Blues go down fighting but the future looks brighter
Columnist By Ryan O'Connell, 7 Jul 2011 Ryan O'Connell is a Roar Expert
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- NRL, NSW Blues, Queensland Maroons, Rugby League, State Of Origin
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And so rugby league’s grand showcase is over for another year, with the Queensland Maroons defeating the NSW Blues in the deciding game of the State of Origin series for 2011.
The casual fan will look at the result and surmise that Queensland have won their sixth series in a row, and therefore nothing much has changed since 2006. But NSW were extremely competitive, and pushed the Maroons every inch of the series.
Now that the curtains have been drawn on the premier football spectacle in Australia, ten thoughts linger strongly in the memory.
1: Kudos to Queensland
First up, and most importantly, credit to the Queensland side. I’ve said before that this is the greatest rugby league side I’ve ever had the privilege of watching, and whilst they weren’t at their very best in this series, they still won, which is the true mark of a champion side. Hats of to the Maroons, and well played.
2: Darren Lockyer
Sport is not like Hollywood: you don’t always get a fairytale finish. History is littered with examples of legends that didn’t get the farewell they truly deserved, so it’s somewhat nice when it actually happens.
Darren Lockyer is the second best footballer I’ve ever seen play with my own eyes, and no one deserves to leave the State of Origin arena a winner more than the Queensland legend.
On behalf of all NSW fans, allow me to say (through gritted teeth) that if ever we were going to lose a game or series, it makes it a touch more palatable when it’s to a true icon of the game, in his farewell match.
3: Mal Meninga
Heading into this game, there was a lot of talk about whether Mal Meninga was a good coach or not. Let the record show that, in the toughest, hardest and highest quality of rugby league there is, Meninga has won six series in a row.
Ignorant, bias and ill-informed individuals like to deride Meninga’s record by saying he has been lucky to be in charge of an extremely talented side. However, there have been many talented teams, across many sports, which on paper should have been successful, yet were not. Coaching talented teams is a talent in and of itself.
In every sport, a coach is (and should) be judged on his wins and his losses. At the risk of sounding monotonous, let me repeat: Meninga has won six series in a row. If you want to believe that a fire hydrant could coach this Queensland side to a victory, go ahead. Just know that coaching extremely talented professional athletes may be the toughest skill in sport, and it’s clearly a skill Meninga has mastered.
4: Early kicks, just for kicks
I challenge any reader to tell me what the benefit is of kicking early in the tackle count.
On the opening set of six, NSW hooker Michael Ennis kicked on the third tackle. Just to repeat, the third tackle. If that wasn’t dumbfounding enough, on the next set of six, centre Jarryd Hayne kicked on the fourth tackle. Why? Seriously, why? What benefit was it to NSW?
And why weren’t the NSW halves doing the kicking?
It was clearly a tactic, because the Blues used it earlier in the series. However, I have no idea what the benefit is. Surely gaining another ten meters off another hit up and then kicking the football is far more logical and advantageous? All it did was provide Queensland with better field position, which they gleefully converted into a sizeable early lead. Baffling.
5: Was that an episode of Lost?
NSW were a rabble last night. Kicking early. Kicks out on the full. Poor options on the last tackle. Bad ball security. Whinging about Smith’s try when there was clearly absolutely nothing even remotely illegal about it. A distinct lack of set plays. No structure or plans once inside Queensland’s 30 metre line. Failing to stop an inside ball to Billy Slater, the same play which cost them dearly in game one.
NSW looked lost.
If Ricky Stuart wants to take the credit for a masterful coaching job in game II, he needs to take the blame for a poor coaching job in game III. The Blues looked unprepared.
Perhaps if NSW spent less time being paranoid about Queensland upsetting their preparation, of which we heard no actual substantiations, they would have been more ready for game III.
6: Underrated superstar
Cameron Smith doesn’t make bone-crunching tackles that fire up his teammates. He doesn’t make 50 metre bursts that get the crowd out of their seat. He doesn’t throw flick passes that make highlight reels. Instead, he quietly dominates a game whilst easily making a case for being the best player in the game.
How does he do it? Ruthless efficiency. An amazing ability to read a game. Brilliant fundamentals. All whilst keeping the game simple, yet not at the expense of being a deep thinking footballer.
Smith is an outstanding player, and a ready-made Queensland captain as Lockyer departs Origin football.
7: Queasy
As a sports fan, rugby league in particular, my only hope at the start of a season or game is that no one gets hurt. Regardless of your allegiances, I’d like to hope that every fan, player or official feels the same way.
And so it is with much regret that we hear the news that Johnathan Thurston seriously injured his knee last night and is in serious doubt to return this season.
Absolutely no one deserves that fate, and on behalf of all rugby league fans, we wish JT a speedy recovery.
8: Hi GI
The term is rapidly becoming a catchphrase, but you should never doubt a champion. Last night, Greg Inglis looked as fit and trim as he has in a long time. As Queensland ran out onto the field, it was clear that Inglis had lost some weight and looked to be returning to his best, in terms of body shape. Soon thereafter, it became obvious to NSW and their fans that Inglis wasn’t just looking back to his best; he actually was.
9: Please, beat us
NSW, and their halves in particular, started slow in every game of the 2011 series. I stated in my game III preview that they would be lucky to escape unpunished if they once again started poorly at Suncorp, yet that’s exactly what they did, and Queensland, for the first time, made them pay.
NSW were forced to make line drop-outs 5 times in the first 23 minutes. Against a side so talented, that’s simply asking for trouble. The law of averages would dictate that if you give a team containing Lockyer, Thurston, Smith, Inglis, Slater, etc, enough opportunities, they will make you pay. And yet, that’s exactly what the Blues did, and they paid the ultimate price.
10: Jedi Mind Trick
According to ‘The Usual Suspects’, the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist. Ricky Stuart did the opposite. He convinced everyone that this NSW team could win the series. Hats off to Tricky Ricky, because he pulled off one of the great Jedi mind tricks in rugby league history. (Did I just reference two movies in one segment? What can I say, it just felt right.)
Stuart made himself, the media, fans, Mal Meninga, and most importantly, the Blues and Maroons players, all believe that NSW were a chance of winning the 2011 series.
The brutal truth is that this NSW team had no right being within 20 points of Queensland. Man for man, across the park, NSW were outmatched, but Stuart instilled a belief in his players that they could beat Queensland.
Whilst cynics will suggest that Stuart merely won one game, and the rest was hype, the truth is that NSW gained a lot out of this series, and the foundation has been laid for future NSW State of Origin team success.
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July 7th 2011 @ 3:31am
GrecoRoman said | July 7th 2011 @ 3:31am | Report comment
One glaring omission from your list for mind. The whole strategy of the ‘mobile game breaker’ style forward pack with limited ‘specialist’ props. As I said in another thread, there was a great deal of talk coming into this game that if NSW won, then this could mean the end of the specialist prop position. Rugby League is the ‘game of hard yards’ and you still need players that are going to cart the ball up into the brick wall and try and dent it. Ok, so it is said NSW allegedly doesn’t have the cattle for this to work at the moment, but if, as Ricky Stuart says, NSW are building for the future, why weren’t the likes of Tolman, Galloway, TLL (for game 2), etc. brought in? Ricky Stuart seems to have a real fetish for selecting lots of backrowers in his sides and though the Blues were not as bad for that compared to the sides Stuart picked when he was coaching Cronulla, it was still a pack that lacked an ability to really sting the Maroons. Ok, they were defensive workhorses with a high work rate, but I wouldn’t be blinded by that as this is not the foundation for multiple series successes.
If anything can be taken from this series, it’s that you still need grunt up front and you can talk all you want about kicking games, final tackle options, etc., but if you have forwards that are running around like they have fairies up their bums and not getting the metres, you can’t build forward momentum and you’re not going to give your backs the best ball to work with.
July 7th 2011 @ 7:57am
Ryan O'Connell said | July 7th 2011 @ 7:57am | Report comment
Hey GrecoRoman,
As I sat down to write my post-game analysis last night, I actually considered the point you made. My take on it is that whilst Queensland proved that there is still a role for big, rolling props, I don’t believe NSW lost because they picked a mobile forward pack full of backrowers.
The truth is, if you’re going to kick the ball early in your tackle count, kick the ball out on the full, kick the ball straight down the oppositions throat, etc, then you’re going to lose. There is absolutely no point in picking a side for its speed, if you’re going to throw the ball away.
After 26 minutes, Queensland, despite picking a large pack, hadn’t made an interchange, because NSW hadn’t made them. The whole strategy of picking a quick pack was to tire the Maroons big boppers, who would have to defend quick players and quick play the balls. But NSW’s attack early was so diabolical, that the Maroons didn’t have to do much defending, and consequently didn’t get tired, rendering the strategy ineffective. (And yet in the first half, NSW scored two tries the only two times they got in Qld’s half.)
I don’t think size beat athleticism last night. I think execution beat bad execution.
July 7th 2011 @ 8:12am
Willy said | July 7th 2011 @ 8:12am | Report comment
Bullseye Ryan!
It was execution rather than tactics that cost NSW last night.
July 7th 2011 @ 8:56am
Ami35 said | July 7th 2011 @ 8:56am | Report comment
I see your point, but to be honest there was a definitive set after Queensland scored the first try. 54 metres gained off one set, no line breaks just hard running by QLD forwards. Correct me if I’m wrong but i don’t beleive NSW pack made the same distance all game. By the end of that set QLD launched a good kick and NSW were once again parked in their own 20m.
Yes NSW defended bravely but by the same token they never really dominated the go ahead. Time to admit you could of used some bigger blokes.
July 7th 2011 @ 9:17am
Manuwatu said | July 7th 2011 @ 9:17am | Report comment
Absolute rubbish!
Execution had nothing to do with it, The facts remain that a good big man will beat a good small man every time! The only reason NSW won the 2nd game was about QLD’s performance nothing to do with tactics.
July 7th 2011 @ 10:23am
Renegade said | July 7th 2011 @ 10:23am | Report comment
That’s ridiculous…Paul Gallen might not be as big as Scott, Petero, Galloway or TLL but he would be the first forward i pick for any team in the world.
July 7th 2011 @ 10:58am
Manuwatu said | July 7th 2011 @ 10:58am | Report comment
Not the QLD Team!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 7th 2011 @ 11:16am
mushi said | July 7th 2011 @ 11:16am | Report comment
The problem with the tactic is that it puts it down more to your opponent’s execution.
Like a grinder in tennis that may work against mid level opposition but at this level that might win you one in three or four but not two out of three.
Think about it. All else being equal the bigger pack will have the field position early on in the match meaning giving their play makers two things the first is the ability to do more of the ball handling and move your guys around whilst their big guys can suck it up. The second is it puts them in position to recycle possesion.
Both of those mean that if they execute well, and are prepared for your style of play, then they should actually wearing you down more.
On the flip side it is very hard to get good execution when your always under pressure and going backwards.
July 7th 2011 @ 4:07pm
GrecoRoman said | July 7th 2011 @ 4:07pm | Report comment
One of the posters, Charles, further on down the page posted this in a thread. You’ll forgive me if such long quotes are not the done thing on this site, but I really thought it a well considered section of his post:
“Specialist props not only make the hard yards close to the play the ball area, they also defend vigorously, stopping many moves from getting started, let alone a roll on! QLD keep making yards from this key area and it never changes.
We have a specialist hooker in Michael Ennis, who to my mind is not an Origin player (he does not have the football brains) and then we replace him with Giddley, who is not a hooker in club football? If Giddley is brought in to add that spark, put him in for the full game.
When you do not have specialist props to tighten around the play the ball area, the hooker has to tackle a lot more, or in NSW case let them run over the top of you. NSW will do well to look for another hooker; probably Ryan Hinchcliffe would be the best choice for the future!
The halfback is the general and is responsible for directing the forwards around the park. This is another key area that keeps falling down. Our forwards look lost, in just about every game we play, there seems to be no structure. Mitchell Pearce is not an Origin player (he does not have the football brain). It is his role to organise the forwards to make the hard yards and get the roll on, taking the line on as well. NSW must find another ½ back.
When the forwards fail to make the hard yards, the backs are put under immense pressure. They are not to blame and in fact Soward had to create the space himself to get the backline going.”
July 8th 2011 @ 12:24am
jeff said | July 8th 2011 @ 12:24am | Report comment
Too many what if’s, excuses and whinging associated with NSW this year, the way Ricky Stuart took the spotlight off individuals performance made us think NSW were greater than their collective sums. Focusing on Gallen’s performance masked other players terrible series, there will be numerous changes to next years squad, just like the numerous changes from game 1 to game 3. The media has defended NSW to the hills but in history it reads QLD win SOO 2011.
July 7th 2011 @ 6:55am
Ryan said | July 7th 2011 @ 6:55am | Report comment
If QLD were as good as they think they are they would have beaten a dud team by 20 points in all 3 games. 2012 will be our year, QLD are more overated than Souths.
July 7th 2011 @ 9:05am
bestywins said | July 7th 2011 @ 9:05am | Report comment
You seem to be harping on this point in a few threads mate. On paper QLD should’ve won by 20 in all 3 games. However they were off their game in the first two !!!!! which gave you blues supporters false hope. Same in 2008 after the first game. You were all screaming from the rooftops that Bellyache was the new messiah for your team etc etc . The fact is a great team wins no matter what and it doesn’t matter by how much, they just get the job done. When it mattered we totally hammered you last night after Stuart decided to play silly buggers and stir us up. Total insanity to say what he did about Pearce which just put the young guy under enormous pressure, dumb move by a coach. Stuart also had this team at his disposal when he was Aussie coach yet couldn’t win the world cup. The cold hard facts for you guys to wake up to this morning is that you played terribly and we played near perfect football when it mattered most. Ryan take your medicine champ. You should be worried because your captain blamed the ref’s for the loss, talk about being in denial.
July 7th 2011 @ 10:08am
Ryan said | July 7th 2011 @ 10:08am | Report comment
Gallen was probably talking about Game 1
July 7th 2011 @ 10:10am
Ryan said | July 7th 2011 @ 10:10am | Report comment
Gallen has every right to complain about Archer, the bloke panders to the crowds. Near perfect football?, yeah right
July 7th 2011 @ 10:26am
bestywins said | July 7th 2011 @ 10:26am | Report comment
That’s why you guys keep losing. Living in denial and blaming everyone else except yourselves and making excuses
July 7th 2011 @ 12:44pm
mushi said | July 7th 2011 @ 12:44pm | Report comment
Ryan they just found the dummy you spat at the south australian border.
July 7th 2011 @ 4:04pm
Ryan said | July 7th 2011 @ 4:04pm | Report comment
No dummy spit here, face it mate, you were handed game 1, game 3 should have been a dead rubber. Tony Archer refs to the crowds approval, watch this weekend…………tat is if you even watch league.
July 7th 2011 @ 7:07am
Gaz said | July 7th 2011 @ 7:07am | Report comment
GR
Couldn’t agree more and in a way, forgetting who won, I’m pleased that the more traditional, specialized props, paid off. Rugby League is a game of tactics and it showed there indeed is still a place for the big men to be part of “the greatest game of all”
Civo and Scott were running into brick walls at the beginning but it wasn’t long before both were making good ground as players tired.
Well written GR.
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July 7th 2011 @ 7:10am
Ryan said | July 7th 2011 @ 7:10am | Report comment
QLD are are a good team BUT origin is cyclical from 1994-2005 NSW won 8 out of 12 series. It’ll happen again and then 10 years after that QLD will be dominant again. Its all swings and roundabouts.
July 7th 2011 @ 7:52am
johnb747b said | July 7th 2011 @ 7:52am | Report comment
My admiration for Billy Slater only increased. As Phil Gould says this morning, he turns up all over the place, his pace is a constant worry, his sense of timing is superb. His defence is sound. His sense of positioning to take 5th tackle kicks on the full is unbelievable. He is fearless in what he does. I’m not seeking to reopen the discussion I started here earlier but he’ll do me for the best fullback ever. I’ve seen all the good ones since the 50s and none of them could have done what Billy did last night.
July 7th 2011 @ 7:59am
Ryan O'Connell said | July 7th 2011 @ 7:59am | Report comment
I won’t touch the ‘best fullback ever’ comment, but its sure hard to believe anyone could be better, isn’t it?
Slater was outstanding.
July 7th 2011 @ 8:00am
Ryan said | July 7th 2011 @ 8:00am | Report comment
Hey Brett Mullins in 1994, greatest season by any player ever.
July 7th 2011 @ 8:39am
turbodewd said | July 7th 2011 @ 8:39am | Report comment
Ive been watching league since the mid 1980s. I think Billy Slater is the best fullback I have ever seen. His defence and offence are amazing. His ability to holdup ball carriers in-goal is without peer.
July 7th 2011 @ 10:28am
Renegade said | July 7th 2011 @ 10:28am | Report comment
I’m a New South Welshmen and i’ll be the first to say Billy Slater is the best fullback ever….Mullins isn’t in the same league.
Slater is going to go down as a great of the game.
He not only scores and sets up tries but he saves just as many….he truly is one of the major reasons why this QLD side is so dominant. I harp on it in every post but you can’t go past a team that has a spine of Slater, Lockyer, Thurston and smith.
July 7th 2011 @ 11:12am
mushi said | July 7th 2011 @ 11:12am | Report comment
Can we say best ever? There was this little fella who’s been rated the best ever player a few times so are we saying Billy slater is the best player of all time?
July 7th 2011 @ 11:17am
Renegade said | July 7th 2011 @ 11:17am | Report comment
Well i think Darren Lockyer is the best PLAYER i have seen….what i’m saying above is that Billy Slater is the best FULLBACK I have seen.
July 7th 2011 @ 12:46pm
mushi said | July 7th 2011 @ 12:46pm | Report comment
Okay best i’ve seen is more understandable.
I’d put Lockyer in an unbaised view behind Lewis and Johns with the jury out on Slater and Thurston (ie how their careers pan out)
July 7th 2011 @ 10:35am
Willy said | July 7th 2011 @ 10:35am | Report comment
The best fullbacks I had seen previously were Jack, Brasher and Belcher… Slater leaves them all for dead.
July 7th 2011 @ 10:58am
Mals said | July 7th 2011 @ 10:58am | Report comment
For me Slater will be the best fullback ever when he replicates his club & state of origin form for Australia. Until then – no.
July 7th 2011 @ 11:19am
Renegade said | July 7th 2011 @ 11:19am | Report comment
I think he has many a time mate….there’s been 2 games where he has made costly mistakes but his overall performance is always brilliant.
July 7th 2011 @ 12:51pm
mushi said | July 7th 2011 @ 12:51pm | Report comment
You’re not a Queenslander I take it. Origin is the pinacle.
July 7th 2011 @ 7:11pm
Briolex said | July 7th 2011 @ 7:11pm | Report comment
lockyer himself great fullback
July 7th 2011 @ 12:47pm
The Barry said | July 7th 2011 @ 12:47pm | Report comment
If Slater is the best fullback ever and Lewis is the best 5/8 ever, then Lockyer wouldn’t make QLD all-time Origin team, unless off the bench – scary thought…
July 7th 2011 @ 1:09pm
mushi said | July 7th 2011 @ 1:09pm | Report comment
Slater’s on the Bench (taking the greats team and then tinkering with some of the current players that will be “greats” )
Lockyer
Shearer
Inglis
Meninga
Boustead
Lewis (C)
Langer
Lindner
Tallis
Miles
Petro
Smith
Beetson
Slater
Thurston
Vautin
Larson
July 7th 2011 @ 8:06am
Big Time said | July 7th 2011 @ 8:06am | Report comment
QLD were simply too good last night. NSW did themselves no favours. Tone was set early when Ennis kicked from dummy half and put team under pressure straight away. Then Mini dropped an offload from Creagh. From then on the next 25 minutes were all QLD. They had field position and took advantage of it.
Pearce was not good last night. Passing game was terrible. Also team looked as if it had no direction, which ultimately falls on his shoulders.
Mini had a shocker. I remember as a kid you use to call a bloke ‘butter fingers’ if they could not catch, that was Mini last night.
Soward was a shining light. First two tries come directly from Soward chancing his arm. First one he ran on the last tackle. Second one he seen QLD short on the right and switched. Defensively he was strong. He got his hands on the ball a lot more. If Pearce had not been lost in the moment and offered him some support, Soward could have been a lot more effective.
Gallen as always was superb. I think he missed Scott. Scott takes some of the defensive burden off Gallen. No doubt Scott also intimidates the opposition, that was noticeably missing.
Hard to say any of the other players played bad. Not really much opportunity. They had to simply do too much defence. They did fall off some easy tackles, but anyone who has played the game knows, when you are forced to make tackle after tackle early, at some stage you will miss a tackle or two eventually.
Sam Thaiday can play football. You cannot escape the fact he is a cheap shotter and not what you would call tough. Again a couple of times this series he proved himself. Last year he took a shining to running in and pushing blokes in the back. First game this year, fight at the end. Thaiday goes at Pearce. Scott steps in, Thaiday keeps on at Pearce and does not even acknowledge Scott. Last night, there is a scuffle, Thaiday reaches across and blindsides Gidley on the chin. Its about time this bloke stepped up and had a crack at someone toe to toe. As I said he can play footy. Last night he was great. But at the end of the day, what sticks out for me is he is a “dog shotter”.
Lockyer was great last night. He obviously inspires that team and leads them around. He and Cameron Smith are the heart and soul of the team. They have some good players waiting in the wings, but Lockyer is irreplaceble.
July 7th 2011 @ 8:55am
Ryan O'Connell said | July 7th 2011 @ 8:55am | Report comment
Big Time, I called Mini the exact same thing in my player ratings!!
http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/07/07/origin-3-nsw-player-ratings/
July 7th 2011 @ 9:35am
Manuwatu said | July 7th 2011 @ 9:35am | Report comment
Big Time, you don’t think that if the NSW players stopped acting like thugs and just played the game there would be no need for Thaiday to protect his Team Mates!
Its pretty simple really, if NSW’s stopped pulling hair, elbowing players faces whilst they lay on the ground when tackled, spear tackling or laying on cheap shots after the play has finished they may just win a game!
July 7th 2011 @ 9:41am
Ryan O'Connell said | July 7th 2011 @ 9:41am | Report comment
Both teams were guilty of some grubby tactics. It’s Origin, it happens. To say one team was worse than the other is ridiculous. Origin is a win-at-all costs brand of football.
Qld won, and rightfully get to gloat. But don’t act like their angels and NSW are dirty.
July 7th 2011 @ 10:36am
Renegade said | July 7th 2011 @ 10:36am | Report comment
Third Man Thaiday is the biggest thug in the game….he always picks on the little blokes and from behind at that!! What’s even more pathetic is that he thinks his tough when he does it…..it’s not tough at all, its called being a GRUB!!
The clearest indication of how tough he actually is, was when Beau Scott had him by the collar with a closed fist and all Thaiday did was scream profanties at Mitchell Pearce…..can’t help but laugh at people referring to him as an “enforcer” LOL
July 7th 2011 @ 12:48pm
mushi said | July 7th 2011 @ 12:48pm | Report comment
you guys have Cowardly Creagh and Captin Stiches…
Agree with the author both sides are far from angelic.
July 7th 2011 @ 10:36am
Big Time said | July 7th 2011 @ 10:36am | Report comment
I got no issue with him being grubby, it is the way he does it. He is always third man in, and as in the case of Gidley, he reached across someone elses shoulder and cheap shotted him. I have yet to see him stand up to a bloke like Scott or Gallen and try and dish out some medicine. At least Gallen is in their face and not hiding behind others. If a bloke wants to react to Gallen he is there, they can have a crack.
He is a great player, no doubting that, he just needs to man up a bit or people may not remember him for the player he was, but instead remember him being a dog shotter.
July 8th 2011 @ 12:38am
jeff said | July 8th 2011 @ 12:38am | Report comment
July 7th 2011 @ 3:51pm
p said | July 7th 2011 @ 3:51pm | Report comment
Hey Big Time, how about our Dog Shotter vs your Pest? At least Thaiday runs the ball to the line, the opposition can take all their angst on percived slights on him then.
Full credit to Soward who played his heart out in a loosing team. As a Queenslander, I feel quite anxious every time he touches the ball and he pulled two tries out of nothing. Pity Ricky didn’t see the skill in him all thoses years ago, I think we would not be talking about a 6 straight series win if he had produced him to the level we see now.
July 7th 2011 @ 10:12am
blackstar said | July 7th 2011 @ 10:12am | Report comment
Give me Thaiday any day,compared to gallen ,who almost takes Inglis head off in game 2,Inglis is lucky he did not end up with a broken neck,and gallen always find a way to whinge whinge whinge after he loses ,never shows any humility what so ever.Compared to gallen give me Thaiday any day,and how sweet was Thaiday’s inside pass to slater to score.
July 7th 2011 @ 10:37am
Renegade said | July 7th 2011 @ 10:37am | Report comment
Yeah you can have Thaiday mate, i’ll take the worlds best forward.
July 7th 2011 @ 12:09pm
blackstar said | July 7th 2011 @ 12:09pm | Report comment
Also the worlds biggest whinger.
July 7th 2011 @ 12:51pm
mushi said | July 7th 2011 @ 12:51pm | Report comment
You’ll also take it 34-24 and 6-0.
July 7th 2011 @ 12:57pm
Renegade said | July 7th 2011 @ 12:57pm | Report comment
I’m talking about Paul Gallen here…..what’s the result of the game and previous 6 series got to do with his individual attributes and performance.
Thaiday shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath!
July 7th 2011 @ 1:23pm
mushi said | July 7th 2011 @ 1:23pm | Report comment
well given you threw out so much to support your view I apologise humbly for mentioning the results of last night, where thaiday played in my opinion and others, better than him.
I also apologise for mentioning the 6-0 series becuase of course we must remember that Gallen couldn’t even get a regular gig in a side that hasn’t put together a series win in the same time that NSW went through 4 premiers
July 7th 2011 @ 2:13pm
Renegade said | July 7th 2011 @ 2:13pm | Report comment
This is even worth a debate or argument but here is some facts.
Majority of Rugby League followers will tell you Gallen is the best forward in the world simply because he is the most effective. He makes more tackles, hit ups, metres, try assists, tries, offloads than Thaiday at any level.
Thaiday plays well when players such as Lockyer, Slater, Smith are around him.
Gallen plays well every week with players such as Wade Graham and Chad Townsend alongside him.
When they are in the same team and Gallen is also able have the likes of Lockyer and Co alonside him (playing for Australia) he is the best player on the field and makes Thaiday look like a reserve grader.
This year he was man of the match in the Anzac test and last year he was the recipient of the Harry Sunderland medal.
And thaiday has received accolades such as -…………………………
I think i made my point.
July 7th 2011 @ 3:42pm
JVGO said | July 7th 2011 @ 3:42pm | Report comment
If Thaiday had to make 28 tackles in the first 20 minutes he’d have a heart attack.
July 8th 2011 @ 12:47am
jeff said | July 8th 2011 @ 12:47am | Report comment
So Gallen gets good STATS for your fantasy league, what is his win:loss ratio? I’ll bet my house he has lost more games then he has won. Gallen is the reason the sharks lose or win he is a ball hog, the halfback doesn’t touch the ball as often as Gallen. There is no I in team Gallen, let other people tackle and run, oh wait if he does that he’ll lose his STATS. The Gallen bandwagon is a fraud, yet he has coerced a lot of people to push it.
July 8th 2011 @ 4:36pm
Renegade said | July 8th 2011 @ 4:36pm | Report comment
You clearly didn’t read my last post so rather than copying and pasting it again i will say….please simply refer to my last post.
July 7th 2011 @ 12:37pm
Whites said | July 7th 2011 @ 12:37pm | Report comment
Good summary Big Time.
NSW did the same thing they did in game 1. That is they didn’t complete their set and get the ball to Soward on last tackle to put in a big kick. None of the other NSW players can match Soward in the kicking department. Such a consistent failure to get the ball to Soward could only have been due to instructions from Stuart. The start of an Origin game is a grind and you need a good kicking game to build field position. NSW lost both game 1 and 2 for exactly the same reason.
July 7th 2011 @ 1:03pm
Renegade said | July 7th 2011 @ 1:03pm | Report comment
Soward’s kicking game was poor the entire series…..last night there were more than a handful of times that he had no pressure and more than enough time to produce a great kick yet all he could do is find the opposition players arms.
He is should not be considered as the long term Five-Eighth for NSW.
July 7th 2011 @ 1:34pm
Big Time said | July 7th 2011 @ 1:34pm | Report comment
It was through his vision they got their first two tries. The second half he had a crack and nearly broke line a couple of times. He had absolutey no support from his halfback last night.
The fact he did not find ground meant nothing. You can’t judge a kicking game by finding ground. He kicks deep, and the ball is in the air for a long time, allowing the defenders to get down there. It is not unusual for him to do the same thing for the Dragons. A 60 metre kick that reaches the fullback on the full is better then a 40 metre kick that finds the ground. You have to remember he was also kicking from deep in his own half a lot of the time. This allowed both wingers to drop back, not much space when that happens.
People love or hate Soward. Those who hate him, see what they want to see.
July 7th 2011 @ 1:53pm
Renegade said | July 7th 2011 @ 1:53pm | Report comment
Finding ground means a lot when kicking in rugby league as it allows less oppurtunity for the kick returner to make ground…..based on your theory of kicking deep and high then Hayne would have to be NSW number one choice long distance kicker because he can kick further.
It’s got nothing to do with love or hate – he didn’t stand up. I do agree with your comment that he didn’t have support from his halfback….that being said Pearce had a blinder in game 2 and soward was still nowhere to be seen until the final 10 minutes.
July 7th 2011 @ 3:14pm
Big Time said | July 7th 2011 @ 3:14pm | Report comment
You don’t like him, it is quite clear. I am sure he is content being a premiership and world club challenge winning five eight plus current NSW five eight. Not going to argue the point.
The reason NSW lost was because in order to slow the NSW team down, QLD went into the game with a game plan of laying in the rucks, and they were allowed to get away with it. This meant our mobile forwards were unable to get a roll on like they did in the second game. On top of that they were really rushing in defence. I think on occasion it was too quick.
Another reason was NSW giving away cheap pill early and putting themselves under all sorts of pressure. 1)Ennis dummy half kick. 2)Mini dropping Creagh offload. 3)Pearce putting kick out on the full
On top of that Pearce offered the team no direction. They looked lost at stages when he should have put his hand up and took over. Maybe that comes with experience. I think he is a good player, and he will learn.
Soward had limited opportunities in the QLD half in the first stanza. The two times he did, his vision led to NSW getting two tries and getting back in the game. Easy for people to blame his kicking game. Very difficult to produce a great kicking game when your forwards are not allowed to get a roll on.
I am a Dragons supporter, and initially I was not a Soward fan. I did not think he would make it. He has proved me wrong. The best football brain in the world seems to think he has it, that alone is enough for me.
July 7th 2011 @ 3:35pm
Renegade said | July 7th 2011 @ 3:35pm | Report comment
Fair points. I’m of the opinion that he doesn’t have what it takes for rep footy though.
Great club player but not convinced that his capable of producing at the next level.
July 7th 2011 @ 8:07am
Willy said | July 7th 2011 @ 8:07am | Report comment
A few thoughts in response:
1) “On the opening set of six, NSW hooker Michael Ennis kicked on the third tackle.”
I was absolutely stunned by this. And it was a terrible kick as well!
Ennis has form in this area – it was his terrible kick on the third tackle after NSW hit the lead in Game 1 that gave QLD the field position to win the game.
He is not up to Origin. Thank God he went off with a torn heartlidge.
2) QLD were good, but NSW were there own worst enemies.
The examples are everywhere:
– Tim Mannah gave away a soft penalty just when it looked like the Blues had weathered the early storm;
– Brett Morris dropped the ball after making a nice break to finally give NSW some field position;
– Mitchell Pearce kicked out on the full under NO pressure;
I could go on, but no real need…
3) Mitchell Pearce went missing.
It’s not just that he was bad, it’s more that he went into hiding.
He’s had his chance – time to give someone else a go.
July 7th 2011 @ 9:09am
Ken said | July 7th 2011 @ 9:09am | Report comment
I thought the Brett Morris one was a harsh call actually, there was little doubt Slater went for the rake. Quite acceptable of course in a 1 on 1 situation but Morris got the ball back and it should have been six again with the Blues first shot at decent field position, not a QLD scrum resulting in more camping in NSW territory. That was the story of the first 30 minutes though, QLD played faultlessly and when you’re doing that things tend to go your way.
The disappointing thing is that NSW showed they were good enough when they held on to the ball despite Mini’s constant fumbles and Pearce not holding his end up. Watmough, Lewis, Gidley and others were making great metres through the middle of the field, Soward was getting involved and creating chances, the outside backs all got a couple of opportunities to run. That run of possession and field position for QLD at the start was just too much to pull back.
July 7th 2011 @ 1:41pm
Justin said | July 7th 2011 @ 1:41pm | Report comment
Something no one seems to have picked up on from last night – why does Morris play on the left if he carries the ball in the right arm?
The reason the ball was knocked clear was due to poor technique and a lack of skill. A left winger should be carrying the football in his outside arm and fending with his right.
And too those who think it was great defence from Slater – please. He missed a tackle and was fortunate that Morris doesnt know how to carry the ball. He got incidental contact with the ball because of this and it went free.
July 7th 2011 @ 8:17am
Damo said | July 7th 2011 @ 8:17am | Report comment
Mighty Maroons rose the challenge and crushed NSW! Yeah, yeah NSW played bad, but that’s because Qld put pressure up them.
6 in a row, you bloody ripper!
July 7th 2011 @ 8:21am
JAJI said | July 7th 2011 @ 8:21am | Report comment
100% agree Willy re Thurston…as for Ricky Stuart, the messiah, the “Special One’ of Rugby League who has had numerous journalists in Sydney singing his praises (including numerous on this website) in the end yet another flogging and at 34-10 Qld were finished…..whats different this year vs the last 6 years?
July 7th 2011 @ 10:40am
Renegade said | July 7th 2011 @ 10:40am | Report comment
The difference is NSW showed fight and stayed in the games which was lacking in previous years.
All credit to QLD though, their a champion side.
July 7th 2011 @ 8:21am
Ryan said | July 7th 2011 @ 8:21am | Report comment
Yep we got crushed alright, the mighty QLD side scoring 4 points more overall in the series than a dud NSW side; what a crushing by the Mighty Maroons
July 7th 2011 @ 9:29am
bestywins said | July 7th 2011 @ 9:29am | Report comment
Ryan, take your medicine champ. That stat is so out there. Imagine saying Michael Jordons bulls should’ve won by 20 points every single game in their two 3 peats !!!! and they were not as good as they should’ve been etc etc poor excuse imo. Great teams just get the job done and are not interested in how much they win be. You seem obsessed with this fact. The facts are QLD won their 6th str8 title and the blues choked under pressure, but hey you think we were lucky because of the overall points scored for and against.
July 7th 2011 @ 9:49am
Manuwatu said | July 7th 2011 @ 9:49am | Report comment
Blah, Blah, Blah!
6 series wins in a row, complete dominance is the only description that fits.
So much for the best half back in Australia, so much for the greatest Origin coaching feat in the history of the game, so much for the new improved super forward!
NWS’s fans need to sit down, shut up and be told!!!!!!!!!!