TEN State of Origin series losses for NSW in 11 years.

That’s every bit as dismal as it sounds. Queensland is making a mockery of the Blues in a state v state contest that for the first two decades always remained very close to 50-50.

Time to not so much think outside the box as fill the box with TNT and blow it up.

Here are five crazy ideas NSW should try - the first three from Origin III onwards, the latter two from next season.

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BAN ALL PLAYERS OVER 26 FROM SELECTION, SHORT-TERM

Desperate times, desperate measures. But run through your playing stocks and this decree isn’t even as drastic as it seems.

Here are the players above that age from NSW’s Origin II side: Michael Jennings, James Maloney, Robbie Farah, James Tamou, Paul Gallen, Greg Bird. Name one player from that bunch, as admirable as some of their Origin careers have been, that you’d deem essential to the future?

Here’s what’s left: Matt Moylan, Blake Ferguson, Dylan Walker, Josh Mansour, Adam Reynolds, Aaron Woods, Tyson Frizell, Josh Jackson, David Klemmer, Andrew Fifita, Jack Bird.

Some of these guys already look like the genuine article at Origin level and there are none who should be binned as yet.

Setting a short-term age cut-off policy would rule out tempting but ultimately short-sighted recalls for in-form veterans, such as those touted for Michael Ennis, Ryan Hoffman and Beau Scott during this series. Younger options in place of those players? Nathan Peats, Wade Graham, Bryce Cartwright — easy.

Newsflash: No player used by NSW during the past decade, bar Jarryd Hayne, has been enough of a game-changer to cling on to. Time to move on.

Michael Jennings’ rough Origin II may be his last for NSW. Source: Getty Images

PICK THE FASTEST POSSIBLE LINE-UP

In the immortal words of Rocky trainer Mickey Goldmill: “You got to get speed, demon speed. Speed’s what we need, we need greasy, fast speed.”

NSW backline selection policy has largely been focused on another physical attribute recently: Size, due to the brutal nature of Origin kick returns and edge defence.

But there are plenty of players in the NRL who boast both pace and bulk. The Blues haven’t picked outright plodders lately but a few genuine flyers remain untapped resources.

Here are a few yet-to-debut names to consider: James Tedesco (180cm, 93kg), Tom Trbojevic (194cm, 102kg), James Roberts (183cm, 88kg), Jack Wighton (188cm, 93kg), Alex Johnston (185cm, 95kg), Blake Austin (187cm, 94kg), Lachlan Coote (179cm, 85kg).

James Tedesco with the City Origin side. Source: News Corp Australia

Tedesco, Trbojevic and Roberts are near-untouchable in open space and all have the footwork to create it; Michael Jennings has shown in recent years (um, before Wednesday night) that those two gifts are priceless in Origin. None of the players on the list are poor defenders. None are tiny; some are actually pretty big. Austin is great at attacking the line, a major shortfall in NSW’s playmaking game recently.

With rugby league becoming a more fatigued game, Origin traditionally the most fatigued of all and further interchange reductions still on the agenda, pure speed will only become more of a weapon. NSW has enough options to stack its backline with jets — and Frizell showed what a great asset speed can also be in the forwards (watch below).

PICK PLAYERS ON CHARACTER

This is a total intangible — only smart people know real character when they see it, and appreciate its importance. Character policies aren’t foreign to Australian sport (ie. “no dickhead” rules), yet they are something more valued in US sports, with their exhaustive vetting of potential young recruits. For example, Australian defensive end Adam Gotsis was rated a “high character guy” when surprisingly taken in the second round of the NFL draft recently by the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos (the highest-ever pick for an Aussie).

Laurie Daley has enforced some character standards, such as when he sacked Mitchell Pearce from NSW duty over the “yellow dress girl” incident in 2014. Blake Ferguson’s Blues career came to a shuddering, albeit temporary halt when he was charged with indecent assault for a nightclub groping incident during Origin camp in 2013.

However, banishing those players from the team came after the fact. They’d already been in the fold. They’d already played. They’d already had some kind of input into the culture.

The above incidents told Daley, too late, that they had not taken their commitment to the NSW jersey seriously enough.

The big question is: Should a slightly inferior player with a superior character be given favour at the selection table? Do you give the nod to a less talented guy who will make more effort and be a better teammate?

Two noisy selection calls from two of rugby league’s finest coaches (and ex-Blues mentors) went unheeded before Origin I: Phil Gould advocating for Trent Merrin not only as lock but as captain, and Craig Bellamy for backrower Dale Finucane. Gould rates Merrin an outstanding leader to go with his versatile skills and big motor. Bellamy considers Finucane a fearless, relentless workhouse who is made for Origin.

Would they have made a difference? Who knows. Is it time to give the concept more consideration? Surely.

Trent Merrin: Gus Gould’s captain’s pick. Source: News Corp Australia

It’s something Daley was reportedly wrestling with this series — a guy he rated as a player but not so much as a character, namely Andrew Fifita. He picked him — he was brilliant in game one, ordinary in game two. Daley also tried to call in another player with a colourful history, Raiders centre BJ Leilua, in as a development player. Then again, he finally gave Wade Graham a call-up (albeit failed, thanks to the judiciary) after years of strong character references.

Would it be better picking a player whose game always rates a seven or eight, rather than a guy who fluctuates from four to nine? A guy who is a solid personality, rather than a loose cannon who doesn’t buy into the program? Plenty of coaches would say yes.

Interestingly, Kevin Walters this year ruled out Valentine Holmes, Cameron Munster, Anthony Milford, Ben Hunt, Dylan Napa, Jarrod Wallace, Edrick Lee and Chris Grevsmuhl for breaking curfew at Queensland’s Emerging Maroons camp — well before they got near the Origin squad.

Wade Graham: Strong character. Source: Getty Images

MAKE JOEY THE COACH NEXT SEASON

This suggestion is bordering on lunacy, not least of all because the Eighth Immortal would be a million-to-one to want to do it. But …

Andrew Johns is a football genius (derr). He’s been in immense demand as a coaching consultant ever since his retirement, most recently even going cross-code to work with the England rugby team’s halves, due to coach Eddie Jones rating him “a brilliant, brilliant football brain”. He revolutionised rugby league halves play and he knows the rest of the game inside out. He’s only every been used in tid-bit coaching roles and recipients of his knowledge have raved. He’s untapped as a head coach — imagine what he might be able to offer?

Like Daley, Joey is a Blues legend. Unlike Daley, Joey was playing in his prime when this theoretical revamped Blues line-up were young, hero-worshipping kids. He’s the idol of their generation. He may not command more respect than Daley per se but he has more immediate relevance. They would want to run through fire to bring him the Origin shield.

Former NSW coach Phil Gould and captain Andrew Johns. Source: News Corp Australia

Naming Joey as coach also seems the only feasible way NSW would ever get its most successful mentor, Gus Gould, back in to the fold. Despite severe dissatisfaction with the current “selfish” culture in the team, Gus has been long absent from the set-up and his last (volatile) stint as coach was way back in 2004.

Yet Gus has been a close confidante and mentor of Johns through the many highs and lows of his career. Would he put a toe back in the water to help, should Joey be pitched into the very deep end of Origin coaching? Maybe, just maybe, if only as an on-call consultant. That’s six Origin series wins’ worth of experience — the most in NSW history.

With a strong support staff of assistant coaches, Johns could perhaps work ala Mal Meninga: Just enough technical coaching input to go with enormous gravitas. Surely it would work as a one-off. And imagine the insane boost to interest it would provide: Joey, the greatest Blue, makes his Origin comeback.

Andrew Johns owning Origin in 2005. Source: News Corp Australia

PUSH FOR ONE REF TO BE USED

For starters, do us all a favour: Origin is getting weighed down by too many petty penalties under the two-ref system, by whistleblowers who have no appreciation of the fact that a good Origin is a flowing Origin.

From the NSW point of view, the less refs on the field the better, as they’ve been getting caned in the penalty counts. But the big upside is that one-referee games, such as recent Test matches, have been a faster, free-flowing product with less emphasis on the wrestle.

With the likes of Cameron Smith in the Maroons line-up, NSW is outmatched in a ruck wrestle-a-thon. On the odd occasion the Blues did get a quick play the ball in Origin II, they made some inroads by bringing quicker players into the action.

If NSW goes with a line-up stacked with speedsters, getting a more free-flowing game, combined with the heavy fatigue of Origin, is a recipe (finally) for more points.

From the perspective of getting the big calls right — every big call is referred to the bunker anyway.

Paul Gallen talks to referee Gerard Sutton. Source: News Corp Australia

SO WHAT NSW TEAM FOR ORIGIN III?

Taking into account the above factors, here’s a possible Origin III side. It’s unrecognisable from the last game - and how exciting would it be:

1. James Tedesco (23)

2. Josh Mansour (26)

3. Dylan Walker (21)

4. James Roberts (23)

5. Tom Trbojevic (19)

6. Jack Bird (21)

7. Blake Austin (25)

8. Aaron Woods (25)

9. Nathan Peats (25)

10. David Klemmer (22)

11. Wade Graham (25)

12. Josh Jackson (25)

13. Trent Merrin (26)

14. Matt Moylan (25)

15. Bryce Cartwright (21)

16. Reagan Campbell-Gillard (22)

17. Tyson Frizell (24)

18. Dale Finucane (24)

* Injury absentees: Adam Reynolds, Boyd Cordner