Sporting Declaration: state of flux leaves hard-working Knights out

Michael Maguire's new-look Blues were never likely to be inundated with Newcastle players, but I can't quite understand what more Jacob Saifiti could have done to retain his position.

Saifiti was an incumbent, having helped NSW win game three last year to prevent an embarrassing Queensland clean sweep, and his form this season has been as strong as at any point in his career.

In both his Origin appearances, Saifiti has provided genuine impact off the bench, in particular when he scored a barnstorming try on debut at Suncorp Stadium in game three, 2022.

Yet for Wednesday's series opener at Homebush, Sydney Roosters prop Spencer Leniu was preferred, even though statistics this season would suggest Saifiti has been a more dominant force.

Across nine games, he has averaged 125 metres in attack and 28 tackles, and in all but one of those appearances he featured in Newcastle's starting line-up.

Leniu, having copped a much-publicised suspension for a racial slur, has made four appearances, averaging 92 metres and 19 tackles per game. Only one of those outings was in the run-on team.

In fairness to Leniu, he helped Penrith win three consecutive grand finals before joining the Roosters, but how big a role did he really play? On each occasion, he was a bit-part player. I'm confident that if Saifiti had been in that position, a substitute stormtrooper in the greatest club team of the modern era, he would also have three premiership rings to his name.

So what exactly does Maguire see in Leniu that he believes might help his team bounce back from successive series defeats?

Well I guess, as they say, perception is reality, and Leniu has gained a reputation as much for his on-field histrionics as any contributions he has made with the ball or in defence. He's a trash-talker who has an annoying habit of grabbing big-name opponents by the jersey, goading them while knowing full well the chances of copping a smack in the head are slim to zero.

Somehow he has cultivated a tough-guy image, yet how long would he have lasted back in the era before punching was effectively outlawed, after the infamous Paul Gallen-Nate Myles Origin dust-up in 2013? It's easy to be big and brave when anyone who throws a fist ends up on the sidelines.

Maybe if Saifiti ran around verbally abusing his opponents, pretending he was ready to punch on, his name may have featured on the NSW team sheet.

The other factor I can't help pondering is whether the Knights have lost an influential voice in Danny Buderus, who was assistant to former NSW coach Brad Fittler for six Origin campaigns.

In that time, Saifiti and his twin brother Daniel made their debuts for NSW, followed last year by centre Bradman Best.

All were selection bolters.

Even last season, when Knights veteran Tyson Frizell was recalled by the Blues after a two-season absence, his inclusion was something of a surprise.

I'm not saying that "Bedsy" convinced Fittler to choose any of those players.

But I'm assuming that if he was asked for his opinion, Newcastle's football manager would have spoken positively about guys within his own club. And fair enough, too.

I think all four of those players did themselves, their club, and their state proud in the Origin cauldron, more than justifying their selections.

Moreover, winning form at club level is usually rewarded by representative honours, and since Origin III last season, Newcastle had won 15 of their past 21 games (before last night's clash with Canterbury).

Only Penrith and the Roosters boast better records over that period.

The Knights, in other words, are entitled to feel miffed, to say the least.

The flip side, of course, is that they're all available for Newcastle and have a fresh source of motivational fuel.