The Maroons’ dominance in the past two decades has hinged on their great centres; from Greg Inglis to Dane Gagai. But now it’s time for the next great Origin centre to emerge.
Attention has already started to shift to what the potential makeup of both State of Origin sides will look like come early-June, with big decisions to be made on both sides of the Tweed before kick-off in Sydney.
However, the one that looms as a big change that Queensland should make in this series is moving arguably the Brisbane Broncos’ best player so far this year, in Selwyn Cobbo, from the wing to the centres.
Cobbo has played four State of Origin games, all on the wing, but as we’ve seen with Inglis and Gagai in the past, the natural progression for great outside backs in the Origin arena is to start out wide and move one more in from the sideline.
It would mean quite the reshuffle for Billy Slater’s back five; Cobbo has seemlessly transitioned to left centre for Brisbane, a position Dolphins’ superstar Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow enjoyed great success in for the Maroons last series.
But it’s becoming evident that Cobbo ticks a lot of the boxes as the next great Queensland centre — strong, smooth, agile and crafty operator that will strike enough fear in the Blues coaching staff, they’ll need to make specific plans in an attempt to nullify his impact.
Cobbo can be that guy, he just needs a chance to prove it. And 2024 should offer just that.
Selwyn Cobbo’s case to become Queensland’s next great centre
It’s only the dawn of Broncos’ star Selwyn Cobbo’s State of Origin career, having played the entire 2022 series, and only Game 1 in 2023, before a hip injury sustained in that match kept him sidelined for the remainder of the series.
Right wing is the only position we’ve seen the damaging ball-runner play in that arena; the same said for a majority of his NRL career. However, Brisbane’s coach Kevvie Walters made the call to shift Cobbo to the centres during the offseason, which had been vacated by the departure of Herbie Farnworth.
It’s fair to say his start to the season could be categorised as the most consistent out of any of the Broncos players, averaging 153 metres a game, a total of 44 tackles breaks, and three tries through the first seven rounds.
But as Origin approaches, the rugby league community shifts its collective mind to how each side will line up for the series opener on June 5. New NSW coach Michael Maguire has a few selection headaches on his hands as well, while Slater will be carefully assessing position configuration as he looks to complete a three-peat for the state.
With the spine setup locked in, and the forward rotation somewhat expected to remain the same despite the absence of Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, attention turns to what the Queensland back five will look like and whether it’s finally time for Cobbo to be unleashed into the centres.
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Valentine Holmes played in the centres for the Maroons in all three games last year having strong performances, with Tabuai-Fidow playing on the left and Holmes on the right. Both players were out of position to where they usually play for their club sides — fullback for the ‘Hammer’, and left centre for Holmes at the Cowboys.
There’s no denying the two have played crucial roles for their state, however it seems that the obvious long term solution for Queensland is for Cobbo to venture into the centres. He’s now successfully proven his versatility and quality in multiple roles and is on the cusp of a breakout Origin series — a player with enough strike factor to quickly evolve into a spearhead centre.
Neither Tabuai-Fidow nor Holmes would be dropped from the side, rather shifted to the right edge to play alongside one another; Tabuai-Fidow at right centre, with Holmes on the wing — a position in which he has played seven of his 16 Origin games in.
You could easily come up with a number of combinations to assist Cobbo’s progression into Queensland’s next great centre. But for reference, a transition would more meet the timing of Greg Inglis’ switch, not Gagai. Cue more GI comparisons.
After playing his first four State of Origin matches on the wing, Inglis was thrust into the centres, where he firmly cemented himself as one of the greatest players of all-time and the leading try scorer in the Origin cauldron. Many have drawn similarities between the way Inglis played to how Cobbo performs, with that unbelievable athleticism and natural instincts in the game, not to forget the brute strength either.
Dane Gagai’s progression, by contrast, came a little later. Inglis denied Gagai an earlier path, with the now-Newcastle veteran playing 12 of his first 13 games on the wing. Gagai then made nine straight appearances at centre, having more than proved his worth as a back that finds a new gear when he dons the maroon.
Already, Queensland greats have come out supporting Cobbo’s brilliant start in his new role at centre, with Darren Lockyer and Wally Lewis lodging their belief he’ll become a dangerous threat in the centres at Origin level.
“We’ve always talked about it, he’s very similar to Greg Inglis”, Lockyer said via Wide World of Sports.
“He’s going to be pretty dangerous in that left centre position…and I think he will go from strength to strength here (the centres).”
Lewis was in agreement with Lockyer’s thoughts, supporting the early indications that Cobbo in the centres would have given the Queensland selectors and Slater great confidence.
“It would’ve been encouraging for the selectors to see how well he went and know that if need be he could be used in that position,” Lewis said.
“He’s big, strong, powerful, and can be used there.”
All that said, Slater understands that a strong part of the state’s selection philosophy circles around loyalty to those that ‘play their role’ come Origin time, de-valuing recent NRL form, relative to their rivals.
That means that while the move sounds obvious, it’s a conversation that Queensland selectors will take far more seriously than meets the eye.
It’s a decision that will take some courage and, potentially, a tough phone call or two.
But it’s a move that will terrify those inside the Blues’ camp. And that’s really what should carry the most weight.
