Once they got their get out of jail penalty (which I called coming a mile away, Sutton is ridiculously predictible with his timely penalties) the Blues were just far too good for the Maroons. They tore Queensland apart from the ruck and just kept Queensland down their own end by targeting both wingers with kicks. It brought the best out of Cleary who isn't comfortable with the general play. It also brought Walker into the game and he did an excellent job of stepping up.
One of the keys is that they got their rotation right. Haas starting was far more effective in his role and Paulo really had the Maroons on tilt towards the latter stages of the half.
I thought the Maroons were their own worst enemy at stages. Just a little pedestrian playing from behind, not putting up enough shapes and challenging the Blues down different quadrants. It was very Broncos-like where they kept going back to the middle later in the tackle.
In the end, it should have been a lot worse. It was looking like 60 odd just after Wighton scored, but the Maroons showed some ticker.
Not a surprising result, now we just have to see how both teams will shape up going into Game 3. Welch will be a nice inclusion for the Maroons, Munster will be racing the clock, I don't think he'll be right to play. It will be interesting to see if the Blues pick up any injuries.
