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After an impressive Blues performance, the pressure is firmly on Queensland to re-group and pull out an effort the side has become famous for at Suncorp Stadium.
The Cane Toads must win the ruck which they failed to do in Sydney, and for that to happen, the selection axe must swing and the gameplan must change.
Firstly, where did it all go wrong?
Like I spoke about last time, the key to winning Origin I was to win the battle down the middle.
The Blues’ strategy of a highly rotated, high energy, fast and mobile pack worked with aplomb, getting Queensland on the backfoot from the very first set.
The Maroons couldn’t regain the momentum from there, as Shillington and Scott were targeted heavily in defence and by the time they came to be spelled, Thaiday and Myles didn’t have the energy or oomph to combat the firing Blues forwards.
For Game 2, Queensland need to move back to what has worked for them in the past and what has defeated the NSW mobile pack in the past.
They need to utilise hard-running big boppers who can charge over the top of the smaller Blues forwards, gain metres after contact and win back the momentum if the pendulum swings too far in the opposition favour.
They need to combat speed with size because in a battle of speed versus speed, the Blues have got it covered, as they showed in Game I.
I think Nate Myles should be pushed into the front row, with David Shillington falling back to the bench.
‘Shillo’ only managed a paltry 52m on Wednesday night, while Myles was the best of the Maroons forwards with 113m.
This opens the door for Corey Parker to start the game as lock, where he should play close to the full eighty minutes.
His second-phase play is very good and will add another dimension to the Maroons pack. Ashley Harrison has been a loyal servant but it is time for him to make way for young Josh Papalii.
Papalii has the size, strength and power that Queenslandseverely lacked last start, as well as a good offload which will trouble NSW.
He has got the size to make metres in the middle when needed, but setting him loose down the left edge will no doubt give the Blues right side defence nightmares.
So the forward pack should be Myles, Smith, Scott, Papalii, Thaiday, Parker.
Now onto the bench. Just in time to inject some much needed size, Ben Hannant will be fit and should slide onto the bench alongside David Shillington as specialist prop forwards.
If the Blues pack can get on top like they did last game, a fresh Hannant and Shillington combination have the power to force it back in the Maroons favour.
McQueen, Gillett or Te’o can all battle it out for the last two spots, as the edge forwards weren’t the ones who lost the battle in the middle they should not be under as much scrutiny.
One to spell Thaiday, who can join the middle forward rotation at some point if need be and the other to give Papalii a rest. So the bench: Hannant, Shillington, and two of McQueen, Gillett, Te’o.
In summary, if Queensland what to win the battle down the middle of the park, they need to play to their strengths.
The forward pack needs to be bulked up so it can physically overpower the smaller New South Wales forwards like it has in the past.
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