Origin III may have been a dead rubber, but it didn’t seem that way to the players, coaches and fans.
NSW won the series but Queensland had the final say, with a 32-8 victory over the Blues on home turf. NSW will be reviewing this game very closely.
Here is last night’s game in four quarters.
First quarter
The first quarter proved we were all in for a highly competitive contest. Queensland had a new style and flow in their offence, they shook up their passing, positioning and pace in an attempt to startle the much acclaimed NSW defence.
Once again NSW seemed to reach the pinnacle in terms of protecting their in-goal by targeting some of Queensland’s key players. They did remarkably well in shutting down Greg Inglis until about the 14th minute when he made a storming dash for the try–line, only to be held up by a powerful James McManus.
Moments like these define just how powerful Inglis is and just how vital he is to the Maroons, this should continue into the coming years as Slater’s fatigue wears off. McManus’ act of desperation, which led to a no try for Queensland, showed just how much NSW were putting on the line when it came to defence. James McManus also held up a darting Johnathan Thurston later on.
The first 20 minutes also provided a high amount of niggle, something I don’t think I’ll ever adjust to, even after what was on display in Game I and II. It’s a huge step-down after last year when punching was still the image of our tournament.
Player of the quarter (POTQ): James McManus, an unsung hero of NSW, from the moment he stepped on the field, he put it all on the line. Literally.
Second Quarter
NSW started off again struggling to find possession within the Queensland half. The quarter begun as a reflection of the first 20 minutes and the progression both sides made. Queensland was again trying to find a gap in the NSW defence by experimenting the possibilities of their new-look offence.
The second quarter took a turn when Ben Te’o failed an attempted charge down on a Trent Hodkinson kick, thus resulting in very late contact and what was dubbed as a ‘cheap-shot’ on the back of the Bulldogs halfback’s head.
Cameron Smith, as usual, attempted to argue with the referee in defence of Ben’s actions, but again as usual, it didn’t work. NSW got the penalty, chose the kick and Hodkinson converted. The points were on the board.
Injuries continued into the second quarter with Will Chambers taken off the field after a collision with Josh Reynolds booked the other Bulldogs halfback an appointment with the judiciary.
Greg Bird was also sidelined for the remainder of the half due to injury.
Later into the quarter, the Blues continued to battle a bombardment by the Queensland offence. Queensland remained calm under these conditions and kept searching for a way through.
They came very close to scoring on multiple occasions and the match became remarkably similar to the drought-ending Game II. It was low scoring, gritty and no team was being given an easy run.
Before half-time Queensland’s remarkable offence took a turn for the worst as communication breakdowns began to occur, due largely to frustration.
This all changed when a raging Daly Cherry-Evans bulleted across four New South Welshman to provide an assist to captain Cameron Smith through a perfectly timed grubber kick.
This first half felt to me like it was 40 minutes of second-choice players showing the coaches what they’ve got in order to impress for next season’s selection. Something we usually see in Game III of Origin.
POTQ: Cherry-Evans, he shook up the game and gave Queensland the much needed confidence boost with impressive line-break resulting in a try.
Third Quarter
The third quarter showed Queensland spring to a 10-point lead through a controversially flat pass from Justin Hodges to Billy Slater.
Aidan Guerra was sidelined while Paul Gallen and Greg Bird spent a large chunk of the third quarter on the bench.
NSW were increasingly struggling to find any hopes of scoring a try, they were still struggling to retain possession within the Queensland 20. Time was running out.
POTQ: Justin Hodges, he possessed a never-say-die attitude that paid off especially in this quarter.
Fourth Quarter
The final quarter begun with a bone-crunching collision between Gold Coast Titans teammates Greg Bird and Nate Myles. Ball carrier Myles elbowed Bird in the face while attempting to barge on past him. This finally gave NSW a good opportunity to get back into the game, just like Queensland had done earlier.
Almost immediately Josh Dugan responded with a spark of individual brilliance. He put a sidestep past Billy Slater and scored a try that NSW so dearly needed.
Jarryd Hayne had been almost invisible throughout the match, but was sparked into life after Dugan’s try.
He made a great run and then passed across field to Beau Scott, who was brought down just outside the 10. Hayne remained unusually quiet for the rest of the game.
A penalty to Queensland around the 70th minute gave them a huge chance to seal the game and prevent the whitewash. They obliged, with some slick passing setting Darius Boyd free to score in the corner.
Two more tries followed as you could sense NSW had one eye on lifting the shield.
POTQ: Josh Dugan, remember he’s only new to this position. In Game II he stepped up and showed the rugby league world he is good in any position.
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