Game 3 Player Ratings

[Big Pete]

NSW

Josh Dugan - Pretty average I thought. Dugan is a talented player so even an ordinary game is still decent but some sloppy work at the back, that spilt ball and lack of quality plays in the attacking zone hurt him.

Brett Morris - Quiet.

Jennings - Had a couple of decent runs but fairly well contained but the right side defence. Seemed a little sloppy at times too...

Josh Morris - Quiet

James McManus - Mixed. Scored a try and came up with some smart defensive options but of course he came up with that huge error when the game was in the balance. Still think they should have played Uate.

James Maloney - Honestly don't remember him doing much.

Mitchell Pearce - Actually made a couple of decent runs which threatened but again despite having the weight of possession just couldn't get the Blues across the line.

Aaron Woods - He played?

Robbie Farah - Probably the worst game he's played for the Blues since his return. Wasn't terrible but just didn't have the potency he usually has and came up with the odd howler like he's generally good for.

James Tamou - Some decent runs here and there but didn't play to potential.

Luke Lewis - Queensland had his number all evening. Obviously wasn't fully fit.

Ryan Hoffman - Very involved performance...but I always feel safe when he has the ball near the line and of course came up with a terrible read at the end.

Greg Bird - Typical Bird performance. One of the best Blues to wear a jersey...which makes him a scumbag in my book. :tongue_smilie:

Andrew Fifita - IMMENSE off the bench. Close to MotM in a losing outfit.

Trent Merrin - Scored a decisive try but otherwise was fairly well contained.

Boyd Cordner - Was shown to be a class below tonight. Will get better.

Anthony Watmough - See Bird.

THE CHAMPIONS
Billy Slater - He's not in full gallop but Slater continues to prove that he's a champion fullback. Did his job and was still able to make some very strong runs. A Queensland legend without doubt.

Darius Boyd - Honestly, one of the best games I've seen from Darius in a Maroons jersey and he didn't score a try! Made it tough for himself but thankfully prevented a try and then came up with a great run length in the game which helped us out big time.

Greg Inglis - Quiet

Justin Hodges - Solid performance from Hodgo...I know it's wrong but I absolutely lost it at him giving it to the Blues crowd.

Brent Tate - Made a bad mistake early but did everything he could to make up for it afterwards. Plenty of good runs tonight and definitely one of the best on field.

Jonathan Thurston - Scored the opening try and then he seemed to be played out of the game. Held his own in defence which made me very proud.

Cooper Cronk - Mixed game from Cooper. Set up the would be match winner but his kicking game was off.

Mat Scott - My MotM. Pretty much a one man front row and his runs really set the tempo for us early. Should have been Man of the Series too but I can forgive it because...

Cam Smith - Best player in the game. Clearly a level above Farah and a Champion. We're watching a great here and some of the plays he came up with were absolute gold.

Nate Myles - Solid, but not his best game.

Chris McQueen - I was critical of McQueen's selection but he really put together a good performance tonight. Minded JT very well and made some good scathing runs.

Sam Thaiday - Thought he sucked tonight tbh. Some weak efforts in defence and didn't put his hand up enough.

Corey Parker - Parker is world class. Made one bad blue the entire night but everything else was quality. If nothing else, Broncos fans need to get behind this guy because he puts in every single week. Onya Corey!

Daly Cherry Evans - Look, I didn't want DCE in the side and still feel we would have been better served with a prop. HOWEVER, DCE has the class at this level and if Cronk isn't careful, DCE will be our starting halves partner sooner rather than later.

Ben Te'o - Some decent moments but not overly involved.

Matt Gillett - Ditto but worse. Gave away some bad penalties.

Josh Papalii - Best forward off the bench but only had the one stint. Really hope he goes on with his talent because he could easily become a permanent fixture in our starting backrow.

 

[Alec]

Looks about right. Thought Hodges was much more than just solid, saved at least 3 tries. :tongue_smilie:
Would love to see Papalli start the game. Reckon he's probably better than Thaiday already.

 

[Big Pete]

The whole game is a blur...but yeah Hodges definitely needs more credit, my bad!

Going to throw this out there...

Has Hodges had a better series?

I was a doubter and he proved me absolutely wrong. Good stuff.

 

[Alec]

It was definitely his best. He kept getting selected and doing nothing for so many years, and now he's finally re-payed all the faith shown in him. Like I said in another thread, with him and Parker playing some of the best footy of the careers, it sucks how we, the Broncos, are so far down the ladder. I blame the the guy who blue himself over and over at halfback.

 

[theshed]

I'll have a crack at it.

NSW

Josh Dugan - I was impressed by Doogs. Done enough to warrant selection in game 2 but I felt he really put his hand up and was one of the few NSW players who looked threatening in attack. He didn't really come up with much but he kept putting his hand up. He is still no Jarryd Hayne.

Brett Morris - Good kick returns but didn't see much action.

Jennings - Mostly solid in defence. Looked threatening in attack at times but it wasn't his best Origin game.

Josh Morris - Did a very reasonable defensive job on (an injured) Greg Inglis. Set up the McManus try with a brilliant ball.

James McManus - A far less brutal debut than what poor Merritt went through. A couple of great takes under pressure mixed with that unforgivable error. Put on a great step to beat Slater and score in the corner. If Laurie feels that Furgo doesn't deserve to be picked next year (and understandably so) I think Hayne has to play on the wing. Hayne is a better fullback than Dugan but Duagan has proved he can do an adequate job until a winger with real ability steps up (allowing Hayne to shift back to his preferred position).

James Maloney - Showed some ability but went missing. You still get the feeling that the blues have only found a temporary answer to their 5/8.

Mitchell Pearce - Took on the line a few times but other than that, what is left to say about Mitchell Pearce that hasn't been said this time of year for the past few series. He should not be picked for Origin again.

Aaron Woods - Josh Reynolds made a bigger impact in Game 1.

Robbie Farah - Massive workload as you've come to expect from Robbie at Origin. Made some poor decisions but can be forgiven because his halves went completely missing.

James Tamou - A very average series when compared to his form last year. He is a giant though and should continue being picked.

Luke Lewis - Probably one of his poorer Origin performances. He's usually one of the best on the park.

Ryan Hoffman - Massive workload. Nothing flash but thats not the reason you pick a player like Hoff.

Greg Bird - Tough as nails. One of the best NSW as usual.

Andrew Fifita - This man is a machine. Not as much of an impact as game one but the side looks like a different team when he's on the field. Absolute monster. The most impressive player in the blues camp this series imo.

Trent Merrin -Snagged a meat pie but wasn't overly impressive.

Boyd Cordner - Picked too soon. I think they should have given this spot to John Sutton.

Anthony Watmough - Displayed his great foot speed and changed the momentum of the game when he came on.

QLD -
Billy Slater - Classsy as always but I think Greg Inglis has surpassed him as the premier fullback in Rugby League. Ask a blues supporter and they'll tell you that the thought of GI running the ball back from kicks is terrifying, and I think he should be shifted there sooner rather than later. Sorry Bill.

Darius Boyd - I've questioned how deserving Boyd's position really is at this level and I think the amount of tries he's scored doesn't really reflect his efforts but this game was a reminder why he used to be talked about as one of the more elite backs in the game.

Greg Inglis - Look hungry early on but seemed to of sustained an injury which took him out of the game.

Justin Hodges - Probably his best series to date. He's been in incredible form lately and has carried it into Origin.

Brent Tate - Solid performance from Tate but I'm not convinced he's the best winger in QLD. I think he's a passenger in an otherwise All Star team.

Jonathan Thurston - Great footwork to score the opening try but as the match went on I think the blues done a decent job of keeping him fairly quiet. Kicked to perfection all night and there is no prettier sight in league than watching him and Coops throw the ball around.

Cooper Cronk - Incomparable to Mitchell Pearce. Solid performance from the most professional man in league.

Mat Scott - A different man to the one who looked old and tired in Game 1. A monster effort.

Cam Smith - Tackled his ass off and controlled the game as only Cam Smith can.

Nate Myles - Kept putting his hand up but not his most impressive performance.

Chris McQueen - I was shocked by his initial inclusion but he's slotted into Origin well. He hasn't set the world on fire but done enough to say he earned his jersey.

Sam Thaiday - Ran hard and with aggression early on. Decent performance by Sammy.

Corey Parker - Outstanding performance. I have no idea how he gets through as much work on the field as he does.

Daly Cherry Evans - DCE looked comfortable on the big stage and showed enough to damp concerns that QLD's dominance will come to an end when the current crop starts to retire. If its even a long shot, the Broncos need to throw money at this kid and get his signature.

Ben Te'o - No real impact but dug in and helped out the tiring forwards.

Matt Gillett - Matt Gillett is a penalty and error production line. If I'm being completely honest, I find him overrated as a player. He can run a mean line but until he can get the silly penalties and errors (and missed tackles for the Broncos) out his game, he won't be changing my opinion.

Josh Papalii - He's another monster. When he gets a bit more age and experience, he will be devastating for Maroons.

 

[Fozz]

Good analysis but that wasn't McManus debut though, he played a game a few years back.

 

[rnabokov]

Really, all NSW have to do is get rid of Baloney and Pearce and add Hayne and Gallen.

In any case, if they didn't drop those sitters (Dugan and Jennings) they would have won

 

[theshed]

Good analysis but that wasn't McManus debut though, he played a game a few years back.

whoops. i completely forget about that. haha

 

[Fozz]

whoops. i completely forget about that. haha

Understandable, the Blues have gone through about 11 billion selections in the last few years.

 

[Alec]

If NSW had Hayne at fullback, they probably would have won. It's amazing how many opportunities Dugan blows by being such an individual player.

 

[CaptainHook]

Yes and no, Alec. Dugan looked dangerous a number of times. At times, he was the only one out there. Haynes is probably a better fit for that team though.

A side note: I wish the Dugan deal with the broncos never fell through. He could've really turned our season around.

 

[Mr Fourex]

Really, all NSW have to do is get rid of Baloney and Pearce and add Hayne and Gallen.

In any case, if they didn't drop those sitters (Dugan and Jennings) they would have won

You can't say that with any certainty......

 

[Alec]

Yes and no, Alec. Dugan looked dangerous a number of times. At times, he was the only one out there. Haynes is probably a better fit for that team though.

Oh yeah, he's an excellent runner of the ball. But just like Hoffman, he tends to run it himself even when there's a good opportunity out wide. It's the exact reason we were all wanting to move Hoffman from fullback, even though he's a much better kick returner/runner than the crabpeople style Norman.