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So State of Origin 2015, the 35th iteration of the great encounter, has come to an end and it was a total fizzer.
For a series that had seen 65 points scored in the first two games, Origin 3 saw 58 all by itself, almost all scored by a rampant Maroon tidal wave.
The Blues were never in it. The Queenslanders beat them like rented mules. For good measure they ran up their highest ever score and the highest ever winning margin in an Origin match.
There were a number of questions coming into the game that got a lot of attention. Now the smoke has cleared let’s have a look at how they washed up.
The NSW pack versus the Queensland pack
Origin 2 saw the Blues’ pack push the older Maroons pack around. Old man Corey Parker demanded respect and was told – in no uncertain terms by David Klemmer – that none would be forthcoming.
The Queensland pack looked old and timid. How could a pack that featured six players who were thirty plus be able to respond in the face of such aggression?
The answer, emphatically.
Of those six old men, four of them – Nate Myles, Matthew Scott, Parker and Jacob Lillyman – made more than 100 metres each. The whole NSW team made only 700 metres for the entire game. That’s the lowest I’ve ever seen in 17 years of keeping rugby league stats. They made the Raiders side of 2013 look dynamic.
The Queensland forwards made more metres than the whole NSW team by themselves. The NSW forwards made just over 400 metres.
For all the hype Klemmer had little positive impact for the Blues. While he made 66 metres from seven runs, his biggest influence on the game was his two errors. He dropped the ball in the first set after the second half kick-off and Matt Gillett scored immediately after to end the game as a contest – if it hadn’t been already. Klemmer dropped the ball again in the 70th minute.
Paul Gallen toiled hard for his side, racking up 18 runs for 132 metres and 38 tackles. He made nearly a third of his pack’s total metres. The very bad news for NSW is that Gallen will by 34 in August. Although he says that he still hasn’t made a decision on his future, it would be hard to see him going around again, especially if his nemesis Josh Papalii continues his return to form.
Last night the big Canberra forward made his intentions clear: he means business for Queensland.
Verdict: Queensland by decisive KO
Farah or Ennis?
The idea that any player – even Robbie Farah – could have surgery on his hand and then days later play in arguably the hardest match of the season seemed ludicrous. All week Laurie Daley was saying that he’d give Farah until the last possible moment to prove his fitness.
It was no surprise at all to see Michael Ennis in his black head gear run onto the field. In the very first defensive set ‘The Menace’ set about trying to justify his selection with a tackle that caused Justin Hodges to drop the ball. Ennis wasted no time in giving the Queensland centre a dose of his own verbal medicine. From there NSW had four consecutive sets before scoring a penalty goal. Ennis was working out well.
That was where the good news ended for NSW and Ennis. While he made a game high 49 tackles, his impact on the game was minimal.
Verdict: Ennis was OK but expect Mitch Rein in the Blue number nine in 2016.
Queensland player Dane Gagai (left) reacts after scoring a try during State of Origin. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
The return of Cronk
From the moment the Maroons had the ball in their hands Cooper Cronk was straight back into his role as the five-star general. Immediately their attack looked 100 per cent more structured and composed than it did under the stewardship of Daly Cherry-Evans.
Cronk’s kicking and organisational game put his side constantly into great field position. While his stats just show 10 kicks for 234 metres and one try assist, Cronk’s value to his side is in the calm order that he brings to the field.
That allows them to exert massive pressure on their opponents. That pressure was what destroyed the Blues last night. The Maroons had 16 repeat sets for the night. That translated to 67 per cent of the possession.
What does 67 per cent possession mean? Well, NSW only had the ball for just over 26 minutes of the match. Queensland was in possession for 53 and a half minutes. NSW had to make 147 more tackles than Queensland, that’s an extra 24.5 defensive sets.
It’s little wonder that they made so few metres, no line breaks and 12 errors. What is remarkable is that they only missed 26 tackles.
While the Queensland side surely did a full court press on NSW, it was Cronk who was guiding them with his usual precision.
Verdict: Cronk is as good as ever.
Cam Smith under pressure
NSW was strangled by a lack of possession. The 65 per cent possession rate at half-time was built on the repeat sets gleaned from three unanswered tries to the Maroons and a seven-three penalty count. Cam Smith played no small part in that.
In the 25th minute he milked a great penalty by passing into Aaron Woods who hadn’t cleared the ruck. At that point the Blues were really muscling up in defence to hold the Maroons in their own half. Smith saw the opportunity and passed – accidently on purpose – into Woods. The referee had little choice but to award the penalty.
From the resulting field position Johnathan Thurston put Papalii over to make the score 14-2. Minutes later Smith kicked for field position only to have Beau Scott throw him to the ground. While Scott has a record of thumping opposition players, I suspect Smith stayed down far longer than he needed to.
The result, a penalty where the ball landed. Minutes later Thurston kicked a penalty goal to push the lead out beyond two converted tries.
Following Alex McKinnon’s statements about Smith, the Queensland captain had to have been under huge pressure. I find it hard to believe that he wouldn’t be very upset about the whole thing.
Verdict: It speaks volumes for Smith as a player that he could play such a composed role in such a big match under such circumstances.
The NSW halves combo
At the beginning of the series Daley’s decision to play the combination of Mitchell Pearce and Trent Hodkinson in the halves was met with confusion. Of the Bulldogs Josh Reynolds-Hodkinson combination surely Josh – brain explosions and all – was the dynamic one.
And why on Earth would Pearce be recalled after his dropping for the triumphant 2014 series was so widely applauded? For NSW supporters the only position to take was, ‘In Lozza we trust’. Daley must know what he’s doing…
At the 60th minute mark of last night’s game it occurred to me that I hadn’t seen Mitchell Pearce at all. Was he even playing? I finally saw him in the 74th minute missing a tackle. He missed seven all up to be the worst defender on the field. He made no try assists and no line break assists for the match. Hodkinson’s defence was actually pretty good but he gave nothing to his side in attack.
Verdict: Expect a new halves combination for NSW in 2016
The retirement of the big Queensland four
After Origin 2 I predicted that if Queensland won, Smith, Cronk, Thurston and Billy Slater may well retire.
They didn’t.
And after last night’s showing why would they? While Jarryd Hayne was at the back and luck was on their side the Blues managed to win one series out of 10. What evidence is there that NSW are on the verge of anything other than more disappointment in 2016?
One bit of good news for the Blues was that Hodges finally retired at the age of 33. No longer will the NSW markers have to feel stupid as the wide striding Cairns product makes yet more easy metres from dummy half and then gives them an earful about how crap they are.
But after last night it is hard to argue with Hodges.
Verdict: NSW are crap and it is time for a big clean out, but the old Queenslanders may just keep going.