Bitten by last year’s early pounding, Queensland plan to rip, tear and attack from the kick-off in Wednesday night’s State of Origin opener at Suncorp Stadium.
Maroons coach Mal Meninga doesn’t want his champion team to again fall into the trap of easing into the series and has ordered them to lift their intensity.
Twelve months ago, underdogs NSW bolted to a 14-0 lead at halftime in game one in Sydney as a subdued Queensland took a no-mistakes approach and ended up losing 14-6.
It was the same in 2012 when the Blues grabbed the early momentum and took a 4-0 lead at Suncorp Stadium before the Maroons snapped into gear after 25 minutes.
Assistant coach Michael Hagan has revealed Meninga wants his team to be less conservative and to get on the front foot from the outset at their “Cauldron”.
“It’s about getting the intensity right from the word go,” Hagan said before Queensland’s traditional pre-match walk at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens.
“Mal has talked to the team about being on the pace.
“We were off the pace last year in game one and we know that NSW will come in here with an ambush mentality so our players need to be primed from kick-off.”
Hagan, who coached Queensland in 2004 and 2005, said they needed to be aware of attacking opportunities but also get the right balance with completing their sets and establishing good field position.
“It’s about players understanding how important the start is,” the former Newcastle premiership coach said. “The start to any game is important but in Origin even more so.
“You need to get out of the blocks quickly and hopefully we can do that tonight.”
Hagan said Queensland expected an aerial bombardment from the Blues’ new halves pairing of Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson.
“We probably expect them to target our back three across the board,” he said.
“Brent Tate copped a barrage last year and we don’t expect that to change, and they have (Daniel) Tupou on that side so it’s fair to say it’s a reasonable target for them.”
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
The only real selection debate for Billy Slater has been settled by Kalyn Ponga’s untimely foot injury. Newcastle’s captain was probably unlikely to get…
Queensland often has the right mix of generational talent, playmaking brilliance and these nuts-and-bolts players that bind them together like glue.
Despite a poor season by his own high standards, Latrell Mitchell is still a chance to force his way into the NSW team for…
Veteran Queensland trio Felise Kaufusi, Dane Gagai and Kurt Capewell have been included in a 34-man Maroons squad that will meet in Brisbane to…
Matt Ballin will replace Cameron Smith on the Queensland coaching staff this State of Origin series. An assistant coach at Brisbane since late 2021,…
Proposed rule changes to Origin eligibility might be that rarest of things: a solution that works for everyone.
