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8 hours ago | Rhys Sullivan
NSW State of Origin coach Phil Gould has aired doubts over former club Penrith's easy ride up to the Interstate opener, following the selection of four Panthers for a bulked up 30-man preliminary squad announced by selectors yesterday.
Club captain Craig Gower, centre/winger Luke Lewis, and forwards Trent Waterhouse and Joel Clinton had their names read out for the squad, with Origin I to be played on Wednesday May 26 at Telstra Stadium.
Apparently, concerns grew in the minds of selectors, with Gould then publicly airing them to all and sundry, after Penrith lapped South Sydney at the weekend. Furthermore, with the Mountain Men have a bye this round, giving them another good rest. Therefore, any Penrith players selected for Origin I will also miss round 11, meaning they could go into the opening game without a tough hit-out for nearly a month.
The comments could unsettle a few people out west, who may see it as a shot over the bow at the reigning premiers, from the coaching director of the team they beat 18-6 in last year's Grand Final. Coincidentally, the Roosters were beaten by a greater margin in that game than any other game during the 2003 season.
On the other hand though, it might just be a way to fire up a few players for Rep duty, given that Gould is the sort of coach who expects a lot from players and hopes to squeeze as much as possible from them (as he seems to be demonstrating in the photo above).