State of Origin I - QLD vs NSW - Live Discussion

[Super Freak]

 

[Big Pete]

@Dexter from now on I'm going to keep my mouth shut until you post because you seem to have a better clue than me.

I'd like to pull a Gus Gould and say I qualified my prediction of NSW going on with it in the second half by saying it depends on their attitude, but that's weak. I guess I'm so used to the flow of an NRL game that when I see a side bomb 4 try scoring opportunities it eventually costs them.

Not this Queensland side.

I forgot that this side is filled with champions with tremendous resolve who never die wondering. Even in defeat, there's rarely an instance I felt they didn't give their all on the field and tonight was another shining example. They had every right to pack it in, play safe and pray for the Blues to make an error, but they fought hard and eventually got on top of them.

They just kept at it and kept playing football. It was so refreshing to see a side move the football around like Queensland and even though the service at time was sloppy, when the passes stuck they created enough opportunities where they could eventually convert them. The two passes Kalyn Ponga threw were absolute gems and Munster was desperately unlucky not to receive a better reward when Michael Morgan went close.

In Origin it's all about self belief, making the play and staying in the game. At 8-all, NSW had the opportunity to take an unlikely lead with a player short. For all money, it appeared Wighton had set Addo-Carr down the sideline and in that position, Josh scores 9/10 even with the cover coming over. So Gagai took the odds to it, he stuck his hand out reeled the ball in and took his opportunity to score a long distance try he wouldn't be able to score in any other circumstance. Normally Addo-Carr would have been able to chase him down, but in this scenario, Gagai just had too big a lead. Addo-Carr still made the conversion more difficult than it needed to be but that was the turning point.

I wish for my nerves I could say it was the game, but it wasn't. Even after Gagai scored his double, NSW came back hard and were within a whisker of stealing it. That final tackle on Crichton is what Origin is built on. Ponga putting his body on the line to temporarily stop the most dangerous player on the field and his team mates covering the other side of the field and just jamming bodies in, that's why we find ourselves writing essays at 12am about this form of entertainment.

I'll need to catch a replay before tackling the nitty gritty, but before going through the weeds I just wanted to give it up to the players on the field. They did the jersey proud tonight and that was as good a win I've seen from Queensland.

1-0, off to Perth in a game that may as well be winner takes all. Let's see how NSW handle having the shoe on the other foot, they only lost by four, but they don't take losing well.

 

[Huge]

A lot of people rightly identified Kaufusi as having had a blinder but after watching a replay I will say that no one wanted to run anywhere near Napa. He absolutely puts fear into them. He was going to kill someone tonight and because of that they kept turning back in and away from him. That made the other defenders lot so much easier. He won't be dropped and his no try won't be counted against him. He's one scarey motherfucker and our Origin side needs that aggression.

That first 20 minutes of the second half was enormous and QLD won simply because they wanted to hurt the blues. Everyone had sting in their tackles. I might say also that I strongly supported Kafusi before he played his first origin and didn't get much support but I always believed he would be an asset so I'm pleased there's no one left who thinks he doesn't belong. Great game from him. Fifita was excellent too.

Chambers deserves this series to prove his worth, I hope he does. Well done to Hunt, best rep game ever from him. DCE, class and Ponga the best of. Munster proved a few wrong and Gilett still has it. Offa was strong but unlucky and Arrow didn't put a foot wrong, bound to get better.

I took NSW to lead at halftime and Qld at fulltime so I made a bundle of cash on that...happy days.

 

[Ironbroncos]

Just watching Freddy in the post game conference. damn hes one salty motherfudger

"they (QLD) nailed the 1st 10 - 15mins (of the 2nd half) they really won that, apart from that, nice pass from Ponga and a intercept, 2 tries dead set corners of the field, its not as though they broke us up all over the field"

sour grapes mate, still 2 more games but damn watching this interview he really looked pissed off.

Even the interview in the sheds after the game when Slater was asking him questions, that must've pissed him off too.

 

[Skathen]

This is still really pissing me off. All the modern tech they could have at their disposal "The NSW Kick chasers are onside" ya mhmm...

(superimposed a mostly transparent image of the field directly in line with the play to compensate for the camera angle - to show the direct line between with where the ball was kicked and Teddy's position - using the try line as a point of reference)

He's got nothing behind where the ball was kicked and I was being really generous with where that is called from, I believe it should be from his boot, not the where the ball is in this frame. Teddy's left hoof was on the dirt before cook got foot to the ball - in an offside position. This should be immediately and extremely obvious with the right technology and much higher def than what I am getting off of Kayo.

How is the ultimate of our game still getting simple stuff like this totally wrong. Pissed me off even more that this directly led to their first try.

 

[Broncs_Fan]

Papalii was the best player imo.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

View attachment 5440

This is still really pissing me off. All the modern tech they could have at their disposal "The NSW Kick chasers are onside" ya mhmm...

(superimposed a mostly transparent image of the field directly in line with the play to compensate for the camera angle - to show the direct line between with where the ball was kicked and Teddy's position - using the try line as a point of reference)

He's got nothing behind where the ball was kicked and I was being really generous with where that is called from, I believe it should be from his boot, not the where the ball is in this frame. Teddy's left hoof was on the dirt before cook got foot to the ball - in an offside position. This should be immediately and extremely obvious with the right technology and much higher def than what I am getting off of Kayo.

How is the ultimate of our game still getting simple stuff like this totally wrong. Pissed me off even more that this directly led to their first try.

That was deadset a howler of a call, and if QLD had lost by 6 or less it would have been 10 times worse. Also the penalty try has gone the way of the send off if Gillett didn't deserve one.

 

[Ponga01]

He is fucking bad man, he can't stay there. I don't know who else we have but damn he's shit. He did everything possible to gift NSW a win but a few incredible performances from Ponga, Gagai, DCE and co saved us big time.

I'd deadset put Staggs or Fafita there ahead of him

Staggs is NSW

 

[Super Freak]

Can someone explain to me why Freddy took Walker off to bring on Wighton?

To me, that just seemed like a dumb decision.

 

[ivanhungryjak]

Just watching Freddy in the post game conference. damn hes one salty motherfudger

"they (QLD) nailed the 1st 10 - 15mins (of the 2nd half) they really won that, apart from that, nice pass from Ponga and a intercept, 2 tries dead set corners of the field, its not as though they broke us up all over the field"

sour grapes mate, still 2 more games but damn watching this interview he really looked pissed off.

Even the interview in the sheds after the game when Slater was asking him questions, that must've pissed him off too.

Ahh, remind me of the good old days. Cocky NSW are supposed to win, they are the favourites, yet they come up to Lang Park and get their arses handed to them. And there's no blaming it on the refs this time either.

 

[Alec]

Ben Hunt stole Cordner's shoe, and Cordner played without one for 10 minutes. That guy just seems a bit too nice.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ain-Boyd-Cordners-BOOT-play-hurls-stands.html

 

[Wolfie]

I'm still puzzled how that wasn't a penalty try. He was over the line. This guff about how they couldn't be sure he would have scored it because Tedesco was close is nonsense. If they are going to use that logic you could never give one at all. Even cordners one from last year, how could the video ref be sure he wouldn't have dropped the ball?

So glad we beat those grubs. I hate every last one of them in a blue shirt

 

[Super Freak]

I have to say, Dane Gagai is making me eat my words in each series.

I had serious doubts over him back when he was named to make his debut in 2015. I thought he would have been a liability but he is proving to be a crucial part of this side and has been one of our best players in each series.

11 tries in 11 games. He's 28 years old and I think he's good odds of breaking the try scoring record set by Inglis.

 

[Super Freak]

I'm still puzzled how that wasn't a penalty try. He was over the line. This guff about how they couldn't be sure he would have scored it because Tedesco was close is nonsense. If they are going to use that logic you could never give one at all. Even cordners one from last year, how could the video ref be sure he wouldn't have dropped the ball?

So glad we beat those grubs. I hate every last one of them in a blue shirt

Prior to 2018 I would have said it wasn't a penalty try because prior to 2018 it had to be a guarantee that a player would have scored.

But now, that is a deadset penalty try. Maxwell was shocking in the bunker last night. Denying Napa a legitimate try and denying the penalty try even though Gillett was the first player to the ball.

 

[Dexter]

Great win from our guys
So good to see Fittler having to think about what he does next . Since he has been coach everything that could go right, has , including Kevvies refusal to pick DCE until game 3


Now he has to decide on a couple of selections and risk going back to the knee jerk reaction so typical of NSW.
Im looking forward to the fallout from their media.
After that , the defensive structure he adopted was identified by Kevvie and picked off with some precision passing from Ponga and DCE which was just brilliant to watch.
How they respond to that will be interesting. I think Ponga and Munster will cut loose if they change it to more sliding D .
Freddie is visibly under pressure, the self assured demeanor has evaporated, ths is what origin is about mr. Fittler not the cushy ride you got last year .

 

[tommy]

I'm still puzzled how that wasn't a penalty try. He was over the line. This guff about how they couldn't be sure he would have scored it because Tedesco was close is nonsense. If they are going to use that logic you could never give one at all. Even cordners one from last year, how could the video ref be sure he wouldn't have dropped the ball?

So glad we beat those grubs. I hate every last one of them in a blue shirt

Then most hilarious thing is the difference in commentary of Gould for those 2 incidents. It's deadset embarrassing.

 

[Locky’s Left Boot]

My favourite part of the game as a whole besides winning is seeing the second coming of Cliff Lyons according to all and sundry south of the border, Cody ‘flat track bully’ Walker absolutely flop on the biggest stage and go missing.

I watched probably every single rugby league related show, podcast, etc in the lead up to Origin 1 and the amount of absolute dribble coming out of the mouths of the NSW pundits almost beggared belief.
My favourite one was I think it might have been Matty Johns say ‘Cody is an extinct player which is why he will probably be more suited to the Origin arena than club football. He will have less time to think and will just play on natural instinct’
Then you had others saying how much of an attacking genius he is, etc, etc, yet not one NSW personality mentioned the one thing I knew would come back to haunt them, his defense.

This is why he got hooked after 50 mins. Fittler was even quoted as saying they had to do something about that left edge because we were just killing them down that corridor.

I thought before the game that their halves combo would be their downfall and it showed. Cleary whisky wasn’t overly horrid, he is completely out of form and was assigned to be the guy who leads the team around the park whilst they blooded a debutant beside him.

What most NSW pundits, who waxed lyrical about Walker’s 4 tries against the Warriors earlier in the season, failed to pick up during that performance was Walker was forced to make ONE tackle all game. Even when he was scoring doubles in the games after that one, he was only forced to make single digit tackle counts so he is fresh as possible to attack. I know it’s easier said then done but how opposition coaches haven’t tried to exploit this side of his game is why Souths keep doing what they do.

What we witnessed last night is when he is forced to make double digit tackle counts and try and make him use up energy in defense, his attack gets completely brought back a couple of levels.

I hope NSW stick with the same halves combo for Perth. DCE will be more match fit and clinical whilst Munster is a better origin player than NSW halves combo put together.

 

[Locky’s Left Boot]

Nearly all of NSW attack comes through Tedesco and Cook. Without them last night could have been a blow out. Especially had we taken our half chances.

The best thing now is NSW now have more questions than answers. All the talk is how they rated their forward pack better, how their bench was better and more mobile, how they have a dynamic backline.

Now their halves combo will seriously be dissected apart by the media. Questions will be asked about what has happened to Latrell the last 3 weeks. Questions will be asked about their bench make up and whether they were expecting too much of Payne Haas being the only prop on the bench. Questions will also be asked if they rush Tom Trbojevic back for Game 2.

Meanwhile in QLD everything is coming up Milhouse. We have a decent spine who are all in decent form and have experience. Our back row outperformed their overhyped one. Our other forwards held their own.

I think we need to try and stick the knife in whilst it is hot in Perth and don’t give NSW a sniff of forcing a decider in front of their home fans. Although NSW haven’t won a decider since 2005 so they are still very much under the pump.