By MATT FINDLAY

I try and live my life by a few simple rules, many of which come directly from Neil Patrick Harris’ legendary ladies’ man Barney Stinson and I genuinely hope Brad Fittler takes note of one in particular – new is always better.

For goodness sake Fred, don’t be tempted to look at the Maroons’ side for 2018 – sans Cronk, Thurston and now Smith too – and think ‘well, maybe the blokes that have tried deserve one more shot at redemption’.

That’s the drivel Nick McGrath’s peddling for some reason and...actually, I know that reason.

McGrath refuses to let go of the past and is still desperately praying to the rugby league gods that Robbie Farah will find a way to storm back from the brink of obscurity… at any level.

If Orange CYMS signed him tomorrow, he’d still call for Farah to be picked in the Blues’ side.

Mind you, he’s a die-hard Tigers fan and he’s used to an ever-present feeling of failure, so it shouldn’t really come as a surprise he’s in his comfort zone when another of the sides he supports constantly loses – by the way, glory glory.

The long and short of it is, whether Queensland’s recent core was once-in-a-generation or not, NSW selectors have constantly picked sides full of players that have tried and failed, tried and failed, tried and failed, then tried and failed some more, usually under the guise of moving toward the Maroons’ mantra of showing loyalty.

Showing loyalty and sticking solid was always easy for the Maroons because they were winning, but losing absolutely becomes a habit, and so many of NSW’s players in recent years have known nothing but defeat.

Why do they deserve loyalty?

Sentimentality I suppose, and there is something somewhat romantic in the thought of some of those guys earning that redemption… no, I won’t be swayed.

Cut them, cut them all.

Well, no, don’t cut them all. There’s quite a few of the side from game three last year that should hold their places, but now that the likes of Smith, Thurston and Cronk are gone, it’s the perfect time to usher in a new era of NSW dominance by filling the gaps around them with players who are in form and deserve their places.

Guys like Josh Addo-Carr, Damien Cook, Latrell Mitchell and Angus Crichton, for instance.

While the old ‘definition of insanity’ cliche is as overused as ‘YOLO’ was a few years ago – it’s about as cringe-worthy too – it does ring true here. Oh, pick John Sutton too, he could be NSW’s version of Adam Mogg.

By NICK McGRATH

State of Origin is about more than just talent.

Ask Billy Moore, or any of the two heads from up north, they’ll tell you.

Passion. Thurston. Passion. Cronk. Passion. Smith. Passion.

In short, it’s about pride in the jumper … and boasting a stack of future immortals at the peak of their powers, all in the one team. 

Three of those – the aforementioned trio of Thurston, Cronk and Smith – the Maroons will now be without heading into the 2018 series.

So let’s back up the generational change truck and take a long, deep breath.

Don’t do it, Freddy.

Don’t make wholesale changes to a team that very nearly got the chocolates in 2017.

The NSW Blues side that Laurie Daley picked last season was just a Hayne pass to Brett Morris away from taking a 2-0 lead in that series.

Instead, Hayne tucks it under his wing and an unmarked Morris’ plea for the pill goes unnoticed. 

NSW loses game two, eventually goes down 2-1 in the series.

And we panic.

Daley’s left out in the cold, worse than that time Phil Gould stole his chair on the sideline, and all of a sudden the broom’s out and we’re brushing aside some seriously good players in favour of untried rookies, halves on the comeback from injury and a backline that’s fast, sure, but boasts the defensive capabilities of a Central Station turnstile. 

So, let’s not panic. Let’s stick solid.

Dugan, Ferguson, Woods, Jackson – retain them. And all of this talk of Cook, McInnes and Koroisau, spare me.

Robbie Farah is still the best hooker in NSW and doesn’t origin just love a selection from obscurity? He’ll be our Alfie Langer.

I can see it now after game one: Farah, Blues back from Origin oblivion. 

Have a little faith, Freddy. That’s all I ask.