The NSW team played their hearts out, with Paul Gallen leading from the front. But the architect, and the heart and soul of a memorable State of Origin victory for the Blues, was their inspirational coach, Ricky Stuart.
If ever there was a victory that could be attributed to coaching magic, this second match in the 2011 State of Origin series, won by NSW 18-8, was it.
The first thing he instilled into his side for this second match was the belief that NSW not only had to win (that was obvious enough) but that they could and, indeed, would win.
As Phil Gould announced in an emotional on-field piece of oratory before the game, which was directed more to the crowd at the ground listening in than the television audience: ‘NSW has to BELIEVE that tonight is THE night.’
NSW clearly believed.
They came from behind at half-time to win, only the sixth time in the whole of the State of Origin series that this has been done. They weathered a searing attack at the beginning of the second half, then another attack again from Billy Slater midway through the half.
Then they got in front after a series of bombs, which Queensland did not detonate.
And instead of coughing up the lead in the dying minutes of the match, as they have done in the previous two matches, NSW put pressure on Queensland who finally cracked to let in a soft try (the sort of cracking under pressure that NSW has indulged in for some years).
The key to the victory was the play of Jamie Soward.
Here is a gifted player who is disliked by the NSW rugby league writers, especially those writing for The Daily Telegraph. He is uninterested in chatting to the media.
He is seen as a show pony who trots away from difficult situations. Stuart was roundly criticised for selecting him.
Soward’s defence, admittedly, is in the Quade Cooper category of ineffectiveness. But, like Cooper, he is a gifted player who can make the big plays in the toughest situations.
He was NSW’s X-factor player that the team has lacked since the days of Fittler and Johns.
He kicked a conversion from the sideline to give NSW the lead. Then he belted some huge kicks to give his side field position. And then he hoisted two enormous, pin-point bombs that were misfielded by Queensland.
A play or so later NSW had their tries from these Queensland mistakes.
When the teams lined up for the national anthem, it was obvious that NSW was a much smaller team than Queensland. Again coaching magic was involved in this.
I have always believed that 90 per cent of coaching success is attributable to selecting skills.
Stuart got his selections right: he brought back the old champion Anthony Minichiello, who played a blinder; William Hopoate, the second youngest State of Origin player, came in and played splendidly, as well as scoring a sensational try.
The experiment of playing Paul Gallen, big of heart but essentially a small (if stocky) man, in the front row worked. This experiment went against Stuart’s argument before the first State of Origin match that he did not believe in playing players out of their usual positions.
The smaller NSW pack was all over Queensland and in a crucial 30 minute period, when Petero Civoniceva was off the field, the pocket battleships blasted their bigger opponents out of the game.
These was a big risk in this tactic of using a small, tough and quick pack to defeat a big, tough and lumbering pack. That risk involved how the match was going to be refereed.
In the first State of Origin, the referees allowed the tacklers to stay on the ball runners for a long period of time, thereby creating a slow play-the-ball, which helped the bigger Queensland pack.
But this time, the referees got a much faster play-the-ball system, which helped the more mobile NSW pack.
Channel 9 showed shots of the dressing rooms at half-time.
In the Queensland dressing room, Mal Meninga, who was complacent all week, sat mute while the other coaches had their say. This confirmed for me that Meninga is more a figure-head than a coach.
In the NSW dressing room Ricky Stuart was belting out his message of inspiration.
If good selection is a key ingredient to success, especially before the match, then inspiration during the match can be very important, too. Stuart provided that inspiration for his team.
He conveyed to them his utter determination that NSW would win the match. And win it they did.
As I said earlier, it was coaching magic from Stuart that lifted his team to produce a terrific victory. Now the coach has to produce the magic one more time, in the cauldron of Suncorp Stadium, to stop Queensland from winning their sixth consecutive State of Origin series.
That would be the trick to beat all tricks.
One win does not make a Series.
Guest
Yeah, they should get rid of the rest of th NSW players. The 3 or 4 losers they have in the team always bring the rest down. Five series defeats in a row has really damaged some of these NSW supporters.
Jaceman
Guest
Dean - SH Good points
ah what a stunner
Guest
Spiro, i mentioned this before the game, coaching from a textbook doesn't work against a team that has dominated as Queensland has! I was crying out for more mobile pack, we haven't had the props to match them for years. sorry to go off topic but i know this something close to ur heart Spiro it reminds me of how bad Eddie Jones and Knuckles Connelly were for Aussie rugby & they're not along including all the forward super rugby coach's (why is this? when backs coach's are the way to go). i use to hate hearing these 2 say we need to pick a big pack against this SA or England pack! Hearing coachs say this crap is giving up before u start. I like what Stuart & Robbie Deans do, they pick their team to play a style which they think will suit them, not the opposition... i think they call this think for themselves (not listening to others) people have been bagging Ricky all week, how can you go into game with this and that? Quick play the balls, not kicking for touch which keep the ball in play longer nad playing with width was always going to test the Queenslanders. Going for goal in the 1st half when we had the big forwards on the rack was a chance for them to make changes and get the momentum back. Now Spiro I've been calling for the Wallabies to become the fittest side in Rugby and keep the ball in play for longer and run those opposition fat forwards off their feet!!! Which i think Robbie might do this world cup?? don't worry about winning the 1st half the last 20mins is where it will be won with heart and fitness Like
Dean - Surry Hills
Guest
Hey Mals - you leave Oikee alone - otherwise I'm gonna be like Third-In-Friday to offer him a bit of protection. Hang on - its still Thursday. Sorry,Oikee. Love your passion though, for the game, and your state.
Mac
Guest
I think the thing with QLD and Mal is that they have the 4 best players in the world...pl us Inglis, Hodges, Cronk, Floau, they are expected to win. I don't buy into Mal's coaching crednetials, who couldn't coach a star-studded team like the maroon's to victory. We can all have 'passion' when we are supporting one of the greatest collections of players the game has seen. On the other side, Ricky putting a heavily criticised team together, with a heavily criticised game plan managed to beat the best team in the world with the best players in the world. Gallen in the front row, 6-7 backrowers with leg speed, a 19 yearold debutant with less than 20 NRL games under his belt, a panel beaten old faithful in Minichello who everyone wrote off. Come on, your telling me Mal 'guiding' the best players in the world to beat a below par NSW team 5 years in a row defeats the technical expertise needed by Ricky to counter that team. your kidding. I'm sure Cameron Smith and Locky have more authority in the way QLD play than Mal.
mick h
Guest
you got a penalty later in the game for a nsw blocker stop your bloody whinging your getting boring unlike last nights game which was a cracker
BennO
Guest
Yeah but if he'd just scored those 4 final runs!
oikee
Guest
Who are you talking to down here Mals, i have already taken my bat and ball and gone home. Damm blues, spoiling a good party.
Girl
Guest
@ Oikee - Seriously, NSW gets in a great win and all of a sudden the game has becoming boring to you? We have watched Patiently for a coach to come around find a team that can stand up to a very accomplished QLD side and now we have it Queensland fans are over it…? You would think of instead of having a whinge you would be excited to watch a real contest with exciting players and great teams. I lkoved the game and as far as i am concerned it put the sand back into the storm!
Mals
Guest
Don't worry Oikee balances the ledger on behalf of Queensland ;-)
John Mccann
Guest
NSW clearly dominate in game 2 and probably game 1as well. But NSW have made the same mistake, changing the team for game 2 after losing the first 1. The team that wins the first often takes the the foot off the throat in game 2, letting the winner of game 2 feel as that team has found an edge. When it has a lot to do with the effort of the game 1 winner. QLD have never really gotten out of second gear. 6 in a row- no doubt...
Jason Cave
Guest
What a shame Game 3 isn't played in Melbourne (possibly at Etihad Stadium). A neutral venue might balance the ledger.
Hoy
Roar Guru
Bloody hell. I am not grasping at straws as a point that it lost QLD the game, just that last night the practice was blatantly obvious, and I don't like it in the game. End of story. I don't like blocking in the game. But Big Time is right, I hate kick trys as well. Running ones are much more attractive. And if Nielson never even looked at the ball, how did Hayne elbow him in the back of the head?
oikee
Guest
I agree, NSW have turned origin into a borefest, run up gang tackle, five hitups give it to Soward kick. Next play same again, next same again. Queensland got so bored they let Soward set up a try to end the misery of kicks. This could become the norm, so i would make a rule change that wont allow players in front of the kicker to enter the 20 metre line.
roarlover34
Roar Pro
touche Dean. All this drivel about NSW biased commentary is hilarious. Warren is neutral, Gould is NSW, Johns is NSW, Sterling is maybe a little NSW. QLD had, Wally, Fatty and a current QLD player in Shillington. They also used to have Tim Gilbert and Ben Ikin. For god sake there is no bias there at all
JVGO
Guest
Look I have nothing but admiration for Locky. And I have no doubt that if somehow NSW manage to defy the odds and pull off an upset it will not diminish his legacy at all, it would only enhance it probably as he would of course deal with it with total class. I mean even Bradman finished with a duck and it didn't matter a jot.
roarlover34
Roar Pro
how can you complain about that. The amount of times that Thurston shielded Inglis from the chasers last nigh was ridiculous, at least 5 or 6 times.
Chris
Guest
One thing I did agree with in the article was the point about Meninga being no more than a figurehead. That Queensland team has the ability, so either you accept that they had an off night (which every team does have once in a while), or they were out played tactically. I wonder if there was a bit of assuming that Lockyer, Thurston, etc were going to step up again, or resting on reputations going on...
soapit
Guest
nielson never even looked at the ball to try and catch it and was only interested in blocking hayne, hayne was only interested in tapping back a ball that was out of his reach due to the effective blocking by nielsen. they got tangled and they both fell out of the contest. jostling is allowed as is running towards where the ball is going to land (and if it results in the other team having an impeded run through then so be it). noone but warren even gave the possibility of interference from hayne a mention. there must be better straws for you to grab in that game somewhere?
Dan
Guest
Absolutely possible. Still makes the gaudy claims of 'GREATEST TEAM IN ALL HISTORY' that the Qld press have been banging on with sound a little shallow though...