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Freezin wrote: .....perhaps this NSW infatuation existed in Hilditch C.O.S days but surely Bacchus is a stronger individual and wouldn't tolerate any state getting precedence over another at the selection table?

If you go through the line-up, you will see that there were 7 from NSW in the last test.

Warner, Watson, Smith, Haddin, Starc, Lyon and Hazlewood.

yeah but I'm pretty sure Watson and Lyon played for Aust when they were at other states, so TBH they dont fall under the category of that baggy blue / baggy green bias folk speak of.......pretty sure Smith and Warner have been Aust best 2 batsmen these past 18 mths......thank fudge they were from NSW and persisted with then eh?......Hazlewood took 5 for on debut and looked very McGrath like (another NSW player!) in terms of economy, yeah Starc & Haddin are dodgy so I guess the baggy blue/green argument wins there.......

Pretty sure NSW have won 46 Sheffield shields, next best Victoria with 28 wins.....and the most in the last 25 years with 7.....didnt they win it last year?.....even with half their team playing in the ashes and in SA?......pretty hard not to pick a NSW player to wear the baggy green with those stats...

.......not a NSW lover, actually hate Sydney with a passion, just cant see where the baggy blue / green argument is coming from....didnt the likes of Tubby Taylor, S&M Waugh, McGrath, Slater, Lee, Macgill etc have pretty decent careers during their and Aust hey day?.....Steve Waugh took how many tests to score his first test 100?.....thank fark he was selected on that baggy blue whim then!......dont think the baggy blue whim won Gilly a baggy green, didnt he have to get away from NSW to win a baggy green?.......

I agree with the NSW conspiracy theory - I think it's patently obvious. But I wonder what went wrong in the 70's - WA were reasonably well represented. This was a glory period for us and I remember one year we had something like 6 or so players in the test side and also won the Sheffield Shield. Happy to be proved right or wrong.

Freezin wrote: yeah but I'm pretty sure Watson and Lyon played for Aust when they were at other states, so TBH they dont fall under the category of that baggy blue / baggy green bias folk speak of.......pretty sure Smith and Warner have been Aust best 2 batsmen these past 18 mths......thank fudge they were from NSW and persisted with then eh?......Hazlewood took 5 for on debut and looked very McGrath like (another NSW player!) in terms of economy, yeah Starc & Haddin are dodgy so I guess the baggy blue/green argument wins there.......

Pretty sure NSW have won 46 Sheffield shields, next best Victoria with 28 wins.....and the most in the last 25 years with 7.....didnt they win it last year?.....even with half their team playing in the ashes and in SA?......pretty hard not to pick a NSW player to wear the baggy green with those stats...

.......not a NSW lover, actually hate Sydney with a passion, just cant see where the baggy blue / green argument is coming from....didnt the likes of Tubby Taylor, S&M Waugh, McGrath, Slater, Lee, Macgill etc have pretty decent careers during their and Aust hey day?.....Steve Waugh took how many tests to score his first test 100?.....thank fark he was selected on that baggy blue whim then!......dont think the baggy blue whim won Gilly a baggy green, didnt he have to get away from NSW to win a baggy green?.......

WA joined the Sheffield Shield in 1947/48 and has won second most behind NSW since then - we have 15 Shields.

luckily for us Gilchrist was a west aussie eh!!

58shark wrote: I agree with the NSW conspiracy theory - I think it's patently obvious. But I wonder what went wrong in the 70's - WA were reasonably well represented. This was a glory period for us and I remember one year we had something like 6 or so players in the test side and also won the Sheffield Shield. Happy to be proved right or wrong.

and it's patently obvious the best 3 batsmen in Australia are Smith, Warner and Clarke 58.....from memory in last years final a near full strength WA side got their arses handed to them on a plate from a NSW side missing 5 Australian reps in Watson, Clarke,Starc, Haddin and Warner.....yeah true WA were missing Johnson.....but TBH Mitch is a QLD boy born and bred so realistically he doesn't count.....all those NSW boys are NSW boys born and bred....

58 too me it's a depth/numbers thing mate.....NSW has a far greater population than WA, so it's common sense to think they will produce more elite cricketers through sheer weight of numbers playing the game!.......yeah some selections are dodgy I agree but pretty sure folk can name a few dodgy baggy green selections from every state over the years!

None worse than picking that Victorian crab Wayne Phillips for one test at the WACA in 91/92 at the expense of Geoff Marsh who was denied playing his very last Test on his home ground for a 30yo 1 Test hack!

I think where this NSW biased/ feeling comes form is while they certainly have players that are capable of playing test cricket, it just seems that you don't have to do as much before getting picked. An example would be Pat Cummins. If you look at what he did before getting picked, I just get that feeling that he would of needed to have done more if playing for another state. Not saying the kid isn't talented. He is and if he stays injury free, will be a very good player, but so many times you'll hear of a NSW player who gets a hundred in his first game or takes a 5 for as a bowler and the next thing you know, he's being talked about as possible test selection!!

Having said this, the selection of M Marsh was a bit NSW like
Wasn't exactly knocking the door down...

Is it too late to ask NZ for Luke Ronchi back I wonder?
Willing to do a straight swap for Haddin & we will even throw in a flock of merino's to sweeten the deal!!

Beasley Hutton wrote: Is it too late to ask NZ for Luke Ronchi back I wonder?
Willing to do a straight swap for Haddin & we will even throw in a flock of merino's to sweeten the deal!!

Throw in Cam White as a sweetener too BH ....if ever a bloke reminded me of one Nathan FIGJAM Buckley it's him