Jun 25th, 2019

Jun 25th, 2019

From the moment the full-time whistle sounded in State of Origin II the whispers started.

Queensland were thumped so convincingly that the search for answers went far beyond the team assembled in maroon.

To come back from that they needed something special. Or more pertinently someone special. And even at the age of 36 there's no one in rugby league as special as Cameron Smith.

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And so the speculation started. Surely now, in Queensland's time of need, the biggest name of the state's golden generation could be coaxed back as the side's saviour, just like Allan Langer did for Wayne Bennett all those years ago.

It's a question that will be put to Kevin Walters, Darren Lockyer and anyone else involved in the selection of the team countless times before they pick it.

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Lockyer has already answered it many times during the course of this series and while it's pretty clear he would love to call on the calm and confidence that Smith would bring to a decider on enemy soil, it's also clear he already knows why it won't happen.

"Obviously he would make a difference to the team, there's no doubting that," Lockyer told Wide World of Sports' QLDER.

"But in the situation that Cameron's in, it's not that he'd be selfish but he's left a great legacy in that arena, I don't know why he would change that."

With 27 State of Origin wins, Smith is already the most successful player ever to grace that stage.

As a captain he's lifted the shield more than anyone. He's got nothing left to prove but even if he left that to one side and selflessly answered an SOS call it's difficult to see how it would play out comfortably.

Daly Cherry-Evans is the captain of the side now. With Smith in the side, even if the star halfback kept the (c) next to his name, the leadership dynamic would shift dramatically. Does a Maroons side attempting to emerge from the shadow of a dynasty need that kind of uncertainty?

Ben Hunt was the toast of the state after an excellent Origin I as a makeshift hooker and was far from their worst in Game Two, at one point briefly changing the momentum with a clever 40/20 kicked early in the count.

Does he really deserve to face the axe? A confidence player who still perhaps hasn't forgiven himself for his famous and costly drop in golden point of the 2015 grand final, what kind of message would it send to a 29-year-old the Maroons might like to call on for years to come if he was shunted for a one-game cameo from his predecessor?

All questions that Queensland seriously need to consider prior to selecting their side for Game Three.

However, more to the point is a dry Lockyer answer to another question posed about the possible selection of Anthony Milford to provide the Maroons with a spark.

"It wouldn't have mattered who, even if you put Wally Lewis on the field the other night, NSW were so dominant in the middle of the field, there was just nothing there for our outside backs or halves to work with," he replied.

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"So for Anthony, look if he came on the field and there was a forward pack going forward or defensively doing what they need to do, he could be of value there. But it's a big couple of weeks for a few guys in that team. "

Undoubtedly Smith's inclusion would improve the Maroons' work in the middle of the field but even he wouldn't bridge the gap between Queensland's Game Two performance and victory.

If Lockyer's hints are anything to go by, the Maroons will need to have an inward look at the current crop instead of yearning for the past and a quick fix from a man whose legacy doesn't need the Alfie fairy tale.