NSW are desperate heading into Origin III. They’re desperate to end Queensland’s seven-year dominance and desperate to wipe the smirks off the faces of Cameron Smith and company.
They’re desperate to finish what they started in Sydney back in Origin I, and desperate to rectify the mistakes that saw them on the wrong end of a flogging in Origin II.
NSW will desperate to stop the cries of “aye aye yippee yippee aye”.
They’ll be desperate for victory.
For that to happen, a number of things need to happen. Their game plans must be executed perfectly and they must not start as poorly as they did in Game 2, where the opening 10 minutes set the tone for the remaining 70 minutes of heartbreak.
NSW must be perfect, and they must carry out a number of key tasks if they’re to topple the Maroons in front of a packed Sydney crowd. For the Blues to win, here’s three aspects which they must get right on Wednesday night.
Pressure Queensland’s kicking game
It always amazes me watching Origin at how much pressure Queensland manage to exert on the New South Wales kicking game – knocking the likes of Mitchell Pearce and James Maloney to the ground at every possible moment.
And yet, what amazes me even more is the fact that the Blues seemingly can’t manage the same pressure on the likes of Cooper Cronk or Jonathan Thurston.
For the Blues to win in Origin III, that’s got to change.
Michael Jennings was perhaps unfairly given a penalty for a late hit on Thurston during Origin II, and that might have made the Blues think twice about making contact with the kicker.
However, given that the likes of Cameron Smith and Sam Thaiday are going to be going as hard as they can at Maloney and Pearce, NSW simply can’t afford to be second-guessing their pressure in Game 3.
They must – under all circumstances – get in the face of Cronk or Thurston. Even if they don’t get to them in time to knock them to the ground, they’ve got to let them know that they’re there and that they’re ready to hit them when possible.
NSW must still be disciplined and not give away silly penalties for late hits – especially inside the opening 20 minutes, which are just so crucial to the match. But at the same time, they’ve got to bring as much pressure as possible.
Let Robbie do his thing
Anyone else remember the Origin that Robbie Farah played just after his mother lost her battle with cancer? I do. He was the epitome of Superman – making tackles with every possible chance and getting up in the face of Queensland.
And while NSW didn’t get over the line, Farah hasn’t forgotten that match.
In fact, according to comments he made earlier this week via The Daily Telegraph, it seems that he remembers his mum every time he puts on the Blues’ jumper.
“It’s always a difficult time for me putting on the Origin jersey because of what I went through last year and this Wednesday night will be no different. I’m sure she’ll be up there smiling down on me. She’ll be in my corner.”
Throw in the added weight of a club-crisis with good “friend” Benji Marshall and the NSW captaincy next to his name courtesy of Paul Gallen’s injury, and the result is simple for coach Laurie Daley: let Robbie do his thing.
In Origin II, Farah was taken off for Josh Reynolds.
And despite NSW having a mountain of possession and several attacking sets on Queensland’s line, they could not get over the line. Farah came back on, and within his first set, he set up Brett Morris with a great kick for the Blues’ only try of the match.
Farah – determined and inspired – will be in everything come Origin III and Daley needs to simply let his captain run wild.
Let him make 60 tackles, let him run freely from dummy half and let him be the creative player that has won him selection and captaincy duties at the representative level.
Let him be the player that he is, and then sit back and watch Farah do the thing that he does so well.
Fight with all that he has.
Use early substitutions
IfGame 2 showed anything for NSW, it showed that without a fast start, they are no chance of ending Queensland’s seven-year Origin dominance.
A penalty followed by a soft try followed by a knock-on and a mount of possession and the Blues were on the back foot – unable to get themselves into the contest and simply gassed by the time they got themselves into any scoring position.
NSW simply can’t allow that to happen in Origin II.
And so the thought of utilising an early change or two wouldn’t be all that bad a move from Daley.
I know that you need to keep some substitutions up your sleeve later on, but this is Origin footy.
If push came to shove, players could play the last 15 minutes with little or no energy and you wouldn’t be able to tell from the naked eye.
They’re simply that tough, and there’s too much to play for – they just wouldn’t care.
Given the players that NSW have named on the bench, it wouldn’t be all that bad to introduce one or two of them early.
Andrew Fifita is obviously a huge impact player but the likes of Trent Merrin and Boyd Cordner are also great selections that could come on somewhere around the 10-15 minute mark for a similar length spell.
Either could replace someone like Aaron Woods and allow NSW to keep the pressure on Queensland in both attack and defence for as long as possible.
For that’s the key – winning the opening pressure battle.
NSW won it in Game 1after a great try to Jarryd Hayne. They lost it in Game 2 because they just couldn’t get out of their own end.
And while it wouldn’t be necessarily conventional, getting the first substitute in early as 10 minutes (depending on the situation, obviously) and keeping the tempo of the game as fast as possible, could be enough for the Blues to unsettle Queensland.
Which, in turn, could finally end the cries of “aye aye yippee yippee aye”.
One can only hope.
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