Brilliant Maroons sweep the series against hapless Blues
Roar Guru
By Steve Kaless, 8 Jul 2010 Steve Kaless is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Craig Bellamy, NRL, NSW Blues, Queensland Maroons, Rugby League, State Of Origin
106 Have your say
Queensland players celebrate a try by Billy Slater. AAP Image/Paul Miller
NSW breathed some much needed life into the series south of the border by turning up and putting in their best showing of the year, while Queensland rightfully marked their period of domination with their first 3-0 victory of their historic five straight series victories.
The Blues aimed up, but just fell short.
Every time it looked good there would be a mistake: a silly penalty or the ball would be in the wrong guy’s hands. Mitchell Pearce fails to find touch, Michael Ennis has a brain meltdown at the end, or Beau Scott is on the end of the attacking raid.
It just wasn’t to be.
For Queensland, when they needed a big player, a star player stood up. Billy Slater nails Anthony Watmough with a try saver, Darren Lockyer hammers a freakish field goal, and then the two combine for the match winner.
Absolute class.
It’s also only fair that I enjoy a decent serve of humble pie. Kurt Gidley and Tom Learoyd-Lahrs, two players I’ve bagged from the outset, both played blinders.
Greg Bird also showed the powers of redemption available through sport, becoming the most popular man in NSW when he dived on the ball to put the Blues in front. I’d say he could become Premier, but that hardly makes the point.
Who knows, maybe there is room for an “Origin type” player? I’d give him another run.
Most of the changes for NSW seemed to work. Even Tim Mannah and Kade Snowden didn’t look out of place. And if this game was largely about development, then they will learn from the experience.
The Panthers’ Michael Jennings will surely remain in that spot for the foreseeable future and I can’t help but wonder if it might have been different if a player like Jamal Idris had the ball instead of Beau Scott.
Scott seemed to panic every time he got it. You could almost hear his mind screaming: “DON’T STUFF UP, DON’T STUFF UP.” And a sense of relief seemed to wash over the ground when he took the tackle and then played the ball.
You could then only really judge Michael Gordon once he has a centre inside him that is creating things for him.
But the Queenslanders were, and are, just much better. They defended brilliantly and their attack just had that level of effectiveness about it that you just knew if they got a chance, they’d make the Blues pay.
And so it was.
However, in 12 months time they may face the challenge of finding replacements for Lockyer and Civoniceva, and Folau will be practising his drop kicks. I’ve no doubt they’ll come up with something, but let’s not pretend there are ready-made replacements for these legends.
Hell, Darren and Petero might decide to do it all again.
Whatever happensm I’m already looking forward to next year’s series. NSW now have a year to wonder whether it’s a light at the end of the tunnel or an oncoming train.
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Nicholas R.W. Henning said | July 8th 2010 @ 4:47am | Report comment
It’s getting to the point where I’m wondering if NSW are capable of winning in the forcible future. Kurt Gidley had one good game, but he has had five poor games. He showed what he can do, but too little too late, for the worst fullback and captain selection I can think of in the last ten years. Gidley can do some work off the bench though I admit. The game was shaky from the second play. There are plenty of good names in the NSW team, yet it just doesn’t seem to be able to come together out there. I agree that there is benefit in a full-time origin coach, and what’s with Luke Lewis getting so much good mail this year? I’m waiting to be dazzled by him as a forward in the NSW Blues. He does well with Penrith, but I haven’t seen the same as a Blues player. Jamie Soward must now be a serious contender in the halves, Mitchell Pearce is not an origin game breaker yet, although that could change with Soward. Robbie Farrar has more to offer than Michael Ennis, and the new young forwards were too green for such a big assignment, but long term they will have some good steel to offer. In 2011 I’m hoping that the NSW Blues reinvent themselves! Nicholas R.W. Henning – Australian Author
The Link said | July 8th 2010 @ 9:08am | Report comment
Kidley’s place is on the bench as an impact player. Give him that clear role for a whole series and watch the benefits.
Gareth said | July 8th 2010 @ 12:49pm | Report comment
Give Gidley a role with less responsibility and he’ll heap less of a crushing expectation on himself – He did have a blinder last night, but will he turn up when the pressure is back on next year in a series that hasn’t yet been decided? Maybe he’d benefit from a coach that inspires positive confidence.
mw said | July 8th 2010 @ 6:14am | Report comment
To borrow a phrase from Roy and HG for 5 years this has been an exhibition of a man kicking a dog. It surprises me why this is so popular. Queensland only need to turn up and NSW will choke again and again. Not that I bother to waste my time on it.
BennO said | July 8th 2010 @ 7:31am | Report comment
I must have missed something at the end. What did Ennis do that was his brain meltdown?
BennO said | July 8th 2010 @ 8:25am | Report comment
ah the biffo on shillington. Got it.
Rabbitz said | July 8th 2010 @ 8:03am | Report comment
Anyone know the crowd figure?
Kim Hart said | July 9th 2010 @ 3:32pm | Report comment
61 thousand odd officially
Willy said | July 8th 2010 @ 8:13am | Report comment
Michael Ennis is a clown and a fool, and should never wear Blue again.
I’m glad you proved your manhood by taking shots at Shillington at the end there, Michael. Pity you cost your team mates a game they had worked hard to win.
Honestly – go. Just… just go.
kovana said | July 8th 2010 @ 8:15am | Report comment
THAT last Penalty during that scuffle really cost the blues the game..
They were ahead 18-13.. Shouldnt have over reacted…..
And that CRAZY pass that Folau intercepted… Nuts..
Nice Good crowd too…
Brett McKay said | July 8th 2010 @ 8:17am | Report comment
Rabbitz, north of 61K, from memory, pretty sure that’s what Rabs announced..
Good to see NSW make a game of it in the second half, but the first half looked like a Qld training session for the most part. And did anyone else think Lockyer’s field goal was actually just a downfield kick for the dead ball line, off the boot?? Amazing field goal…
BennO said | July 8th 2010 @ 8:27am | Report comment
That was exactly what I thought Brett. I was wondering how he could completely shank a kick downfield like that, at a time like that. Sensational.
Mals said | July 8th 2010 @ 8:21am | Report comment
Congrats Queensland.
Much better effort from the Blues, however some silly mistakes & a brain explosion by Ennis in the last 10 minutes ensured there was no joy for NSW at the end. Do away with selectors, bring in a new coach (& let him pick the team he wants) & a clean slate next year is urgently needed to breathe life in the NSW team.
Barry said | July 8th 2010 @ 8:40am | Report comment
The Ennis penalty happened on only the second tackle – it’s not like QLD got another full set of 6. It didn’t lose NSW the game. What about the soft goal line defence that let Myles and Slater stroll through ? What about Morris dropping the ball with the line wide open or Watmough trying to outmuscle Slater when he could have simply slid in for a try ? What about Beau Scott’s terrible attack and poor defensive reads ? These were all more to blame for the loss than Ennis.
Ennis laid on the try for Bird that got us in front and played great from dummy half in the second half in tandem with Gids. I agree that he shouldn’t have reacted to Myles – but he still should have got the penalty as Myles elbowed and punched him in the head while they were both on the deck.
Farah had his chance and played two of the worst games I’ve ever seen from a NSW no. 9, his dummy half service is ordinary and unless he has Benji running off him no one else knows what he’s going to do.
BennO said | July 8th 2010 @ 9:09am | Report comment
I thought Folau looked like he was going to reach Morris had he caught the ball. Course, a sharp step would have beaten him I guess.
But on the Ennis thing, I reckon I saw NSW players elbowing QLDers in the tackle all game when on the attack. Gallen was bad at this, when he was tackled he’d start elbowing heads to get off him. They’d hold QLD players down and give em a bit of facial work but didn’t like it reciprocated and would start elbowing. So I thought Shillo was just returning the favour.
But I’ll admit, it’s possible I see things through a shade of maroon.
Willy said | July 8th 2010 @ 9:23am | Report comment
Ennis was entitled to look decent in the second half – he played about 5 mins in the first half!
It is a total embarrasment for a hooker to get dragged off in the first 15 mins of a game. A complete waste of space.
And I’m sorry, but that penalty was just unforgivable. He had to protect his stupid “hard man” image rather than think about what was best for his team.
An absolute clown.
Pick Farah, don’t pick Farah. I couldn’t care. As long as Ennis is never in the team again, they’re a chance.
Gareth said | July 8th 2010 @ 1:02pm | Report comment
I’m with you in thinking the Ennis penalty wasn’t the turning point it’s being built up as. The way QLD chased the kick off and defended the first Blues set after the Bird try showed how the momentum was going to shift. Still, it was silly play from Ennis and when you couple it with a fairly lack-lustre performance (barring a superb grubber) I think we can do better.
I’m surprised there isn’t more talk about that Slater try-saver on Watmough. It was good work from Slater, but Watmough gave him every chance to make that tackle. Would it have killed him to swap arms with no defender on the right? Or dived a bit earlier? I may sound overly critical, but everything about his body language said he’d already counted his chickens. It’s not quite as embarrassing as some other butcherings we’ve seen, but I think it deserves pointing out.
Barry said | July 8th 2010 @ 1:15pm | Report comment
Gareth – It’s funny you mention Watmough’s body language…On the replay last night I thought that Watmoughs body language suggested he was surprised to see himself in the clear and perhaps didn’t realise he was so close to the line as he didn’t prepare himself to get the ball down at all before Slater hit him. He definitely should have slid in from further out and Slater would have had no chance. When Slater grabbed him he then tried to outmuscle him and go over the top which made it easier for Slater to get underneath him.
I thought it was a pretty bad miss…but it all happens in the blink of an eye…still an amazing tackle from Slater and one of those “how did that happen?” moments.
Hoy said | July 8th 2010 @ 8:45am | Report comment
Michael Ennis, bigger cat act than Luke Creagh running away last year.
To start throwing that many when a man is on his knees, not land one til he got to his feet, and then run and hide behind your teammate, and actually hug him to protect yourself was one of the most wimpy pathetic things I have ever seen. At least Robbie Farah stands and throws down, not throw a few haymakers and hug a team mate for protection. I actually thought Ennis was a better option than Farah for Origin, but now I think NSW need a third option. Was amused that Gus Gould was stuck into Thaiday calling him a coward after running into Jennings from the side, but was deadly silent when Ennis ran and hid.
NSW had three players doing something last night: Gallen, Bird and finally Gidley did something to warrant selection at all. Gallen was NSWs most effective forward, although I thought King and Learoyd Lahrs were also solid. Bird was great wider, with good feet, and generally a good passing game, except that long floater to… Israel. Gidley was great in close as dummy half, proving what we all thought anyway, he is not the best fullback, but maybe the best utility.
Tim Mannah and Kane Snowden were both solid last night. Mannah was never going to let anyone down, and he should be picked again next year.
Beau Scott cost a few tries last night I thought. If he looked to go to the outside instead of stepping in all the time, there was always space for the winger. He never did it, and instead, never once looked at his winger, and kept stepping back inside. There was about three oppurtunities for either tries or big breaks down his side, gone begging.
There was a fair bit of niggle from NSW in the first half, with most of the tackles seemingly around the head and neck of the QLD players, and then when QLD were penalised a few times in the second half for high tackles, I almost thought the fix was in. Gallen I thought was sailing close to the wind with some grapples last night. I noticed it a few times, and started looking for it, and almost every tackle he went into, he was grabbing necks or heads.
QLD were just going through the motions for about 70 minutes last night. It was only the last 5-10 when they were under the pump that they seemed to turn it on and show why they are so good. I didn’t think QLD were going to win, but again, that last period was just class, and finish.
Lockyer was unlucky not to get man of the series. I thought he played so well in games 1 and 2 and was involved in a try and a booming field goal in the third. I thought he was more influential than Billy anyway. That field goal was amazing. I deadset thought it was just an ordinary kick gone dead on the full.
I am still disappointed in the bias of commentary that shines through. It shouldn’t happen. Wally, Rabs, and Sterlo were all very professional, but Fittler and Gould were really one eyed. It turns me off, but I wonder whether they are under direction to call the game that way. Sterlo, one of the NSW greats, is so professional, and yet the other NSW commentators can’t seem to help themselves.
Last thought: NSW won the last game last year, and everyone thought they were going to turn things around. Will they be lulled into a false sense of security again, or will they pick themselves up next year, take a good hard look, and make the changes that need to be made.
The Link said | July 8th 2010 @ 9:59am | Report comment
Thaiday’s been third man in for fights the last 2 games and got nothing. He should’ve been pulling splinters for that stuff.
Hoy said | July 8th 2010 @ 10:13am | Report comment
He certainly covers some ground to get there for the stoushs.
I just think he needs to cut it out of his game. He doesn’t need it, and he is playing so well without the niggle garbage.
Rob C said | July 8th 2010 @ 2:09pm | Report comment
Thaiday is a dog in my opinion. Agree 100% with what Gould said. Would love to see someone take this cat that hits players from the blind side and bring him back down to earth. If I was playing in that game he would not have gotten away with what he did last night and in the other two games. The only reason that didn’t happen is because of the heat on NSW over Luke O’Donnel in game two. NSW wanted to play clean. Maybe Thaiday could learn how to do this….. What a Coward!
For all the cheap shots I saw from QLD last night it was nice that NSW actually gave as good as they got (legally though). Their defence was brutal and their mongrel was all there. It was only cohesion which cost them a victory in the end. This will come if they stick with this side for the long term.
Jeff said | July 8th 2010 @ 6:02pm | Report comment
Hey Rob, Did you and I watch the same game???
Kim Hart said | July 9th 2010 @ 3:38pm | Report comment
Hate to break it to you mate but Gallens post tackle technique (ie kneeing the player in the head every single time is far from legal.
My second point is that I reckon Thaiday could knock you into next year.
Third point is that Ennis punching a bloke before he is on his feet is the definition of cowardly.
Last point is that there were cheap shots from both sides but you make a point about ‘brutal’ defence which is amusing as it let in so many points.