As Queensland continue to celebrate regaining the State of Origin shield after having their eight-year dynasty ended by New South Wales in 2014, the post-mortems have begun south of the Tweed as to where it all went terribly wrong.
The Maroons regained the Shield after handing the Blues a record 52-6 humiliation in the third and deciding game of the series at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night.
In doing so they achieved the largest winning margin in State of Origin history and sent veteran centre Justin Hodges out a winner, while at the same time proving that they are not yet a spent force as many feared they’d become after they had surrendered the series to the Blues last year.
However, one record they failed to break was the highest team score in a match, which the Blues can consider very lucky to keep as the Maroons fell one try short of at least equalling the southerners’ record of 56 in Game III of the 2000 series.
Now that the dust has settled on the State of Origin series for another year, it’s now time to carry out the post-mortem into the Blues’ failure to successfully defend their shield and find out where did it all go wrong.
Firstly, the Blues had players missing from last year’s squad for various reasons. Jarryd Hayne had left for the NFL, Greg Bird copped an eight-match suspension following a lifting tackle on Jason Nightingale in the Anzac Test match in May, and Paul Gallen and Robbie Farah missed Games I and III, respectively, due to injury.
These four were instrumental in the Blues’ Origin success last year, with only Bird missing the first game (he missed the whole series this year) due to suspension.
The absences of Gallen and Farah in Games I and III this year proved to be the difference as they lost by the narrowest and worst of margins, respectively. Gallen and Hayne also missed the decider in 2013, which they lost by two points, due to injury.
Farah’s replacement for the third game, Michael Ennis, put in a performance he would rather forget in what was his first appearance since the 2011 decider, and appears destined not to be selected again as long as Farah is still playing.
Secondly, the selection panel should never have left Josh Reynolds out of the side, irrespective of whether he and Trent Hodkinson were in good form for the Bulldogs at the time or not.
The pair were selected ahead of incumbents James Maloney and Mitchell Pearce last year after the latter got himself involved in an incident at a Kings Cross nightclub, landing himself in hot water with the Roosters in the process.
Coach Laurie Daley said at the time of the Pearce incident that he wanted a club halves combination in his side and Pearce’s omission from the side meant that Maloney also missed out, leaving him with no option but to pick the Bulldogs halves pairing of Reynolds and Hodkinson.
The pair made the most of their call-up and after an against-the-odds victory in Brisbane in the opening game, the pair were instrumental in delivering New South Wales their first Origin series victory in nine years with victory in the second game.
But with Reynolds having been suspended twice throughout the first half of this season, it was obvious that he would not have had enough game time to retain his place in the New South Wales starting side.
This was what led to coach Laurie Daley recalling Mitchell Pearce into the side, albeit in the unusual position of five-eighth with Trent Hodkinson retaining his role as halfback.
Since he last played Origin in 2013, Pearce featured in the Roosters’ premiership winning team that year and was, in tandem with James Maloney, instrumental in their late-season charge to consecutive minor premierships last season.
Daley said that his ability to bounce back from his omission from the side in 2014 was a key factor in selecting him for this year’s series. However, he again failed on the Origin stage, but does that necessarily mean we have seen the last of him?
Who knows what the answer to that question could be. Maybe yes, perhaps no. The Roosters halfback has had way too many chances in the past and the one just passed could have been the last of them.
Pearce, who along with Boyd Cordner and Michael Jennings have been backed by the Chooks as they charge towards the finals, is one of the few players whose Origin future hangs in the balance following Wednesday night’s record humiliation.
The likes of Will Hopoate, Ryan Hoffman, Trent Merrin and Cordner are all in the firing line, while Paul Gallen’s future remains unclear after his club coach Shane Flanagan inadvertently revealed that he may have played his last Origin game.
However, Gallen himself has reiterated that he has not made a decision on his Origin future as yet, and remains keen to lead his state again in 2016 as they seek to put this year’s series behind them.
The Blues will have the advantage of having two home games next year, with Games I and III to be played in Sydney, and Game II in Brisbane. That could provide the perfect platform for their State of Origin redemption in 2016.
With this year’s series done and dusted, it’s now time for the players to refocus on their club’s run to the finals, with almost every club except for the last-placed Wests Tigers in contention for a place in September.
Queensland’s Origin dominance this year is reflected at the top of the NRL ladder, with the Brisbane Broncos and North Queensland Cowboys occupying the top two places on the ladder.
The Sydney Roosters and St George Illawarra Dragons, who between them supplied six (seven if you include the Maroons’ Aidan Guerra) players for the Blues, are third and fourth respectively, with the Chooks shaping as NSW’s best hope of preventing a likely all-Queensland grand final.
The Dragons, Melbourne Storm, South Sydney Rabbitohs, New Zealand Warriors and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are all locked on 20 points, with defending premiers South Sydney to enjoy their bye this coming round.
And as mentioned before, the Wests Tigers are dead last on the ladder but will also enjoy their bye this weekend, leaving the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and Newcastle Knights last on the ladder entering their respective matches against the Gold Coast Titans and Canberra Raiders.
Going back on topic to finish off, who do you think should be named in the New South Wales side for Game I next year? Do you think Mitchell Pearce should get another chance next year? And will Paul Gallen play on next year?
Those are just some of the questions that will be asked as the Blues divulge their State of Origin series defeat.
Greenblooded
Guest
Yeah I can tell you...Austin was the best player for the Tigers by far, and he was from OF THE BENCH!!! He out performed all starting players and should have well and truly been picked over Moses. Yeah Moses will be a good player, but not yet. Austin is good now! I'm sure any Tigers fan would back me when I say "The Tigers should never have let Austin go"... If they kept Austin the Tigers would be still competing for the 8 and not battling to not get the spoon...Yeah the Tigers time will come but man, Austin is a gun and I'm confident that if Thurston wins the Dally M this year Austin will be in second place...Does that answer your question? Now I'm not saying he's better than Josh Reynolds...but he is on par, And I'm sure much more NSW fans would prefer an Blake Austin Adam Reynolds combo than a Reynolds Reynolds combo... If I'm wrong...speak up
DB
Guest
You could also take him out of the Roosters and the team would perform as well if not better.
watcher
Guest
What NSW needs to learn is consistency. Starting with selection. Changing your halves every year is not going to achieve that. Queensland keeps their halves year in and out. Unless a team has consistent selections it is difficult for new players to have that consistency of performance over a 3 match series. NSW needs to be honest about themselves. Blaming the referees for a 50 point loss is head in the sand stuff at best and total insanity at worst.
Ginger Meggs
Guest
After the hysterical tirades that swamped this site after the humiliation of the NSW team it was heartening to read a considered article and sensible comments acknowledging the many and varied NSW problems and putting forth reasonable ideas on how they might address these problems. The simplistic one size fits all i.e. "Big, Tough, 'n Dirty" solution applied by the current coaching and selection team has been as abysmal a failure as it has been unappealing to watch, and it surely has run it's race, as has the current coaching and selection team. Let's get a coach with some modern coaching experience and selectors to match, and pick a team on skills and form on the field. A fair bit of work for the NSWRL brains trust to get their heads around but let's make a start. Then blow me down out of the blue barnyard comes The Little Red Rooster and his pal Fairdinkum, clucking and scratching around through the entrails of this years series and season, and they come up with a much simpler solution. If we can just sign up the infallible Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost and the Pope to officiate as refs and linesmen for the next seasons series we can stay loyal to our current team and shoo it in, cause we are the good guys.
cecil
Guest
i hate to say it but NSW need Luke Lewis at lock and as captain not Gallen. Gallen off the bench at prop or start but not at lock, i know what the stats state but NSW need more then hit ups to win the game. With him on at lock and 2 props QLD laterall movemnt killed the blues in game 3 on the edges. Also please drop Pearce
Jamieson Murphy
Roar Guru
I don't think Bird was a major factor in the Blues' series loss. And despite Pearce performing well at club level, he has constantly failed to deliver in State of Origin. He has 4 try assists in 15 games, which is absolutely unacceptable. Pearce performs well at the Roosters, because the Roosters' game plan suits his style of play - you take him out of that Roosters' machine and he fails to fire.
Fairdinkum
Roar Rookie
Was also the ref in recent dogs v dragons game where he made 2 bad decisions at important times against the dragons which led to tries.His answer was if i had have penalised them i would have had some angry fans/players coming at me.What is he doing thinking about how the fans or players will react? Was also the ref in the Anzac day clash when he refused to go to the video after the dragons pleaded for a Farrell try & replays showed he scored.His answer oops i got it wrong.He seems to get plenty wrong god help the grand final because he will be the ref.
Gappy
Guest
Can someone tell me what Blake Austin did last year???? The team should be this I wrote it before game one Dugan Morris Morris Jennings Moylan/Tupou Reynolds Reynolds Woods Farah Tolman Lewis Bird Gallen Jackson Cordner Fifita Klemmer This is a strong team Adam Reynolds is and can be as good as Cronk one day Morris twins need to be on one side together Josh Reynolds has done it before and can do it again The pack is big strong and experienced Moylan and Dugan can switch it mix things up Would like to hear what people think
Little Red Rooster
Guest
I suppose it's simple when you are dealing with simpletons ie the majority of this site. But just ask yourself a few questions people.. Is qld a 50 point better side than nsw? When you are at home watching the game on TV with qld fans going berserk for a poor ten penalty when you don't have an overhead cam, can we be sure that the ref isn't just yielding to the crowd as ennis said? Why was Sutton the ref when he was the official when the McKinnon tackle was made? Also Sutton was the ref for that forgettable Souths v dogs game and the Adam Reynolds tackle? Again, is qld a 50 point better side? I don't think so.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
"Declare EVERY position vacant..." That sums up a lot, me thinks.
Doug Graves
Guest
@Brett Here, here! Also drop Hopoate and see if Phil Gould will come out of retirement.
Jackson Henry
Roar Guru
For mine: - Adam Reynolds, Aidan Sezer, James Roberts and Paul Vaughn are must haves. 3 out of these 4 won't be looked at tho, as they don't play for Sydney teams. - Luke Lewis is starting lock and starting captain, despite being a thowzand years old. Should have been the case this year, obviously. - Fulton gone. The common denominator in the 9/10. Won't happen tho. Too many mate who'll destroy anyone who criticises him with their big microphones. - Scott, Woods and Tamou gone, with the first two being absolute myths. It hurts to say that about Tamou, as he's been a perennial personal favourite...but he's had his go. - Ryan James and Tariq Sims - this is your opportunity. At least on the bench. Big hitters who are mobile. - Snake, if he's healthy, at the back. A bit small, but a good playmaker with experience in the middle with Lewis. Dugan at right wing where his big body comes in handy, but he doesn't have to pass or think. Even Aubusson could be considered at RC alongside Dugan. - Klemmer gets another chance after getting schooled by Parker. One game a champion does not make. Pull your head and learn something Klem. - Mental toughness. Not thuggery. Not grubbiness. Stay focused on spite of bad calls and things outside your control. This has been NSW biggest weakness and players like Gallen, Bird, Ennis and Scott need to call it a day. Plus, that us not what NSW stands for. Their behavior is not consistent with our core values. - Daley stays. Done more for the Blues than any of his predecessors have. My two cents.
Leaguecoach101
Guest
It seems pretty simple. NSW Forwards were literally running backwards. I watched a couple of sets in that game where the ball didn't even cross the advantage line through four tackles in a row. That is pathetic for a State side. The defense was obviously completely ordinary. As much as Mitchell Pearce seems like a nice guy and is a good club halfback he was exposed on Wednesday night. Look at his missed tackle stats. I think the team needs a complete clean out. Now is the time to do it. Loyalty is an easy word to throw around when you have the Australian Test Team in your State side. For NSW it's time to rebuild and go into next years game with some genuine attacking players. The last time we had attacking halves in Origin was when Joey Johns was playing. That's a decade ago. Declare EVERY position vacant. Including the Captaincy. If the players want it then prove why they should get it. Based on current form I would say Dugan, Jennings and Brett Morris are pretty safe. Klemmer will be in the side again but let's get rid of this ridiculous hype based on one performance in one game. Woods too seems safe. Both halves should go. Sorry but it's become painfully obvious that the one half who enabled us to win Origin last year was Cooper Cronk - by having a broken arm and not playing. Off the top of my head I'd see Blake Austin, Dylan Walker, James Roberts and Adam Reynolds in that side. Alex Johnson too if there's a wing position available. I'd like to see a hooker step up and prove himself defensively between now and next origin season too.
JohnnoMcJohnno
Roar Rookie
Hi Dr Yes. I am totally with you on this. I saw very little evidence of the blues playing as a team. No slick backline moves, no forwards playing as a pack, people getting in the wrong position (eg Farah in game 1, Hopoate all series). The points mostly come from individual efforts (morris, duges game 1, jennings games 2 & 3). You can argue that last year was the same with Hayes being the individual. Unfortunately I can't see the situation changing any time soon. Not only are Queensland a far more settled side, but I have seen no indication that Daley knows how to coach a structured performance. He can motivate, he can enthuse, he can get them feeling confident but that means nothing when the other side turns up playing committed team footy.
turbodewd
Guest
umm...Dr Yes...the NSW forwards didnt allow in the tries. The backline allowed them all in...and mainly on Pearce's side. NSW lost due to continual dumb penalties or poor ball security combined with woeful goal line defence on the edges - not thru the ruck where the fowards were. Alas the fowards were responsible for all the dumb penalties - Woods 2, Merrin, Scott - these immediately jump to mind. And Klemmer managed to lose the ball twice, including 2nd tackle of the 2nd half. I just read that Daley thinks the whole squad will retain their spots next year! What a joke!
Dr Yes
Guest
Trade Rage = never a good idea. Take a deep breath. Analyse what Qld and NSW did. Work out changes in playing style and tactics. As a last step, adjust the team based on defense, size, toughness, endurance, experience, skill and form. For me, what stood out by a mile was that teamplay was the star. Thurston, Inglis, Parker, Scott, Thaiday, Papalli, Chambers, Hodges had v big games, but team performance brought it to a whole higher level. Qld didn't just defend strongly as individuals, they swarmed. The fed on attackers in numbers, each tackle a small frenzy. They didn't stand tall, hold the attacker and dance them slowly to the ground. They bent their backs and drove shoulders to midriff and directly at the ball. They applied pressure to force errors. They applied the same approach in attack. Each runner had a man running a few metres back in support, sometimes on both sides. Each chance at offload had a man standing in prime position to receive. Each half gap was further opened by high speed decoy lines serving to pry it. An alert runner chimed in late at the gap and the ball player chose them correctly. They formed combos, they worked two and three phases, they picked the points in the defensive line to attack, especially after defenders were enaged and not yet back. They leveraged completed sets and tries scored to earn more sets after sets. NSW didn't do these things. Forwards were v disappointing. Didn't get numbers into tackles and attack with defence. Defensive line moved up too slowly. Qld props and backrowers (and Inglis) ran at NSW halves and fullback, with no NSW forwards near. Didn't appreciate the quality of some Qld tackles and attempted risky offloads & lost the ball. Support players pushed too far forward, meaning they couldn't be used without forward passes. Or they hung back for the next play. Didn't have men running multiple angles and lines, but rather just strung out across the field for 1 or 3 chain passes before hitting the line, meaning Qld could comfortably move acrossfield and swarm. After making many tackles, on rare couple of occasions where they had attacking chances, didn't leverage, probably due to premeditated choices, rather than playing to opportunities. Didn't put bodies on the line to attack loose balls and half chances, which Qld did. Big challenges for NSW. But the 1 point from game 1 ranks equally with the 50 points from game 3. And most changes apply no matter the team choice. As in game 2, they must 'play footy'. But must use numbers in defence & attack, use the shoulder, commit the body, attack the ball, support the runner, always work off the ball, force errors and play a territorial game. And next year choose the best team to do that, without jumping to introduce artificial panic rules on who can be picked.
turbodewd
Guest
Who said he is replacing Scott? I merely said the 2 Blakes are certainties to wear Blue and i name Scott and Pearce as definites to go.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
The first 3 have too many friends in the media, so no blowtorch will be applied. Fulton is the common denominator over the past decade. Daley has no coaching experience, and Newcastle have dodged a bullet with him knocking them back. Gallen has not done anything since "you know when"
no one in particular
Roar Guru
How does Ferguson replace Scott?
Freighter
Guest
I kinda see it like wallabies v all blacks... If AB are on, we won't win- if they are on and wallabies are off, then big scores can happen. You have to do everything right- chance your arm and hope they are slightly off their game. I agree- changes have to be made- NSw need to be hitting their straps with their best team in 2 years. Blood some newbies