No excuses for well-beaten NSW Blues

NSW refused to use the distractions surrounding their preparation as an excuse for their humiliating 34-6 loss to a ruthless Queensland in Origin II on Wednesday night.

Not only did the Blues lose the series 2-0, but their enforcers Luke O’Donnell and Paul Gallen were both placed on report for separate incidents in a fiery encounter.

NSW lost assistant coach Andrew Johns during the week after it emerged he had made racial slurs directed at Queenslanders Greg Inglis and Israel Folau, who ran riot against the hapless visitors at Suncorp Stadium.

Joel Monaghan replaced Timana Tahu, who walked out of the Blues camp in protest, and Johns stood down from his position.

“I’d love to be able to use that as an excuse but I don’t think it is,” said disappointed Blues coach Craig Bellamy.

“Nobody wanted that (the racial scandal) to happen like it happened and nobody wanted it to keep going like it kept going.

“We were all aware of what our responsibilities and I thought we really stuck well to the task.”

Asked about the inevitable calls for his axing as NSW coach, Bellamy told reporters: “They’d probably have every right (to demand his resignation).”

O’Donnell faces 3-4 weeks on the sideline after being charged with a grade two dangerous throw for his spear tackle on Darius Boyd which sparked an all-in brawl.

The North Queensland forward also head-butted Maroons mountain man David Taylor but was not cited for that incident.

O’Donnell’s fellow enforcer Paul Gallen was charged with a grade one careless tackle for his high shot on Nate Myles but escaped punishment with an early guilty plea.

“It was a big week and we worked hard,” said a shattered Gallen after the 28-point loss.

“I don’t know what to say. It’s just an empty feeling. They were just too good for us.”

Blues hooker Michael Ennis said he was confident going into the match but also refused to blame the Andrew Johns saga on the loss.

“We had a great preparation,” he said.

“We’re just not playing for 80 minutes. In stages of the game we’re just letting in soft tries and in Origin you don’t get them back.”

Blues vice-captain Trent Barrett said it was a “lonely place” out on the field watching the Maroons celebrate a fifth consecutive series victory.

“It hurts, particularly after we put in so much hard work,” said Barrett, who has possibly played his last Origin.

“It’s a pretty lonely place when you’re sitting out their on your own.

“The domination that they’ve got at the moment has to stop eventually and we have to stop it pretty soon.”