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State of Origin Game 1 was a stunning display from both sides.
Queensland burst out of the blocks with the kind of class you would expect from a champion side. The ease of Darius Boyd’s opening try sent a very familiar shiver down the spines of Blues supporters everywhere.
The Blues went on to dominate the middle part of the contest before Queensland threw everything they had left at the Blues line. I was very relieved the Blues were able to withstand this barrage to go on and win the contest 12-8.
That relief because of one glaring selection blunder that almost cost the Blues the game.
Injuries to Boyd Cordner and Greg Bird forced Laurie Daley to turn toward Beau Scott to line-up for his sixth appearance in the sky blue. Scott again proved he is not Origin class.
Known as a ‘defensive specialist built for Origin’, Scott once again failed to live up to the title. In the wake of Game 1, I have read four or five different player ratings and it appears Scott had a great game. He received no less then 7 in every report.
Was I watching a different game?
The rose-coloured glasses of victory have skewed an otherwise woeful display from Scott. Maybe it was his part in the Billy Slater tackle after the bell that secured him this undeserved praise.
In the first three minutes he was left clutching as Chris McQueen blew past him, leading to Boyd’s opening try in the next set. He then outshone himself once again when he was left clutching at air as Billy Slater broke the line inside the Maroons 30.
He then dragged Brent Tate into a dangerous position along with Josh Reynolds, who received the blame for lifting. The video shows Reynolds lifting Tate followed by Scott dragging him beyond the horizontal and slamming him down, Reynolds releasing Tate’s legs allowing him to land on his back.
He also added a third line-break assist for the Maroons after he failed to bring Greg Inglis to the ground, allowing him to charge into the Blues half. This error allowed the Maroons to apply the blowtorch until the final siren.
You may have guessed that I am not a Beau Scott fan. He has given me sufficient reason over the years to think this way. I still remember the gaping hole he left for Justin Hodges to stroll through in Game 3, 2012. We may have all cried obstruction, but Scott was never in a position to get close to Hodges.
In six games for the Blues, Scott has averaged 69 minutes per game. In that time he has never crossed the line for a try, never broke the line, never assisted a single try or line break.
He has not completed a single offload in any of his four games as a starting back rower and could only average 63 meagre metres per game. He averages more minutes than metres. Yes, I know he is a ‘defensive specialist’, but has he lived up to title?
In six Origin starts he has made 152 tackles with 19 misses at 88%. This percentage is average, on par with Lewis, Bird and Hoffman, who all offer significantly more in attack.
When compared to Trent Merrin and Paul Gallen, who have defended at 96 and 93% at this level respectively, there is no option left but to question his place. If he is no better then average, why do we persist with this ‘defensive specialist’ title?
Scott was initially selected in 2010 to stop Inglis. This was an immense failure as GI broke 13 tackles in two games, scored a try and averaged over 100 metres. Scott was 82% effective in these two games, as apposed to Josh Morris, who defends at 92% when matched against Inglis.
It must be the quality of his work, how hard he hits? This ‘quality’ led to three Queensland line breaks and Scott racked up a Blues game-high of four missed tackles, equal with Ryan Hoffman.
Laurie Daley needs to watch the replay a few times before considering Scott for Game 2. He has promised a starting spot to Greg Bird, so let’s hope it’s a straight swap with Scott.
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