The passion and biff finally returns to Origin footy
Roar Guru
By Steve Kaless, 16 Jul 2009 Steve Kaless is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- David Gallop, NRL, NSW Blues, Queensland Maroons, Rugby League, State Of Origin, Steve Price
125 Have your say
Queensland prop Steve Price is tackled during Queensland v New South Wales State of Origin Game 3 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Wednesday, July 15, 2009. AAP Image/Dave Hunt
It might have been brutal and bloody, and that might be a guilty pleasure these days, but I’m going to enjoy it for as long as possible.
New South Wales finally looked like they had Queensland’s measure in the passion and aggro stakes, they finally looked like they wanted it, finally looked like they cared just as much as the blokes in the mythical Maroon jumper.
Sure there were a few mistakes. But you show me a match without errors and I’ll show you a dull, robotic contest.
Sure the inevitable phone calls to talk back radio will come from concerned mothers about how their little darlings will be scarred for life after seeing two blokes belting each other (supposedly more harmful than two decades of crap parenting).
But for a contest which is supposedly lacking the passion of yesteryear, there seemed to be plenty on show.
Even the fans at Lang Park got into the act by throwing their occupational health and safety compliant plastic cups onto the ground. Or maybe they were just making it easier for the cleaners.
For the first time since the Lewis era, there seems to be players keen to cast themselves in the role of pantomime villain. Maybe the names Hodges and Barrett will now be used as jibes in school yards on the respective sides of the border.
I don’t know which moment from Hodges will be more memorable: his acrobatic leap in an attempt to score or his gesturing to the Blues players to step outside after the late brawl.
Maybe it is impossible to separate genius from madness.
Of course, where to now for the Blues selectors?
Their campaign started with the focus on youth and ended with the best performance coming from a side with the oldest halves combination on record.
Could you really dump Barrett and Kimmorley, particularly the latter, on account of their age?
There are some players who just look built for Origin. A Watmough and T. Learoyd-Lars would be the first forwards named on my New South Wales team for next year.
And where to for the administrators?
Of course, everyone raves about wanting to return to the good ol’ days and the tough stuff did seem to excite the public. But no one wants to see blokes getting their heads taken off by some Les Boyd throwback.
Does Origin deserve special treatment?
Queensland head into next year, looking for five straight, but potentially without some of the old stagers who have been the core of their domination.
However, seeing it’s Queensland, it will probably be hard to tell the difference.
Whatever happens in the future, David Gallop probably had his best night’s sleep in months. Origin 2010 is certainly looking bankable.
Just make sure they bring the biff.
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MattRusty said | July 16th 2009 @ 8:15am | Report comment
Last night was proof that selectors from both NSW and Qld should pick the team based on form, not the future.
Players in form are confident and you cannot go out on the field in a State of Origin without it because you will crumble under the pressure. David Williams is proof. He did a few good things but plenty of bad things. He’s been a good player at club level for a number of years but that’ s not enough of a reason for selection. Other wingers (in teams up the top of the ladder) are riding on higher levels of confidence so pick them. Not rocket science…
joeb said | July 16th 2009 @ 8:16am | Report comment
“Just make sure they bring the biff.”
In reality there was very little biff in last night’s contest, apart from towards the very end, otherwise it was a true game of Origin rugby league, and correct me if I’m wrong but the biff seemed to be instigated by the home side frustrated by their inability to get on top of the Blues.
What NSW did for a change was commit to 80 solid minutes of RL, and the two old fellas Kimmorley (brilliant cover tackle to cut down Inglis in full flight, as was Gidley’s on Boyd) and Barrett made a world of difference along with Watmough, Ennis, Poore, Creagh, Waterhouse, White and Learoyd-Larhs. True, Civoniceva was missed by the Maroons, but that’s life.
As for the comment regarding Les Boyd, in reality most league fans of his era deplored his tactics, and the league soon responded by sacking him. (And yet the reality was he had poor comprehension skills; you could even say he was “set up” by his coaches to an extent to play the way he did because when he was sacked his confusion was genuine, and he’s been ostracised ever since, sort of like Lee Harvey Oswald, if that’s not drawing too long a bow.)
As for next year, considering Bellyaches has lost two series on the trot, and the selectors only managed to get it right in this Game 3, perhaps it is time to bring back the Cattledog, even with his quadruple bypass.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/lhqnews/tommy-raudonikis/2009/07/11/1247258265054.html
joeb said | July 16th 2009 @ 8:26am | Report comment
MattRusty, “David Williams is proof. He did a few good things but plenty of bad things.”
He’s a serious liability at Origin level. Surely there are better wingers running around, and Jamie Lyons’s absence was arguably a blessing for us because Jennings and Morris did a terrific job.
Brett McKay said | July 16th 2009 @ 8:32am | Report comment
Joeb, I hope you were suggesting Tommy Raudonikis be brought back in jest?? I read that artcile in the Sun Herald, and that, combined with his annual plee to the administrators is making me think that – as much as he was lauded as a player and character from a by-gone era – Tommy now is about as relevant to the game as leather balls and toe-pokers..
Hoy said | July 16th 2009 @ 8:35am | Report comment
NSW did well with aggression, however I think I might have to correct you there Joeb, and say that the fight was instigated by White. He got up and threw the first one, much like Crocker did in game 2. Of course after Price was floored, QLD wanted another go, but the fight was started by NSW.
I could smell it all game, indeed all series. NSW had niggling tactics that some might call good hard play, but things like rubbing heads and faces into the dirt are always likely to start something, and NSW were doing it lots last night I thought.
Reality is that QLD were lucky to win the series really. If not for some poor play by NSW in both of the first two games, QLD would have found it hard to score. Inglis was really the only one making inroads at will against NSW. Jeez he is good, and a deserving man of the series. I would probably put Hayne or Watmough (though I hate them both) behind him, but for sheer talent, and great play, he was miles ahead.
Skull said | July 16th 2009 @ 8:37am | Report comment
Wolfman had a fractured cheekbone after being kicked in the head by Thurston. Very low act and amazingly he escaped any suspension. What a joke
joeb said | July 16th 2009 @ 9:00am | Report comment
Brett, admittedly Tommy is thin on game plan, i.e.:
“I don’t believe in complicated game plans. In fact, I don’t believe in game plans at all. I had only one instruction for the boys before they ran out – hit everything in Maroon on suspicion.”
But it will be interesting who gets the gig next year. I don’t think Bellamy deserves it.
Hoy, yes I remember it now, and that act of stupidity cost NSW a brilliant try in the corner at the death to Hayne. Price didn’t look too good when he went down, solid right to the jaw. Must still be seeing stars.
Skull, if Wolfman could get his defence together, he’d be a decent player. Yes the kick to his face was accidental as Thurston tried to “instinctively” kick the ball free from Wolfman’s hands and prevent the try.
Gerry Faehrmann said | July 16th 2009 @ 9:14am | Report comment
Bloody Wolfman was a joke!
Noddy could teach him a trick or 2 on how to tackle the big guys! What about the great cover defence at the end – just brilliant, and just get rid of Williams – he’s no good for Origin. Games 1 & 2 he dropped everything and Game 3 he couldn’t even take care of his opposite number.
Oh, and Go The Bulldogs!
Jameswm said | July 16th 2009 @ 9:25am | Report comment
Thurston’s acts at the end of the match were much worse than the kick to Williams’ face. He went into the last two tackles with swinging arms determined to make someone pay.
Queensland’s actions for the last 2 minutes of the match were a bigger disgrace than any off field incident this year. They, and their coach, have even admitted it, but no one has done anything about it. They said they were trying to get square.
They indiscriminately went after NSW players. Gidley is a good bloke and had nothing to do with the fight, yet 4 Qlders – with Lockyer and Thurston at the front – went in there to punch or injure him. Hodges is a perfect advertisement for the ugly, violent, foul-tempered player. I just saw him described as a 24 carat tool and that sums it up perfectly.
I don’t see how the pre-meditated violence Qld brought to the last few minutes of that match can go unpunished, even if it was riveting viewing!
ilikedahoodoogurusingha said | July 16th 2009 @ 9:25am | Report comment
If you watch the vision of the fight closely, White reacts to Price putting his knee into Whites head as he tries to square up as marker, accidental or deliberate, it makes no difference cos White overreacted….it was a good punch that dropped him though! Waterhouse was unlucky I think, he looked as though he was going to try and drag Price away, but the knock out punch came first, and made Waterhouses grab look really bad.