Five talking points from State of Origin I

The New South Wales Blues defeated the Queensland Maroons 12-8 in the opening game of the 2014 State of Origin series, played at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane last night.

The Blues victory was a bit of a shock, with Queensland entering the match as the heavily backed favourites. However the underdogs drew important first blood in the series, while also winning away from home.

MORE ORIGIN:
>> Highlights, live blog and reaction
>> Full time report
>> State of Origin Game 1 player ratings
>> SMITHY: New Blues show discipline is the trick
>> Cheap Seats Podcast: Origin 1 special

It was NSW’s first Game 1 win at Suncorp since 2003, and with next game in Sydney, NSW have put themselves in a great position to finally end Queensland’s recent dominance.

Every State of Origin match always provides plenty to dissect, debate and discuss, and last night’s brutal encounter was no exception. Brett McKay and I covered many of the talking points in a Cheap Seats Origin special podcast, but below I review my five biggest talking points from Origin I.

1. The Blues halves
Entering the match, I was extremely worried that the NSW rookie halves pairing of Trent Hodkinson and Josh Reynolds may try to overplay their hand.

It was heavily publicised that the one area in which Queensland had a massive advantage over NSW was in the halves. The danger for the Bulldogs playmakers was that they would try to be something they’re not, and attempt to perform outside of their skillset.

Blues fans need not have worried, for Trent Hodkinson and Josh Reynolds played their roles almost to perfection.

Reynolds in particular was a pre-match concern, as he can be an emotional and over-confident player, which can lead to him attempting things he’s not really capable of. Instead, he was measured, mature and patient last night, and was the key man in NSW attacking – and exploiting – the right-hand side of the field.

Hodkinson was understandably nervous, as evidenced by his surprisingly erratic goal kicking – normally a strength of his game – but he was solid in defence, and did the job he was selected for by being reliable rather than spectacular at halfback.

The NSW halves didn’t have to be better than Queensland’s halves, they just needed to do their jobs. In the end, they ended up achieving both.

2. The refs gave Queensland every opportunity at the death
Perhaps it’s the bias Blues fan in me – Queenslanders will certainly let me know if that’s the case – but what the hell was going on in the final minutes? Was it just me, or did it seem like the referees were trying their hardest to give Queensland every opportunity to snatch a victory at the death?

Justin Hodges lost the ball, but the referees instead called time-off to attend to a Billy Slater injury in back-play. Greg Inglis was then allowed to play the ball, while Hodges was able to take up his normal position on the other side of the field.

Trent Hodkinson was called for a knock-on to a ball he didn’t play at, and which hit him the shoulder anyway.

Michael Jennings was penalised for stealing at the play-the-ball, even though Queensland just left the pill lying open.

Each time those crucial calls were made – or not made – it provided the eerie feeling of watching the same horror movie again, knowing the tragic and sad ending that NSW fans have seen it so many times before – Queensland were going to win in the final minute.

Thankfully for everyone, especially NSW and their fans, the Blues held on for the win, because if they hadn’t, all we would be talking about today would be those calls.

3. The right side was the right side for NSW
The Blues let one of their strategies be known early and often – they would attack down the right-hand side of the park, and target Johnathan Thurston in defence.

Said strategy paid off handsomely.

From NSW’s first set of six, their intent was clear.

Paul Gallen would take the ball to the line, and after a drawing in a number of defenders, would then off-load to either Josh Reynolds or a looping Jarryd Hayne. Hayne, along with Beau Scott (and Tony Williams when he came off the bench), would then target the Maroons left side of the field, particularly Thurston.

Thurston was made to do a lot of work on the fringes and dropped off a number of tackles, missing five in total. Not only did the strategy provide plenty of metres for the Blues, but it appeared to have an affect on Thurston’s attacking game, which lacked its usual flair and potency.

A brilliant strategy by the Blues, with kudos to Laurie Daley and his coaching staff for designing it, and to the NSW players for executing it.

4. It was rough and tough, and the referees allowed a lot to go on
It should be clear to everyone by now that punching simply won’t be accepted anymore in rugby league. While we can all appreciate why that is the case, it’s also just a fact that the physicality of rugby league, and in particular, State of Origin, is what makes the game so appealing to many.

So while it may be politically incorrect, it was nonetheless very pleasing to see the referees allow some non-punching acts of intensity to go on last night without heavy repercussions during the game.

We had Jarryd Hayne leading with the knees on Darius Boyd’s opening try. Josh Papalii hammering Paul Gallen in the back with a cheap shot, and Beau Scott mirroring the same play on Billy Slater late in the second half.

We had Nate Myles’ standard grubby stuff in the ruck, along with throwing Daniel Tupou’s loose boot towards the sidelines. Paul Gallen getting away with what looked like a head-butt in a gang tackle, and Josh Reynolds absolutely nailing Thurston a touch late.

Add in Justin Hodges elbowing a Blues defender in the head after being tackled, and all we see is one incident on report, with Beau Scott and Josh Reynolds in strife for an ugly tackle on Brent Tate, for which Reynolds has been charged with a grade two lift.

It was rough. It was tough. It was sometimes even a little bit dirty. And though I know I’ll cop some heat for admitting as such, I’ll be honest and say I absolutely loved it.

Sue me.

5. Don’t get ahead of yourself, Blues and their fans
NSW have put themselves in the driver’s seat by winning the first game, and winning it away from home. With the next match in Sydney, the series is now perfectly set-up for them to win, but they best not get too cocky and think the job is practically done.

This series is a long way from over.

The Blues must win the next game if they want to win the series. It would be a daunting task to go back to Brisbane and attempt to win a series decider in front of a parochial Queensland crowd, and a fired up Maroons team given a chance to win a ninth Origin series in a row.

If the Blues need proof as to why they shouldn’t get ahead of themselves, the following four points should provide the required evidence:

NSW were awesome last night, and Queensland were below their best. Yet the Maroons could have still easily won the game at the death.

The Maroons lost their halfback and lynchpin Cooper Cronk early in the match to a broken arm.

Though Daly Cherry-Evans is the best contingency plan you could possibly home for, Queensland struggled for cohesion when he entered the game, as it was clear that he was not chosen to play halfback. The Blues won’t have that luxury in Game 2, as DCE will train all week beforehand as the starting number seven for Sydney.

Queensland will have noticed how NSW used Jarryd Hayne, and will be reminded how beneficial it is to give your best attacking weapon as much ball as possible, in the best field position possible. In other words, Queensland should, and will, use Greg Inglis better in the second encounter of the series.

Game 2 just can’t come quick enough.

[roar_cat_gal]