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It was a tale of two halves at ANZ Stadium – but not in the way you may think. While the Blues halves pairing dominated the talk in the lead-up to the game, instead it was halftime that was the most crucial factor in the outcome.
Here are the player ratings for the New South Wales Blues.
Click here for the Queensland ratings
Full State of Origin 1 wrap:
>> ORIGIN 1 MATCH REPORT
>> FULL ORIGIN RESULTS
>> Live blog and highlights
>> Cameron Smith given man of the match
Josh Dugan 7.5
NSW’s best, other than Aaron Woods, Dugan laid on a try for Brett Morris and kept the defence second-guessing throughout the game.
His missed shot later on was unfortunate, but he really shouldn’t have been the one to get the ball in that situation. Dugan will be better for the run.
Will Hopoate 4
Largely quiet, much like his season so far. Why the selectors opted for him over Alex Johnston remains a mystery.
Josh Morris 7
Good. Reliable. Solid. Mistake-free. Makes Greg Inglis look like a human. What more could you want from an Origin centre?
Scored one of the best Origin tries of all time, regathering a Josh Dugan kick and putting it down before giving the cameras a Manu Vatuvei.
"It was the Blue yeah, got one!" #Origin #WWOS http://t.co/3PxPSzhkQF
— Wide World of Sports (@WWOS9) May 27, 2015
Michael Jennings 6.5
Always quick, always sharp, but unfortunately for Blues fans Jenko didn’t find much space. He looks a different player at Origin level (but in the opposite way to Mitch Pearce).
Daniel Tupou 4
Came up with an early dropped ball which could have been costly, but was fortunate that Billy Slater’s try was disallowed.
A breakdown in communication with club-mate Jennings led to Will Chambers’ second-half try.
Mitch Pearce 7
Unfortunately a game of halves for the game’s most maligned half.
Pearce was good in the early stages, checked for broken nose after 10 or so minutes, and laid on a try for Beau Scott – only his third try assist at Origin level.
“There’s the Pearce we know from club footy,” screamed NSW fans.
In the second half he dropped the ball with his first touch, then failed to find grass from his kicks for the rest of the game.
“There’s the Pearce we know from Origin,” screamed NSW fans.
Trent Hodkinson 6
Good kicks where needed in the first half, although his second-half failure to find the line was a huge mistake.
While he didn’t have a shot at field goal, he is the best in the biz for the Blues, and so he should have been there when it mattered – Cronk would have been.
James Tamou 7
Tamou will feature on future highlight reels as an integral part of the game’s most exciting moment, providing an offload to Josh Dugan for Josh Morris’ first-half try.
He appeared to run out of puff in the second stanza.
Contact.
#Origin pic.twitter.com/fex9YBEFWj
— NRL (@NRL) May 27, 2015
Robbie Farah 7.5 (c)
Along with Dugan, Farah posed the biggest threat in attack for the Blues and was a target for Queensland throughout the match.
Copped a (supposedly) legal knock from Justin Hodges late in the first half, and from then on focused on defence, making a game-high 61 tackles.
Aaron Woods 8.5
Along with Tamou, Woods fired out of the blocks to put the Maroons on the back foot. Along with the rest of the Blues pack, he went missing in the second half – 100 of his total 146 metres came in his first stint on the park.
Made the Blues’ most tackles after Farah, with 42.
While he may have lost the game, Woods definitely won the battle of the Twitter memes.
loddlaen: Am I the only one who thinks Aaron woods looks like Wilfred? #Origin #wsop pic.twitter.com/b6We83DxNG
— pokermillions (@pokermillions1) May 27, 2015
Beau Scott 7.5
Lived up to the pre-match promise that he would target Johnathan Thurston early, but after that the Queensland halfback was too quick.
Brought plenty of niggle and was strong early to claim a try.
Ryan Hoffman 6.5
Like many of the other Blues forwards, didn’t get the ball on the edge as often as he would have liked, but was solid in defence.
Josh Jackson 5.5
Jackson was largely ineffective in the limited time has was given on the paddock.
Interchange
Trent Merrin 4.5
Merrin didn’t make it on until later in the game, in what was probably a tactical move from coach Daley. While the Blues definitely needed some fresh legs, Merrin’s seemed lethargic and couldn’t get into the match when the Blues really needed him.
Boyd Cordner 5
His edge running is one of his strong suits for his club, but this was unfortunately missing today.
David Klemmer 6
Billed by Brad Fittler as “the man with no fear”, debutant Klemmer fit in at Origin level seamlessly.
Made plenty of metres and fortunately for Blues fans he decided not to talk to the referees.
Andrew Fifita 6
Solid if not spectacular for the Blues. Made 102 metres and 25 tackles after coming off the bench.
Coach: Laurie Daley 6
While Daley is at a disadvantage in that – unlike his counterpart – he actually has to select a team each year, he appears to have not done that super well, with the side not threatening at all in attack in the second half. He has reaffirmed that Pearce and Hodkinson will play in Melbourne.
Also, he probably should review whatever it is he tells the players at halftime.
Total: 112 (Queensland 118.5)
Honourable Mention: Phil Gould 4
While Gould’s one-sided commentary is legendary, he managed to put a real hex on the Blues in the second half by pointing out that they had left their form and spirit in the sheds at halftime.
His expertise is second to none, but his obvious doubting of Laurie Daley’s coaching talent is reaching Shane Warne-John Buchanan levels.
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