The New South Wales Emerging Origin Squad featured two players in Shannon Boyd and Jake Trbojevic who had both represented Australia before their state, Queensland coach Kevin Walters was wise to roll with Valentine Holmes in his Queensland Emerging Origin Squad. Holmes is an obvious selection given how his rampant form helped Cronulla reach the promised land this year, although he's not exactly a certainty for Origin selection next year.

Holmes will need to be playing better footy than Corey Oates and Dane Gagai to push his way into the Maroons starting side. We know that Holmes is probably a better winger than Oates and Gagai, however those two performed strongly in the Origin arena and haven't done anything as of yet to warrant being dropped. This sets up a very interesting start to the NRL season in which Holmes, Oates, Gagai and Cowboys winger Kyle Feldt will going to battle for those two wing spots.

Dale Copley (Roosters), Edrick Lee (Canberra) and Nene Macdonald (Dragons) have also been named, with Macdonald a low key outside back to keep tabs on. Copley is yet to really establish himself in the NRL on a consistent basis so it's hard to see him being close to gaining selection, while Macdonald is coming off a very impressive season with Gold Coast and a move down to the Dragons could either see Macdonald go to another level, or plateau.

Lee is similar to Macdonald, Oates and Feldt in that he's a massive unit who has the athletic ability to play wing at the highest level. Walters has a group of wingers in that mould along with the likes of Holmes and Gagai, who are quicker and more nimble on their feet.
I'd rank the outside backs named like this; Oates, Gagai, Holmes, Lee, Feldt, Macdonald, Copley.

Thou can't sleep on the return of Billy Slater either. Slater's return would push Darius Boyd back to the wing, meaning that all those wing options are competing for just one spot.

Jayson Bukuya (Cronulla) offers an experienced and powerful edge presence and he could demand a closer look if he's able to crack more minutes with the Sharks; the presence of Wade Graham and Luke Lewis will make that tricky. The Cowboys duo of Ethan Lowe and Coen Hess are ranked ahead of Bukuya in my books, with Lowe being on the cusp of Origin already and Hess showing that he's one of the most exciting young forwards in the NRL with limited exposure this year.

Jake Granville (Cowboys) gets the only dummy half spot in the squad, which should spark thoughts of what Andrew McCullough must do with Brisbane to get a look in. Granville is more dynamic than McCullough and there is more chance of Granville being asked to come off the bench, using his quick feet to expose tired forwards around the ruck than that job being given to McCullough. I'd suggest that McCullough is the best option to take over from Cameron Smith, while Granville is the best option to help Smith.

What stands out in this Queensland Emerging Squad are the big boppers through the middle and the play-making talent. Walters has included Ben Hunt (Brisbane), Anthony Milford (Brisbane), Cameron Munster (Melbourne), Ash Taylor (Gold Coast) and Moses Mbye (Canterbury) which should ease any concerns from Queensland fans about their future in the halves.

Taylor will benefit from being in camp and he's a couple years away from a starting Origin spot, while Hunt and Mbye need to do a whole lot more to show that they can steer a Queensland team around the park in the absence of Cooper Cronk or Jonathan Thurston. Don't forget that Daly Cherry-Evans exists and he'll be eager to steady his ship with a strong year with Manly, meaning that Hunt and Mbye will need to be deemed better options than DCE.

Munster and Milford both offer something different, a splash of x-factor and it's far more realistic to see either one of these two playing alongside Cronk or Thurston. Milford's at the top of that list and Munster's an interesting case as that return of Slater could see Munster settle in the halves alongside Cronk for the Storm and if that combo flourishes, Munster will benefit greatly in terms of Origin selection. Munster could also play centre for Melbourne.

Dylan Napa (Roosters) leads the big boys and he's most likely to feature if there is an injury, or a need for a bit more size in the Queensland forward pack. I've got Jarrod Wallace (Gold Coast) also being on the cusp, yet Wallace and Napa are very different in how they go about their work. If Matt Scott is unavailable, then Wallace is a good lad to bring in for example. If Josh Papalii is unavailable to come off the bench and add some whack to the Queensland forward pack, then Napa is the perfect replacement.

Lloyd Perrett (Manly) has been selected despite not doing anything for the Bulldogs all season and has basically been selected off hype, making a move to Manly crucial for his future. Perrett is similar to Taylor in that they will both benefit from being in camp but they don't have any immediate future in Origin.

The average footy fan probably won't know who Tim Glasby, Felise Kaufusi and Christian Welch are and all three have been selected by Walters. What do these three young forwards have in common? Well they're all Melbourne forwards and they helped Melbourne reach a Grand Final, laying a platform and allowing the Storm's play-makers to run their plays down the right end of the field.

Craig Bellamy hasn't had to do his usual flippin' of NRL journeymen into solid contributors because Melbourne have young forwards who are approaching their prime years and apart from our Kiwi Storm Gang, the likes of Welch, Glasby and Kaufusi are crucial in that. These three are definitely ranked below Napa and Wallace, but ahead of Perrett and don't be surprised to see one of them slide into an 18th/19th-Man capacity next year.

By the looks of both Emerging Origin squads, I can't imagine State of Origin going anywhere but up in the coming years.