The moment that showed the Blues are still a work in progress

If you had been living under a rock for the past 12 months, watching the opening match of this year’s State of Origin you’d have thought that the Maroons were gunning for 10 series wins in succession this year.

Such was their tremendous intensity, guile and resilience in almost every facet of their gameplay, Queensland still looked the most dominant side in the annual interstate fixture, and by some stretch.

So are the Blues really entering a new era? The answer, almost certainly, would have to be no – at least, not yet.

Full State of Origin 1 wrap:
>> ORIGIN 1 MATCH REPORT
>> FULL ORIGIN RESULTS
>> Live blog and highlights
>> Cameron Smith given man of the match
>> The Roar’s Origin 1 player ratings: Queensland
>> The Roar’s Origin 1 player ratings: New South Wales

While the Maroons look like a well-oiled machine, a team united by experience and passion. At times the Blues look a rabble, 17 unfamiliar players, picked at random, told to go out and play the game of their lives.

Each year, while the New South Wales media and officials pontificate over who will take the reins in the Blues halves, or who will lead the team up front, Queensland coach Mal Meninga is likely putting the finishing touches on his game plans, devised for a team picked well in advance.

It’s been this way since the dying minutes of Game 3 of 2006, when Darren Lockyer pounced on a stray Brett Hodgson pass to win the match, and the series, for his beloved Maroons. It’s been that way since 2010, when Queensland put New South Wales to the sword, winning all three games in arguably the most dominant series performance of the much celebrated eight-year streak.

But you know this. You’ve seen it, time and again, when the Maroons conjure up a miracle play, seemingly out of thin air, to break Blue hearts.

This year, however, was supposed to be different.

Coming off one of the most famous series wins in their history, the Blues approached this match with renewed energy and vigour. Leading into the match, there was plenty of talk about the much-improved culture implemented by coach Laurie Daley; finally, it seemed, New South Welshman could lay claim to having as much passion for State of Origin as their northern rivals.

As defending champions, the Blues finally had proof that they had what it took to usurp one of the greatest dynasties in modern sport.

Yet for all the talk of a new Blues dynasty, the story was the same at the end of Game 1 last night; Queensland 11, New South Wales 10. Enough to make even the most ardent Blues supporter forget about last year.

What is even worse about this result, at least for the defending champions, was that the final scoreline did not reflect just how out of sorts they looked. At almost every turn, at least in the second half of the game, the Blues appeared clueless, fumbling through their sets, without any true game plan.

Even when they led 10-6, they found themselves outclassed by a much more composed Queensland team, a team which had been through all this before. To NSW’s credit, their defensive line held firm against wave after wave of Maroon attack, until finally they just couldn’t hold together anymore.

Perhaps the most symbolic moment of the night came around the 75th minute. It’s the last tackle, and New South Wales need just a point to even the scores, after which golden point would almost certainly follow, whereupon both teams would be on level ground once again.

In the glory days of yore, such a play would be a foregone conclusion; the likes of Andrew Johns, Brad Fittler and even Jarryd Hayne thrived in these kinds of situations. In their halves, the Blues have two experienced field-goal components in Mitchell Pearce and Trent Hodkinson. So who do they pass it to? Josh Dugan.

Dugan steps and weaves his way around oncoming defence, before rushing a field-goal attempt, which waves away to the right. While the Maroons can score from the most complex of set pieces, the Blues couldn’t even pass it to the right man on the last tackle.

Of course, there is still hope for NSW. They showed enough promise to suggest they could still be a competitive force in this year’s series. However promise doesn’t always bring results – the Blues have shown it for the last nine years for only one series win.

And even though their one victory came just last year, last night they showed just how much work they have left to do, because they still passed it to the wrong man when it mattered most.