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Ricky Stewart wants to drive through Caxton Street

Ricky Stuart aims for the New South Wales team bus to navigate through the valley of the shadow of death, commonly known as Caxton St, yet his strategy to pump up his squad before Origin I has been thwarted by Queensland Police.

In a clear indication that New South Wales has no apprehensions before tonight’s clash with Queensland, Stuart submitted a proposal for the bus to drive along the infamous strip towards Suncorp Stadium.

However, Queensland authorities prohibited this request due to safety concerns, particularly around the well-known Caxton Hotel, which accommodates numerous eager and later intoxicated Maroons supporters on State of Origin night. “Past experiences have shown that there has been a confrontational atmosphere for the bus and that can endanger the public,” remarked a spokesperson for Queensland Police. “Given this history, the request was turned down.”

On Origin night, thousands of fans flood the iconic strip, and the NSW bus has not traversed Caxton St for ten years, as Maroons supporters typically either violently shake the vehicle or indulge in their preferred pastime of hurling full XXXX cans at it. In recent campaigns, players from NSW have appeared like deer caught in headlights.

Their trepidation towards Queensland has been almost tangible. Stuart’s desire to traverse Caxton St signifies remarkable confidence leading into the Origin opener. On Origin night, Caxton St resembles a zoo. Although the Queensland team was permitted to travel down this street in 2009, the plan was abandoned when patrons positioned themselves in front of the bus. When Stuart last coached NSW in 2005, he faced a similar denial and stated, “To me, it is one of the biggest parts of being in Origin.”

While he refrained from commenting yesterday, his willingness to face the Caxton challenge once more instills hope in the long-suffering Blues supporters. This demonstrates a fearless mindset and the firm belief in his current group of players to break a five-series losing streak against the Maroons. NSWRL boss Geoff Carr noted this as further evidence that the coach is reverting to traditional methods to reclaim the Origin shield.

“Ricky is doing everything possible to bring this Origin campaign back to the preparations he recalls from his era, and it’s proving very effective,” Carr stated. “They ceased doing it about a decade ago when I was managing the side for safety reasons. Historically, the Queensland police have regarded it as too perilous. However, the fact that Ricky wished to proceed with this indicates they aren’t intimidated by this match.”

by Buford Balony

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