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...