An exciting 30-minute spell during last month’s City-Country clash in Mudgee was enough to convince NSW coach Ricky Stuart that Robbie Farah was the right man to select at hooker for the State of Origin opener.

The Wests Tigers skipper linked up superbly with Blues halfback Mitchell Pearce in the first half of City’s win over Country and gave Stuart enough reasons to pick him over incumbent No.9 Michael Ennis.

The decision is redemption for Farah, who was dumped after a poor display in Origin two in Sydney in 2009; his decision to play with a rib injury back-fired terribly as Queensland took an unassailable 2-0 series lead.

However, excellent recent form, coupled with the opportunity to play alongside Pearce again, persuaded Stuart to give the 28-year-old another chance.

“When you sit back and watch the way they combined in the first 30 minutes from a coach’s point of view I was excited,” Stuart said.

“But without exaggerating or sounding too unrealistic, you have to times that game by 10 in Origin.

“There were parts of that game where the intensity was higher than an NRL game, but they need to do it for 80 minutes now in an environment that is 10 times faster.”

The decision is a blow for Ennis, who has held the spot since the third game of the 2009 series, but Stuart said his long-standing knee injury went against him.

“It’s a difficult decision, as I respect Ennis as a player and I love his competitiveness,” Stuart said.