The greatest of the game threes, featuring heroes and villains and everything in between (and yes, that includes The King)So, here we go again. Another State of Origin decider is upon us and it’s hard to tell who is more excited – footy fans or Nine Network executives. In a world of streaming services and watch on demand, an Origin decider is one of the few TV events that can still put millions of bums on lounge-room seats at the same time and Wednesday night’s climax to the 2022 series will be no exception.From the moment rugby league’s interstate war went to a best-of-three contest in 1982, we have witnessed 21 deciders, with Queensland emerging triumphant on 14 occasions but...
His forced absence is bad news for Queensland but Maroons mythology was built on these backs-against-the-wall momentsWhatever seemed the most prescient storyline heading into State of Origin III quickly took a back seat when news dropped from the Queensland camp that Covid-19 had struck, with star five-eighth Cameron Munster and winger Murray Taulagi testing positive and forced to miss the decider.As important to the 2022 team as Wally Lewis was to the Maroons sides of the early 1980s, Munster’s forced absence is the worst possible news for rookie coach Billy Slater and the Queensland faithful who had attached their wagon to his horse for the all-important game three. The loss of is a hammer blow to Queensland’s chances, seen no...
Poor tackling, basic handling errors and a lack of discipline ensured a dire final script for the Maroons in State of Origin Game 2A star was born in debutant Matt Burton. An all-time game was produced by halfback Nathan Cleary in an arena he had failed to truly put an imprint on. A maligned pack dominated from beginning to end. It was New South Wales’ night in Perth, a dominant 44-12 victory that levelled a compelling series.At its core though, it was a failure at the basic fundamentals of the game that saw Queensland on the back foot for much of the opening half before being blown away in the second stanza. Poor tackling, a loss through the middle, basic...
NSW coach Brad Fittler will be under the microscope in Game 2 against Queensland, who can no longer enjoy the element of surpriseBrad Fittler is all-in. He is not going to die wondering. It has been relatively uncommon over the last decade for coaches to make mass changes at State of Origin level, but the New South Wales coach saw little choice after a terribly disappointing opener that saw the Blues lose on home turf. In doing so, Fittler has not only admitted he got it wrong in Game 1 but has put his reputation well and truly on the line.Fittler was widely criticised for the team he sent out in Sydney. While many factors contributed to the Blues’ defeat,...
A great sporting rivalry returned to the fore as fans at a packed stadium in Sydney tried to put the pandemic behind themState of Origin rose up afresh on Wednesday night and a crowd of 80,512 fans rose up with it. They came from cities and suburbs, country towns and specks on the map, up and down the east coast of Australia. On planes, trains and buses, in cars and cabs, on foot and phone, they argued allegiances all the way to the stadium. At the kick-off, they made a sound to behold: exorcised frustration from pandemic days and deep passion for “the fiercest rivalry in sport”.Queensland defied injury and underdog status to defeat New South Wales 16-10. Of course...