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Here are my New South Wales player ratings from the thrilling first game of the 2011 State of Origin series against New South Wales at Suncorp Stadium.
NSW Player Ratings
Josh Dugan
Looked surprisingly comfortable early on, especially under the high ball. But as the game wore on, his tendency for mental lapses became more apparent. No one questions his uncanny attacking ability, but equally, no one is surprised when he has the proverbial ‘brain fart’, especially in defence. The NSW selectors and Ricky Stuart need to decide whether his positives outweigh his negatives, because in his short career, there has been little to suggest his mental mistakes are ever going to be a thing of the past.
Rating: 4
Brett Morris
Didn’t see a lot of ball, but always looked threatening in the limited opportunities he was given. His lack of communication and familiarity with Dugan gifted Queensland a try, but overall the Dragons winger was solid.
Rating: 6
Mark Gasnier
Wasn’t given anywhere near enough attacking opportunities, and even when he was, Dragons teammate Darius Boyd relished in coming off his wing to hammer him. Was solid in defence, especially considering he was playing one man in, to allow Soward to defend in the centres. But he failed to show off his immense abilities.
Rating: 6
Michael Jennings
Though I thought he was lucky to be selected over Idris, he was unquestionably one of NSW’s best players. A constant threat in attack, and excellent in defence, there was much to like in Jennings performance, particularly him ending his try scoring drought.
Rating: 8
Akuila Uate
Looked right at home in Origin football, and ran the ball hard and strong. NSW could do much worse than getting the right side of their attack more involved in game two.
Rating: 7.5
Jamie Soward
When you consider his forwards didn’t provide him with a lot of go-forward, nor did his dummy halves provide him with a lot of quality ball, Soward had a pretty good debut. He was excellent in defence, long considered his major weakness, and now that he has that first game under his belt, I expect him to have a monster of a game two. Went a long way to answering the question of whether or not he is up to this level of football.
Rating: 7
Mitchell Pearce
Whilst he backed up well to score the try that put NSW on the board, for the most part, Pearce struggled. His kicking game was well off the pace, and it was his poor kick that led to fantastic Queensland field position for their first try. He also failed to threaten the Queensland defensive line.
Rating: 4
Paul Gallen (c)
Apart from a mind-boggling decision to throw a pass in-goal, which luckily went unpunished, the NSW skipper had a very good game. Tackled with gusto, took the ball up hard, and led from the front.
Rating: 7
Greg Bird
Floated in and out of the game a little bit too much, yet when he did have an impact, it was decisive and influential. Dangerous in attack, bruising in defence, and showed after the final siren that he has just as much passion as the Maroons.
Rating: 7.5
Beau Scott
Absolutely brilliant. I questioned his inclusion when the NSW team was announced, but the egg is firmly on my face. Was the standout defensive forward from either side, and was up in Queensland’s faces all game long.
Rating: 9
Kade Snowden
I honestly can’t recall Snowden doing anything of note. Needless to say, my analysis would be that he lacked impact. Or maybe I was getting a beer whenever he did something.
Rating: 2
Michael Ennis
After interchanging on for Young, and entering the game cold, he lacked his usual impact. Tackled as hard as ever, but made some crucial errors in attack, none more so than his decision to kick from dummy-half on the fourth tackle, with NSW in command of the game and the scoreboard. The kick was neither attacking nor defensive, and directly led to Queensland scoring the winning try.
Rating: 3
Jason King
Has struggled for fitness with Manly all year, so I’m not sure why anyone was surprised when he ran out of gas after just 15 minutes in the toughest standard of football. Though he had made an impressive 16 tackles by that stage. A questionable selection, and a questionable result.
Rating: 4
Interchange:
Ben Creagh
In my Origin preview, I wrote that Creagh is better suited to starting the game. I saw nothing in Origin one to sway me from that opinion. Creagh is a great player, but he is not an immediate impact-type forward. Playing off the bench is a skill in and of itself, and some players are not made for it. Evidently, it seems Creagh is one of them.
Rating: 5
Trent Merrin
The rookie wasn’t terrible, but he lacked the impact required of a prop with supposed fresh legs. However, he will be all the better for the experience.
Rating: 5.5
Tim Mannah
Defended strongly, and ran the ball hard. When the Origin teams were announced, I wrote that Mannah could expect some early game time considering King’s fitness, and that’s exactly how it played out. Should start in the second Origin match.
Rating: 6.5
Dean Young
Didn’t do much wrong, but didn’t have an impact either. I fail to see the point of having a starting hooker that interchanges after 25 minutes. Especially when he and Ennis are similar in their style of play. If you’re going to pick two dummy-halves, surely it’s best to pick two contrasting styles? In other words, the attacking prowess of Farrah, coupled with either Young or Ennis. Better still, just pick one, and play them 80 minutes.
Rating: 5