Inside the Sheds

I'M hearing Brett Finch and Braith Anasta were both devastated by their Origin snubbings. What really cut the pair was the way it all went down at the 11th hour.

Apparently Finch had heard he was all but over the line for a spot on the bench, which ended up going to Bxen Hornby. But my understanding is he was even more cut when selectors went for the untried Peter Wallace as the starting halfback.

Finch has been there and done it before in Origin and is in good form. He deserved another shot. Anasta was cut hard over a newspaper article which suggested player power had undone his chances.

According to the article, players from the Country side during City-Country week had detailed how Anasta was not a big-game player.

ANOTHER shattered star is Gold Coast Titans captain Scott Prince, who was overlooked for Karmichael Hunt at five-eighth. Darren Lockyer's absence opened up a spot in the Maroons backline but the in-form Prince was brushed once again.

The school of thought is he and halfback Johnathan Thurston play a similar style of game and Queensland can't afford to accommodate them. Prince is privately questioning what else he must do to win a Maroon jumper.

THE halfback who NSW did go with, Peter Wallace, was rejected by the Panthers last season after spending the majority of the year on the outer at the foot of the mountains. The club did not even make Wallace an offfer , while the Broncos came up with a generous $200,000 a season.

Whoever let Wallace walk away from Penrith has a lot to answer for. The Panthers then signed Joe Williams and Richie Williams as possible solutions. Richie has been sacked while Joe has spent the season in reserve grade.

THE Bulldogs will soon announce the signatures of Brett Kimmorley and Michael Ennis, but need to add starch and depth to their frontrow before they will see some consistent results. Over the last three seasons the Dogs have farewelled Steve Price, Mark O'Meley, Willie Mason and Roy Asotasi and replaced them with not much.