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Minutiae and mortals: The difference between Games 1 and 2

Will the Maroons miss Thursto? (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
Roar Rookie
23rd June, 2017
7

NSW are being lambasted for a poor performance in the second half of Game 2 of State of Origin, but the nous of their opposition has been underrated, and the magnitude of their win in Game 1 created an unrealistic expectation.

There is conjecture over which (if not all) of Queensland’s fullback, five-eighth, halfback and hooker will be declared rugby league Immortals once they retire. Darius Boyd and Anthony Milford are not subjects of the debate, and the Queensland team was stronger for them stepping aside in one way or another for Billy Slater and Johnathan Thurston respectively.

After big games like Origin the minutiae of every player’s performance is analysed. One of the things that is difficult to measure is the quality of a fullback’s positional play. Some people think that Mitchell Pearce doesn’t know what he’s doing in high pressure games, but Billy Slater knows exactly what Pearce is doing.

Before he was forced off the field through injury in Game 1 Pearce was regularly able to find the ground with both attacking and clearing kicks. In the 55 minutes he played, his kicks hit the ground six times before being returned by Boyd or his wingers. In Game 2 Pearce’s kicks hit the turf at ANZ Stadium just twice. Both were returned by Dane Gagai, Pearce couldn’t beat Slater once.

NSW Blues State of Origin NRL Rugby League 2017 tall

James Maloney also managed to get the ball to the ground six times with kicks at Suncorp Stadium, but was handled comfortably by Slater in Game 2, reaching the grass just twice.

In the 16th minute of Game 1 Mitchell Pearce put up a bomb from Queensland’s 40 metre line and Corey Oates caught it millimetres in front of his goal-line and was met by NSW defender’s ten metres later. In the 69th minute of Game 2 Pearce put up an almost identical kick from an almost identical position. Slater waited for it with one foot on his goal-line and the Maroons started their set 20 metres away, with an extra tackle in hand.

It’s plays like this that make me question the criticism of the Blues’ halves’ performance in Sydney. I wonder whether it was just more obvious that they are mere mortals when contrasted against two of the game’s greatest ever players.

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Certainly the changes Queensland made up front were not the difference. Their starting props both only made two runs for just over 20 metres before they were benched, and while Andrew Fifita didn’t break the line in the same fashion as in the first game, the cracks were still there for Maloney and James Tedesco.

Thurston was not at his best (he was playing with only one working shoulder) but he still had more runs and gained more metres than Milford did in Game 1. Thurston made more tackles than Milford and despite missing more he made his most important one, when Tyson Frizell was gunning for the line.

The obvious difference Thurston made was his goal-kicking, converting three chances that were all harder than the one Smith missed at Suncorp.

Thurston-Origin

( AAP Image/Dean Lewins)

But it was not just off the kicking tee that Thurston’s boot improved the Maroons. In Game 1 Milford didn’t have a single kick in general play. This allowed the Blues to place more pressure on Cooper Cronk than they could on Wednesday night. Having Thurston’s kicking available enabled Cronk to run or pass on the fourth without fear of being tackled and denying his team an effective fifth tackle option.

NSW can also take solace that they were still in the game until the end despite their left hand side defence missing tackles and conceding penalties, as well as dropping balls and throwing errant passes in attack.

Indeed, had Maloney found Hayne on his inside, rather than Brett Morris on his outside for the 24th minute try, he could’ve had a kick from in front of the posts, and Thurston’s match-winner would’ve only tied the game – although he probably would’ve just potted a field goal minutes later anyway – see the 2015 grand final.

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The Blues will be buoyed by Thurston’s absence for Game 3. Corey Norman, Michael Morgan and Daly Cherry-Evans could all offer more with the boot than Milford, but none of them are in contention for Immortal status. That said, NSW will still have three other candidates to deal with…

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