The New South Wales Blues host the Queensland Maroons in Game 2 of the 2012 State of Origin series, with 84,000 Blues fans hoping for a win to keep the series alive. Join us for live scores and commentary from 7:30pm AEST.
View the deciding Game 3 Origin LIVE BLOG here.
Despite dominating play in game one, New South Wales once again failed to beat the Maroons in Melbourne and are now staring down the barrel of a seventh straight series defeat.
The Blues however are back home in Sydney and will fancy their chances of levelling the series playing on what should be a wet and slippery ANZ Stadium surface.
In last season’s Game 2, New South Wales managed to upstage Queensland at home, beating the Maroons 18-8 in wet conditions.
With New South Wale’s forwards dominating their Queensland counterparts in Game 1, expect the Blues to keep things simple up the middle tonight as they aim to control proceedings in the middle of the park.
Forwards Paul Gallen and James Tamou were strong for New South Wales in Game 1 and will need to stand tall again if they are to provide halves Mitchell Pearce and Todd Carney with the room to deploy their long kicking games and attempt to run through the Maroons defence.
Carney and Pearce failed to assert their authority in Melbourne and will be looking to vastly improve their performances tonight by nailing the basics against Queensland. Expect both players to kick early in the tackle count in a bid to pin the Maroons deep in their own half.
With the ball in hand, Carney and Pearce should look to play a lot of inside balls tonight, particularly when mobile forwards such as Anthony Watmough and Glenn Stewart are running back inside.
If Carney and Pearce can play the percentages well, New South Wales will put themselves in a prime position to win the territorial arm wrestle tonight.
Queensland meanwhile will also look to keep things simple early on, but they may struggle to win the forward battle without the inspirational Sam Thaiday.
Despite being named, Thaiday has withdrawn from the Queensland Origin squad due to injury and has been replaced by Broncos team-mate Corey Parker.
Although Parker is a worthy replacement, Thaiday’s passion and work ethic will be missed by Queensland tonight.
With workaholic players such as Nate Myles, Ashley Harrison and Cameron Smith in the side however, Queensland do possess the forwards necessary to fill Thaiday’s void in both defence and attack.
If Queensland does manage to get the better of territory tonight, it is no secret that the devastating quartest of Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and Johnathon Thurston will dominate proceedings tonight.
In the few opportunities they had to shine in game one, the preceding players all managed to wreck havoc with their running and passing games and will do so again, regardless of the conditions.
If New South Wales can execute well and keep things simple with yardage up the middle, and space for the backline to shine for the full eighty minutes, it should be enough to grind the Maroons down in a tight contest. Their intensity must last – else Queensland will make them pay, yet again. The Blues home crowd should help them.
New South Wales by 6
Queensland’s Cooper Cronk (left) makes a break against New South Wales during game 2 of the State of Origin Rugby League series in Sydney on Wednesday, June 13, 2012. AAP Image/Paul Miller
State of Origin Game 2
State of Origin Game 2
Queensland’s Brent Tate (centre) is tackled by Greg Bird (left), Mitchell Pearce and Robbie Farrah (right) of New South Wales during game 2 of the State of Origin Rugby League series in Sydney on Wednesday, June 13, 2012. (AAP Image/Paul Miller
View the deciding Game 3 Origin LIVE BLOG here.
angelo
Guest
Hahahaha, You qlders cry about everything like you are being discriminated against. you guys are complaining about refs for game 2 hahaha what about game one? no complaints there aye.
kelsie
Guest
i agree, up FARAH !!!!
Dave
Guest
Yeah not like Cameron "Elbow" Smith, no wonder his elbow is giving him problems, it's all the face bashing he does with it
Liam
Guest
I have to agree, how can there only be one replay on any of the NSW trys (which were questionable) and a straight forward try by QLD take 4 to 5 checks of the replays. Just asking
Sarah
Guest
The winners for the doubles tickets were NSW 1 Qld 8 I rang around a few people I know and they told me it was 8
Charissa
Guest
Are you doing footy doubles too? I believe it was either Petro number 10 or Scott number 8?? Still dont know either!!
Sarah
Guest
Can anyone tell me who Ben Hannant (16) interchanged with to get onto the field before his try last night?
Supporter
Guest
I agree, NSW tactics are to bash up the Qld team until they're limping. If it was clean football NSW would never win.
Madman
Guest
Man of the match is not determined by the channel nine boys. It is determined by the selectors from NSW and QLD. Farah all the way in my book. 64 tackles. WOW !!!
QLDer
Guest
That was not a knock on
QLDer
Guest
Ricky got what he wantede. refs only saw QLD players. Great game but that was definitely a knock on by Hayne
dishes
Guest
Bird was all over everything. He was my man of the match as well.
Boomshanka
Guest
Currently in Adelaide. They did the same thing here. I hope channel 9 get shafted and lose the league having done little to promote the game outside of its heartland.
MyGeneration
Roar Guru
It was certainly Smith vs Farah for MoTM!
MyGeneration
Roar Guru
Not a good night for Uate, indeed, but he's better than that.
Danno1
Guest
Correct, I thought Farah as well, and I don't usually like him as a player but he was fantastic. But how many Cameron Smith's play for the Maroons and Storm? There's the dirty face rubbing CS, the brilliant defensive CS he takes 'em high or low depending on circumstance, the great kicking CS, the innocent choir boy captain CS "yes sir but surely they are more offensive than us sir" the great running CS and the great passing CS, the great leader CS and surely one of the best competitors of all time. As a devout Blue it used to pain me to say Steve walters was the best hooker I'd ever seen, but CS leaves 'em all for dead. An all-time great player without a doubt.
jamesb
Guest
i thought Luke Lewis off the bench deserved Man of the match. Good win by NSW GO THE BLUES!
bronc
Guest
I thought getting shonky calls looked at was Trickys umm trick
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Set up nicely for Queensland to win again in game 3? :D
Rellum
Roar Guru
Far to much dropped ball from the boys. That is what really cost us.