State of Origin Game 1 was a stunning display from both sides.
Queensland burst out of the blocks with the kind of class you would expect from a champion side. The ease of Darius Boyd’s opening try sent a very familiar shiver down the spines of Blues supporters everywhere.
The Blues went on to dominate the middle part of the contest before Queensland threw everything they had left at the Blues line. I was very relieved the Blues were able to withstand this barrage to go on and win the contest 12-8.
That relief because of one glaring selection blunder that almost cost the Blues the game.
Injuries to Boyd Cordner and Greg Bird forced Laurie Daley to turn toward Beau Scott to line-up for his sixth appearance in the sky blue. Scott again proved he is not Origin class.
Known as a ‘defensive specialist built for Origin’, Scott once again failed to live up to the title. In the wake of Game 1, I have read four or five different player ratings and it appears Scott had a great game. He received no less then 7 in every report.
Was I watching a different game?
The rose-coloured glasses of victory have skewed an otherwise woeful display from Scott. Maybe it was his part in the Billy Slater tackle after the bell that secured him this undeserved praise.
In the first three minutes he was left clutching as Chris McQueen blew past him, leading to Boyd’s opening try in the next set. He then outshone himself once again when he was left clutching at air as Billy Slater broke the line inside the Maroons 30.
He then dragged Brent Tate into a dangerous position along with Josh Reynolds, who received the blame for lifting. The video shows Reynolds lifting Tate followed by Scott dragging him beyond the horizontal and slamming him down, Reynolds releasing Tate’s legs allowing him to land on his back.
He also added a third line-break assist for the Maroons after he failed to bring Greg Inglis to the ground, allowing him to charge into the Blues half. This error allowed the Maroons to apply the blowtorch until the final siren.
You may have guessed that I am not a Beau Scott fan. He has given me sufficient reason over the years to think this way. I still remember the gaping hole he left for Justin Hodges to stroll through in Game 3, 2012. We may have all cried obstruction, but Scott was never in a position to get close to Hodges.
In six games for the Blues, Scott has averaged 69 minutes per game. In that time he has never crossed the line for a try, never broke the line, never assisted a single try or line break.
He has not completed a single offload in any of his four games as a starting back rower and could only average 63 meagre metres per game. He averages more minutes than metres. Yes, I know he is a ‘defensive specialist’, but has he lived up to title?
In six Origin starts he has made 152 tackles with 19 misses at 88%. This percentage is average, on par with Lewis, Bird and Hoffman, who all offer significantly more in attack.
When compared to Trent Merrin and Paul Gallen, who have defended at 96 and 93% at this level respectively, there is no option left but to question his place. If he is no better then average, why do we persist with this ‘defensive specialist’ title?
Scott was initially selected in 2010 to stop Inglis. This was an immense failure as GI broke 13 tackles in two games, scored a try and averaged over 100 metres. Scott was 82% effective in these two games, as apposed to Josh Morris, who defends at 92% when matched against Inglis.
It must be the quality of his work, how hard he hits? This ‘quality’ led to three Queensland line breaks and Scott racked up a Blues game-high of four missed tackles, equal with Ryan Hoffman.
Laurie Daley needs to watch the replay a few times before considering Scott for Game 2. He has promised a starting spot to Greg Bird, so let’s hope it’s a straight swap with Scott.
Knight Vision
Guest
agreed
Dr Yes
Guest
When I read the heading, thought you must 've copped a J Reynolds tackle and were in Disneyland. I came away from the game thinking Scott played a good one. But checked the stats and they didn't look too good - 20% missed tackles for both NSW wide second rowers is too many and would normally result in nasty consequences. But worse, checked the video and there were 3 very clear cases where Slater ran right by Scott, easily outdoing him for pace, leading to metres or big danger. That's a real worry, and you could expect Qld to build plays around that one fact and amplify the problem. On the plus side, he played tough and saved 2 tries. He also made a late shot on Slater with 10 or 15 to go, straight into the shoulder with Slater not expecting - that clearly damaged his AC joint and really should've been a penalty. So overall, agreed - a bit of a worry. Am convinced Scott wouldn't fit as right centre, and maybe should go to the bench. NSW need a fast right centre with quality defence, who won't be outflanked or wrong-footed, plus a tough defensive right second rower. Maybe Hoppa plus Bird on the right?
Craig
Guest
Interesting conversation. A mate of mine called for Scott to be MOTM until I reminded him of the 2 early missed tackles. Rocks and diamonds performance' however for mine deserves to be there for game 2
Conor Hickey
Roar Pro
Yeah I can't go back and watch those because they aren't included in any of the highlights packages, so I'll have to take your word for it. i suppose in a nutshell my point is that he didn't have a brilliant game, but he certainly didn't have the pitiful excuse of a game you are claiming he did either. Gus Gould said in a column the week before the game a try saved in Origin is better than a try scored, and by my count Scott had at least one try saver, and probably a few more with how much time was spent on NSW's line at the end.
Shane Bell
Roar Rookie
Fair enough on Gallen and Merrin I conceded that point earlier. You have only addressed one of the line breaks against Scott's name the other two Slater and Inglis ran straight through him. They are indeed wonderful players but he is their for his defence. He also did not, as far as I observed take a single run in the second half. We desperately needed people to work out of our half and he never put his hand up. The Slater tackle has been mentioned allot, but if you look why we were in our end of the field, it was due to Inglis running over him in the previous set. He neutralised a situation he caused.
Knightblues
Roar Guru
Might as well leave him in, he will go even better at Sydney with the crowd behind him, he doesn't just tackle players he trys to annialate them, he brings that x factor in defence that has players looking nervously over their shoulders, he is a tackling machine.
w3b3d1g1
Guest
Scott is an origin player and should continue to be selected..
Jackson Henry
Guest
I never once thought I would see references to Carthage and Rome on a Rugby League opinion site. Absolutely fantastic stuff, for what it's worth.
Scrubbit
Guest
"An uncountable number of try saving tackles" 2. He made 2 try saving tackles.
Gristy
Guest
Definitely personal axe to grind, should never have been allowed to post this crap. Scott is one player the toads fear and he had good game, Can't believe I responded to this crap
Conor Hickey
Roar Pro
I think you were watching another game. I'll give you that missed tackle in the first few minutes, he got caught out by the change of direction, but then again the next guy inside him, James Tamou, was forced to run around Matt Scott who had run the block line, he wasn't obstructed because Scott clearly wasn't participating but the fact M. Scott was in the way made Tamou late, and aided in McQueen's line break, by creating a massive hole Scott could not hope to defend by himself. He was probably a bit late in sliding to help save that first try but then again he has to respect the guy running the fake. Trent Merrin made a defensive misread, hitting Thurston late, to allow the second try. Scott actually was the first person to make the last tackle on Slater. I'd say he had a pretty good game, and you also have to remember that Queensland is a very good team, and against good teams mistakes will be made. Also Gallen and Merrin play in the middle of the field, they tackle the big guys, and have more help on either side. Scott lines up third from the sideline, and has to move laterally more often and cover wider gaps and faster players, so while your stats may be right, they don't take into account the different roles they play.
Gappy
Guest
Stop picking Willie Mason he is useless
Matthew Buxton
Roar Pro
Agreed. Within 5 minutes he lets mcqueen and slater through, and then i think the other was GI a bit later. In saying that he did make up for it at the end with his defensive effort, nothing short of spectacular. Everyones arguing that he either was amazing or terrible, well in defensive terms he was a bit of everything
Shane Bell
Roar Rookie
Thank you for replying max. I do not claim to be an expert myself. I do this further my understanding of the game and engage with experienced Rugby League fans like yourself. If my reply to you was passive aggressive, I apologise, you had me slightly on the back foot with the "get your eyes checked" remark. So much so I watched the game again. I do not question Beau Scott's effort, he certainly puts in. I question his output and positioning in defence. I am not married to my opinion and am happy to change if proven wrong, but after I watched the game again I am still of the opinion a Scott had us in trouble with a number of errors. Especially the Inglis miss in the dying minutes. This allowed the Maroons to camp in our end for the remainder of the game. He also failed to take a single run in the second half. We desperately needed to work out of our end in this period. The Slater tackle at the end was simply what he owed the team after a number of crucial errors. Sorry about the loss of Josh Morris he was spectacular. Cheers Max
MAX
Guest
Shane, You gave Beau an unmerciful bucketing which I considered over the top. Beau gave everything to the point of total exhaustion. IMO he saved the day for NSW. Statistics though important are academic, courage is the most admirable of human qualities. For your edification I am 78 yo. I saw my first game of Rugby League in '45 and have been smitten ever since. I make no claim to being an expert but without the Beau's we would not have a game. I respect their effort(s) Incidentally, I am a Canterbury man and so pleased that our quartet delivered. The injury to Josh is the cause of much angst in our home.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
Last year Cordner and Lewis between them let through 5 on that side in game 3 and did pretty much no damage offensively. Regardless, I don't think there was a better game 1 pick available than Scott -- with Bird back for game 2 it might be different (though I think that's very injury dependent and Bird is probably more suited to left edge or loose forward).
Shane Bell
Roar Rookie
Watch the game again. Watch Scott in particular and tell me that again with a straight face.
Shane Bell
Roar Rookie
I just finished watching the game again. If I got anything out of it, it's even more criticism for Scott. In the first half he did miss two tackles that directly led to line breaks, the commentators and the replay confirmed Scotts heavy involvement in the Tate tackle. Scott's involvement is what saved Reynolds at the judiciary. In the second half he joined the game at the 60th minute following Boyd's second Try. NSW spent the vast majority of what remained of the game camped in our own half. I did not see Scott take a single run in the second half. Not a single run. Every other forward got in there for a gallop. With less then 5 minutes to go we had Queensland in their own half trying to close out the game, when Inglis ran over Scott and ran deep into our half, Queensland then forced a repeat and attacked our line to the death. The only good thing Scott did well was the Slater tackle after the bell. Let's face it he owed us that tackle.
maximus182
Roar Guru
Even Greg Bird would have missed some of them tackles. With Thurstoon, GI, Slater, and Boyd running at you, your going to get it wrong some of the time... Importantly he made 2 crucial match-saving tackles in the high-pressure finish. Don't be so critical.
maximus182
Roar Guru
Scott gone for Bird? Big call... How about Bird in for T-rex or Merrin drops off the bench. Scott has that origin make-up.