Fittler defends City-Country concept

Hitting back ... City coach Brad Fittler defends City-Country concept. Source: Lukas Coch / AAP

City coach Brad Fittler has defended the City-Country concept despite his squad being forced into a dramatic makeover following the withdrawal of a host of players.

On top of the pre-selection unavailability of halfback Mitchell Pearce due to a calf strain, City on Monday lost five players to injury including NSW State of Origin contender Josh Reynolds and three Wests Tigers representatives.

The spate of withdrawals again raised questions about the legitimacy of the match, and how much of a role it plays as a genuine trial for NSW Origin selection.

Michael Gordon, Akuila Uate, Jamal Idris, Jack Wighton, James McManus, James Maloney, Josh McCrone, Trent Merrin, Boyd Cordner, Josh Jackson, Aiden Tolman, Michael Ennis, Willie Mason. Interchange: Sam Williams, Tariq Sims, Ryan James, Alex McKinnon.

So slim were the pickings available that Fittler was forced to hand a start to tyros duo James Tedesco (20) and Curtis Sironen (19), both of whom weren't in first grade a matter of weeks ago.

Tedesco, with just four NRL games under his belt, will become the most inexperienced player to ever play in the City-Country clash, Sironen not much better off with just seven top grade appearances.

But recalling his own elevation to the City side as an 18-year-old in 1990, Fittler said opportunity was exactly what the City-Country game was about.

"I don't care,'' Fittler said in regards to claims from critics that the game had passed its used-by date.

"A lot of blokes (who withdrew), there's legitimacy about what they're doing.

"They've played six games, there's a fair chance most of them are going to be sore somewhere.

"It's a case of if they really wanted to be here and it suits them to be here, they'd be here.''

Sironen came into the squad for Reynolds, who Fittler said was desperate to play before being overruled by Canterbury medical officials.

His withdrawal robbed NSW coach Laurie Daley of the opportunity of pitting two of his contenders for the Blues No.6 jumper head-to-head, with in-form Country playmaker James Maloney now in the driver's seat to play Origin I on June 6.

Tedesco can't even command the No.1 jumper at the Tigers but was rushed in to replace Jarryd Hayne at fullback, while Robbie Farah, Aaron Woods and Chris Lawrence were replaced by Nathan Peats, Adam Cuthbertson and Joel Reddy respectively.

Country prop Willie Mason, back in a representative jumper for the first time since playing for Country in 2010, said he hoped the injury withdrawals were genuine.

He said he had never considered just pulling out of a Country side, and admitted he had his eyes focussed once again on a NSW jumper he last wore in 2008.

"There's a couple of bench spots, especially in the front row,'' Mason said of possible NSW selection.

"It's a shame with all the (City) players pulling out of it. You don't know when your last rep jersey is going to be.

"They obviously have genuine reasons - at least you'd hope so anyway - or injuries, because you'd think they wouldn't really want to pull out.''

Mason, who celebrated his 33rd birthday on Monday, claimed he was feeling fitter now than he had in years.

"You know you can play at that level and Origin hasn't changed, it's still the same ingredients,'' Mason said.

REVISED CITY TEAM: James Tedesco, Nathan Merritt, Michael Jennings, Joel Reddy, Jorge Taufua, Curtis Sironen, Adam Reynolds, Adam Cuthbertson, Nathan Peats, Tim Mannah, Tony Williams, Ryan Hoffman, Feleti Mateo. Interchange: Wade Graham, Andrew Fifita, Tom Symonds, Tim Grant.

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