STATE OF ORIGIN GAME II PREVIEW
The scene has once again been set as one of the biggest games in State of Origin history on Wednesday night. Having been on the receiving end of Queensland’s decade of dominance, NSW Blues have the perfect chance to well and truly stamp their claims for a changing of the guard.
With a convincing 28-4 victory in Game 1 at Suncorp Stadium, NSW will be brimming with confidence following their dominate performance and will relish the home-ground advantage.
Their forwards dominated the middle-third for a majority of the contest, largely thanks to Sharks enforcer Andrew Fifita who put in a career-best performance.
After coming out and declaring his desire to be the game’s best fullback, James Tedesco did his claims no harm with an unbelievable individual performance, with 19 first-half carries constantly threatening Queensland’s defence and laying a strong platform for NSW’s attacking raids.
Considering the overall success in Game I, Laurie Daley has kept the faith in his squad and named the same 17 - the first time a NSW side has not been changed for 21 years.
Although dominated in all facets of the contest, Queensland Maroons will no doubt be looking to re-gain some pride back in their jersey with a host of new inclusions for Game II.
Future immortal Johnathan Thurston will play his 37th Origin after a long stint on the sidelines with a shoulder injury, while dynamic fullback Billy Slater has earned himself an Origin re-call with his impeccable form for the Melbourne Storm demanding selection.
Thurston’s acquisition will head a heap of experience and X-factor into a rather youthful Maroons side, with Slater’s inclusion seeing custodian Test fullback Darius Boyd move to the centres for the first time since 2009.
Young gun’s Coen Hess, Jarrad Wallace, Tim Glasby, and Valentine Holmes will all make their debuts on Wednesday night, with Wallace earning a starting position in the front-row alongside Roosters hard-hitter Dylan Napa.
Why NSW can win: Confidence
There’s no denying that NSW forward pack completely dominated their opposition in Game I of the series, but the confidence from putting in such a clinical performance at Suncorp Stadium will be huge mental advantage for the Blues.
With claims of the first-half being one of the most fast-paced games for some of the most experienced men on both respective sides, the Blues will be looking to dominate the opening stages of the contest once again with their forward pack.
Andrew Fifita, David Klemmer, Aaron Woods and Captain Boyd Cordner all combined for one-third of their total running metres, and will be looking to repeat their efforts on Wednesday night.
With Laurie Daley keeping faith with the same 17-man squad from Game I, the stability in the Blues combinations will be a huge advantage when they take centre stage in-front of their home fans, particularly their halves pairing of James Maloney and Mitchell Pearce - who both crossed for four-pointers in the opening 40 minutes of Game I.
Having not experience much success over his Origin Career, Pearce will take confidence from his strong showing in Game I after having hand in their try while crossing for the crucial mach-turner right on half-time. Expect a stronger short-kicking game from Pearce, wiht the nature of the fast-paced environment at Suncorp Stadium seeing no repeat sets forced from the in-form number 7.
Nathan Peats looked way too comfortable in Game I for someone making his Origin debut, recording a whopping 52 tackles while delivering strong service out of dummy-half for his team-mates. He certainly cemented himself as player who thrives in the Origin arena, and will be confident in his ability to back-up to deliver similar defensive efforts against a side who boast even more strike-power across the park.
With five of the last six games at ANZ Stadium decided by six points or less, NSW have enjoyed significant success in-front of their home fans having won five of the past eight encounters and will be quietly confident of delivering the final blow to bring the shield back to NSW.
Why Queensland can win: Big-name inclusions
There’s no denying that Queensland were missing significant attacking prowess in the opening game of the 2017 series with the likes of Jonathan Thurston, Matt Scott and Greg Inglis all battling injury.
Include legendary fullback Billy Slater to that list, who surprisingly missed out on selection in Game I, and you have four crucial players who have been integral to their recent success over the last 11 years.
Unfortunately for NSW’s sake, both Billy Slater and Jonathan Thurston have now been welcomed back into camp and will take the field in what is a must-win game for the mighty Maroons outfit.
Thurston sprung back into the NRL with a masterclass performance against the Parramatta Eels, recording three try assists, two line break assists, one line break, and a try of his own in just his second game in one month of football action.
Considering Slater’s absence from rugby league for 18 months, he could be excused for some lack-lustre performances over the course of 2017. As the champion fullback that Slater is, in his 11 games so far this season, he has amassed 11 try assists, five tries, 52 tackle breaks to go with 125 running metre per game that has seen him undoubtedly earn himself a re-call back into the Maroons side.
Their inclusions aren’t the only big-name changes for Game II, with stalwarts Aidan Guerra, Jacob Lilyman, Sam Thaiday, Nate Myles, Corey Oates and Justin O’Neill all axed from the side in the place of an array of young stars (as listed previously) who have demanded selection due to their brilliant form for their respective clubs.
Queensland’s biggest weapon for Wednesday night will no doubt be the return of their damaging spine that has caused so much havoc for NSW over the past decade, with Slater, Thurston, Cronk and Smith all lining up together for the first time since 2015. Knowing their embarrassment of the disastrous loss to the Blues and the pain of not being able to take part in helping their side, it will be clear the four maestro’s will be out to make a strong statement on Wednesday night.
Teams:
NSW: 1. James Tedesco, 2. Blake Ferguson, 3. Josh Dugan, 4. Jarryd Hayne, 5. Brett Morris, 6. James Maloney, 7. Mitchell Pearce, 8. Aaron Woods, 9. Nathan Peats, 10. Andrew Fifita, 11. Josh Jackson, 12. Boyd Cordner (c), 13. Tyson Frizell. Interchange: 14. David Klemmer, 15. Wade Graham, 16. Jake Trbojevic, 17. Jack Bird. Extended bench: 18 Matt Moylan, 19 Jordan McLean, 20 Jack De Belin, 21 Tom Trbojevic
Queensland: 1. Billy Slater 2. Valentine Holmes 3. Will Chambers 4. Darius Boyd 5. Dane Gagai 6. Jonathan Thurston 7. Cooper Cronk 8. Dylan Napa 9. Cameron Smith (c) 10. Jarrad Wallace 11. Gavin Cooper 12. Matt Gillett 13. Josh McGuire 14. Michael Morgan 15. Josh Papalii 16 Coen Hess 17. Tim Glasby 18. Cameron Munster
Tip: There’s no doubting that Queensland will be out for redemption and look to level the series in-front of the NSW faithful, but considering the significant momentum behind the Blues and their dominant performance in the opening game, i’m tipping NSW to battle their way to victory once again and claim the Series in an absolute thriller. NSW by 2.
Best bet: NSW 1-12 $2.90
First Try Scorer: Valentine Holmes $11.00
Man of the Match: Boyd Cordner $9.50
