Five talking points from State of Origin III

The Queensland Maroons have defeated the New South Wales Blues 32-8 in the third and final game of the 2014 State of Origin series, played last night at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

Though the series was decided in Sydney when the Blues won Game 2, the game had all the characteristics we’ve come to expect from Origin. It was fast-paced, it was intense, it was niggly and it was gripping.

Check out our NSW and Queensland player ratings from game 3

Those tuning into Origin for the first time certainly wouldn’t have felt as if the combatants had nothing to play for. Indeed, the passion and commitment from both states was on show all night.

Following are five talking points from last night’s epic encounter.

Just present the Origin Shield when a team wins the series
This isn’t something NSW have had to worry about for a very long time, so it’s only a topic of interest south of the border today, but the Origin Shield should be presented to a team’s captain as soon as they have won the series.

Can anyone seriously give me a reason why the presentation should be held off until after the third game, if the series has already been decided after two?

It felt extremely weird for Paul Gallen and his Blues teammates to be smiling and celebrating after just being annihilated by the Maroons. In fact, to say it was jarring would be an understatement.

If a team wins after two games, give them the Shield. If they win away from home in that match, and therefore want to celebrate in front of their home crowd after the third game, they can still do a lap of honour after game three. As they do anyway.

The problem with common sense is that it’s not very often. It’s time for rugby league to apply some on this topic.

Cooper Cronk is criminally underrated
The Melbourne halfback may not throw flashy flick passes. He may not have a signature left-foot step in his repertoire. He’s certainly not a massive proponent of the exciting chip ‘n’ chase. Instead he’s just a great player who forces one to use adjectives like ‘methodical’, ‘clinical’ and ‘precise’ when describing him.

He’s a sensational footballer.

For those that follow the NBA, he somewhat reminds me of Tim Duncan, in that his fundamentals are amazing, his professionalism inspiring, and his ability to consistently win games practically unrivalled.

Cronk will never be a Benji Marshall-type player that the media adores and young fans mimic in the playground. Instead he’s a pro’s pro who understands the game like few others, and has a tremendous impact on matches based on nuance, intelligence and tactical nous. Not to mention a hell of a lot of ability.

There is no question that the Maroons missed his presence in this series when he was injured, and the biggest benefactor last night was Greg Inglis, who finally got some opportunities in attack. Not a bad thing, considering how devastating a player GI can be.

I’ll stop short of saying Queensland would currently be riding a nine-year winning streak if Cronk was healthy for the entire series, but the Blues should definitely consider themselves lucky that he broke his arm.

How much should NSW read into this loss?
It’s a complex question to analyse, because the Blues objective was to win the series, and they achieved just that.

Watching them smile and celebrate after the game seemed to convey a sense that they didn’t care all that much about losing, and while I’m sure that’s not true, it also clouds the issue of how much they should read into this loss. After all, were they simply slightly below the intensity required to win Origin because the series was over? Or did we see the real NSW last night?

It’s a tough couple of questions to answer, and the truth is we’ll never really know.

However, the Blues could have easily lost this series 3-0, and I think it would be short-sighted, not to mentioning damaging, to not think about ways the team can improve and ensure they’re prepared for the Queensland response we all know is coming next year.

I therefore think the Blues should read a lot into this loss, because I think it highlighted the main issue this team has. Namely, that the attack isn’t quite up to Origin standard, even if their defense is sensational.

Trent Hodkinson and Josh Reynolds deserve a lot of credit for steering NSW to their first series victory in nine years, but their lack of creativity, direction and playmaking skills hurt the team at times during the series. I defy anyone to seriously suggest otherwise.

I’m not suggesting they should be dumped next year. That would display a horrendous lack of loyalty to a halves pairing that has helped NSW finally end the Maroon’s winning streak. But the Blues won’t win too many games against Queensland by looking like they’re playing 13 prop forwards on the park, just hitting up one-out.

It’s not panic stations; it’s merely food for thought – and improvement – for next year. The Blues need to score more points, and a lot of that responsibility is incumbent upon the halves.

Speaking to the refs
I’ll keep this short and sweet, which is the total opposite of how rugby league players communicate with referees these days.

Quite frankly, the way both sides talked to the refs last night was disgraceful.

Whether it was the constant badgering and whinging, or the disrespectful language and tone that was used, it was a horrible look for the game, and left a really bad taste in my mouth.

Refs should go back to calling players by their numbers, so as to not welcome a colloquial, matey-type conversation with players. While players should go back to showing the referees a lot more respect.

Last night was a disgrace.

Time for everyone to open their second eye
I seriously love this time of year. New South Wales and Queensland fans get so feral. So irrational. So biased. So one-eyed. And it’s nothing short of awesome. State of Origin is built on passion, and you could never argue that the players and fans on both sides of the border don’t display plenty of that during the Origin period.

However, now that the 2014 State of Origin period is in the rearview mirror, it’s time for some objective observations on players from both sides…

I have a serious man-crush on Cam Smith. I love him. He’s classy, articulate and a wonderful footballer. I would give my left arm for him to have been born in NSW.

I love Greg Bird for three games a year. For the rest of the season, I would drive by him if his car was broken down on the side of the road. His sledge on Gold Coast teammate Dave Taylor – which cannot be repeated here because we’re a family website – was hilarious, but also highlighted that it’s a lot safer to be on Bird’s team. He’s a nasty piece of work.

I’ve led the chorus for Greg Inglis to be given time at fullback for Queensland in order to better capitalise on his attacking prowess, but after watching Billy Slater play this series, you can understand why he retains the number 1 jersey for the Maroons. He was arguably Queensland’s best player across the three games. An absolute superstar.

Paul Gallen shouldn’t be NSW captain. I doubt he’s the most tactically astute player in the game, and if he’s in the influential position simply because he leads by example – in terms of effort – then he can do that just as easily without the (c) next to his name.

Corey Parker is like a fine wine, he just keeps getting better with age. However we may have to call the Queensland jumper red, because drinking a full-bodied Maroon doesn’t sound all that enticing.

Josh Dugan impressed the hell out of me this series. I always thought that, although talented, he was mental error waiting to happen. Yet he showed that he’s a lot more than just a freaky, x-factor type of player across the two games he was selected in. And though I questioned whether he’s a centre, I think he may actually have found his positional home.

Lastly, seriously Queensland, just give up on the Dave Taylor experiment. Now.

Well done to Queensland for bouncing back with a vengeance last night. Likewise, well done to NSW for winning the series and finally ending the Maroons winning streak.

Bring on 2015.