Do you want to know the reason Queensland have won eight State of Origins in a row?
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Well, Ultimate League statistics can point to the answer.
Of the six positions available in Ultimate League, NSW lead in every category on average but one – the halves. Not only do the Queenslanders lead the halves category, they dominate.
Queenslanders occupy the first six positions on the leaderboard in the form of Albert Kelly, Cooper Cronk, Daly Cherry-Evans, Chris Sandow, Johnathan Thurston and Ben Hunt. Trent Hodkinson is the first New South Welshman on the list in seventh position.
However, there is light at the end of the tunnel for NSW coach Laurie Daley and long-suffering Blues fans.
The boys from the south of the border control the other five categories:
In the fullback/wingers position Josh Mansour rules the roost with an average of 53. He is closely followed by Greg Inglis and Anthony Milford.
Kiwi Konrad Hurrell leads in the centre category but has three Blues on his tail: Mitchell Aubusson, Tim Lafai and Jamal Idris. Dane Gagai is the first Queenslander on the list in 14th.
Trent Merrin dominates the front row category with an average of 62 on a leaderboard that includes Andrew Fifita and Aiden Tolman. In seventh spot is the first banana-bender in the form of Nate Myles.
Robbie Farah is not only the best hooker but the best player in Ultimate League. Farah leads Queensland captain Cameron Smith in the category;
Raiders workhorse Shaun Fensom is the best back-rower with an average of 60 points per game. Renowned fantasy gun Corey Parker is a further six points behind.
It all points to another big State of Origin series when the series kicks off on May 28. The question is, will Laurie Daley pick his ultimate Blues team based on Ultimate League data? All will be revealed in the coming months.
Ultimate League Team of the Week
Fullbacks/wingers 1. Nathan Stapleton (63) 2. Greg Inglis (62) 3. Jarryd Hayne (59).
Centres 4. Steve Matai (61) 5. Jamal Idris (48).
Halves 6. Todd Carney (59) 7. Chris Sandow (59).
Front-row 8. Aaron Woods (69) 9. Sam Tagataese (55)
Hooker 10. Robbie Farah (82)
Second-row 11. Sam Burgess (77) 12. Shaun Fensom (76) 13. Trent Merrin (66).
