile teammate and halves spouse Cody Walker would beryllium an perfect enactment to spouse the Broncos captain.
"The hard portion is to travel successful halfway and play with a five-eighth that's already determination and he's a fantastic subordinate (Jarome Luai) but the bottommost enactment is helium and Cleary person a fantastic operation and that's what they've stuck with, the combination," helium said.
"If you're going to bring Reynolds, you've got to bring Walker due to the fact that they've got the operation and they're going to interest the hellhole retired of everybody."
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Reynolds' enactment for NSW has been suggested alongside Mitchell Moses, Luai, Walker and crippled 1 debutant Nicho Hynes.
Hynes won the Dally M medal past twelvemonth astatine halfback for Cronulla, but determination has been a mentation that he'd beryllium thrown to the wolves astatine Brisbane.
Bennett believes NSW request to thin connected idiosyncratic they trust.
"NSW mislaid the archetypal game, this is bash oregon die, there's nary fallback presumption here, you've got to either bash it oregon you don't and I'm going to spell with the players that I spot to bash it and I spot Adam Reynolds supra everybody other that's disposable for them," helium said.
"He lives up determination now, helium knows the spot truly well, I brought Allan Langer backmost successful 2001 due to the fact that it wasn't arsenic if we didn't person immoderate different halfbacks, I conscionable knew we couldn't triumph that 3rd crippled without him and that's what Origin's about.
"There's nary fallback position, you either bash it oregon you don't."
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