Having won the opening match in Sydney, the Queensland Maroons will seek to wrap up the series and regain the State of Origin Shield in the second match at the MCG this Wednesday night.
Mal Meninga’s men camped in Melbourne for more than a week ahead of the match, while the Blues conducted their own preparations in Coffs Harbour, before arriving in the Victorian capital on the weekend.
STATE OF ORIGIN LIVE SCORES – GAME 2
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» Where State of Origin 2 will be won and lost – Ryan O’Connell
» State of Origin Game 2 Teams
» State of Origin Fixture
» State of Origin
The Maroons’ eight-year Origin dynasty began in this city, when they won a thrilling series decider against New South Wales by 16-14 at Etihad Stadium in 2006. Back then, the side were staring down the barrel of becoming the first state to lose four Origin series in a row.
Nine years on, the Maroons can restart another dynasty by wrapping up the series in Melbourne, after which they can go for the clean sweep at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on July 8.
It would be the best response to last year’s series defeat, which was Meninga’s first as Maroons coach since he took over from Michael Hagan prior to the 2006 series.
Only one change has been made to the side that was successful in Game 1, with Daly Cherry-Evans replacing the injured Cooper Cronk in the starting line-up.
Billy Slater, who has declared that he will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery after the series, will once again start at fullback. The Maroons veteran could opt to bring his shoulder surgery forward if the Maroons wrap up the series with victory this Wednesday night, thus allowing either Greg Inglis or Darius Boyd to start at fullback and Anthony Milford to potentially make his Origin debut in Game 3.
The Blues’ chances of keeping the series alive are boosted by the return of captain Paul Gallen and winger Brett Morris, who both missed Game 1 due to injuries. Andrew Fifita and Daniel Tupou have been dropped, while Josh Jackson has been benched to accommodate Gallen’s return at lock forward.
Despite being hampered by a shoulder injury incurred in the opening game, Robbie Farah has retained his place in the starting side, while Mitchell Pearce and Trent Hodkinson remain as the halves pairing.
Let’s now have a look at each of the teams in detail:
Queensland
Billy Slater, Darius Boyd, Greg Inglis, Justin Hodges, Will Chambers, Johnathan Thurston, Daly Cherry-Evans, Matt Scott, Cameron Smith (c), Nate Myles, Aidan Guerra, Sam Thaiday, Corey Parker. Interchange: Michael Morgan, Josh McGuire, Matt Gillett, Jacob Lillyman.
18th man: Josh Papalii. 19th man: Dane Gagai. 20th man: Korbin Sims.
New South Wales
Josh Dugan, Brett Morris, Josh Morris, Michael Jennings, Will Hopate, Mitchell Pearce, Trent Hodkinson, Aaron Woods, Robbie Farah, James Tamou, Beau Scott, Ryan Hoffman, Paul Gallen (c). Interchange: Trent Merrin, Boyd Cordner, David Klemmer, Josh Jackson.
18th man: Tariq Sims. 19th man: Dylan Walker.
Why the Maroons will win
Although this game is being played in neutral territory, the Maroons have won the last three matches in Melbourne (though all three were at Etihad Stadium), and three of their stars in Billy Slater, Will Chambers and Cameron Smith will be playing at ‘home’.
Justin Hodges will want to win this series to bring the curtain down on his glittering Origin career on a winning note, as Darren Lockyer and Petero Civoniceva did in 2011 and 2012 respectively.
Why the Blues will win
Inspirational skipper Gallen is back, and his importance to the team cannot be underestimated, as his absence proved to be the difference in the Game 1 loss, as it was when the Blues narrowly lost Game 3 in 2013.
If there is any inspiration for the Blues, it’s that they won the only previous State of Origin match played at the MCG, way back in 1994. They also entered that match down 1-0, before eventually claiming their third consecutive series victory in Brisbane two weeks later.
Laurie Daley will also be desperate to prove that his halves combination of Pearce and Hodkinson can work, after errors from the pair proved costly in Game 1.
The verdict
The Maroons will start favourites to continue their recent impressive record in Melbourne, however don’t expect the Blues to go down without a fight.
Daley’s men will once again rely on a heroic performance from Gallen, who in his comeback game for the Sharks submitted a strong performance as they upset the Roosters for the second time this NRL season.
Prediction
Queensland by eight points.
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