I was one of those who wrote the Blues off before Origin 1, believing Queensland’s experience and home ground advantage would be enough to get them over the line.
Instead, the Blues produced one of their best defensive performances in recent memory to force me to eat my words. I’m happy to say I was wrong and I can’t see the Blues losing now that they have the momentum.
State of Origin 2 coverage
» Match report: Maroons win to force series decider
» Five talking points from Queensland’s last-gasp win
» Check out all the highlights from the thrilling Game 2
» WATCH: Andrew Johns unleashes a furious rant about the Blues’ woeful second half
Andrew Fifita has always had flashes of brilliance, but the way he consistently produced through the entire 80 minutes in Game 1 probably even surprised himself.
His man-of-the-match performance was inspiring and had the Maroons constantly on the back foot.
Mitchell Pearce had all the pressure on his shoulders before the game but his teammates were able to step up and take some of that burden off him.
As a result, the victors have been able to stick with the same team and we’ve seen very little focus on Pearce ahead of Game 2, while Queensland inevitably had to make changes.
With the Blues halves combination getting the job done, the microscope has been on Queensland and that’s why we’ve had all this talk about Tim Glasby.
It’s been quite strange to see Queensland’s tactics and selections so heavily criticised. It was something that was basically non-existent in their decade of dominance.
No doubt Johnathan Thurston will make a big difference to the Maroons attack and Billy Slater should also at fullback. However, it won’t be enough to overturn the psychological advantage New South Wales now holds.
As Tim Gore mentioned in his stats preview yesterday, the Blues did have their fair share of missed tackles in Game 1 and the try-saving exploits perhaps overshadowed this.
However, it’s all about where you make the missed tackles on the field.
Just like unforced errors versus winners in tennis, if you are making significantly more tackles than you’re missing as a player then the result will tend to go your way (see Josh Dugan).
We always say Origin will be close, but it’s even more of a trend at ANZ Stadium.
None of the Blues victories at the ground in the past decade have been by more than ten points.
The chances of another dominant New South Wales win seem remote and when it comes down to that desperation to win I can see Queensland pushing the passes to try and force a result and coming up short.
If the Blues forward pack can chew up the metres like they did in Game 1, it will reduce the impact of Queensland’s backs and they’ll grind out the win through a war of attrition.
Territory will be everything. The one per centres will be everything.
Debutant Coen Hess will have a huge responsibility to make an impact off the bench for the Maroons.
How the four Queensland debutants handle the big stage will be fascinating and will make or break the boys north of the border. The Maroons do have a nice mix of experience and youth now but it’s going to be hard to stop the Blues freight train at home.
Speaking of transport, the Hayne plane proved once again how he steps up for the big matches. Expect another moment of brilliance to open up the game.
Aside from the fact it’s a must-win game, the pressure on Queensland feels greater than ever this time around. When you suffer your biggest loss at home that’s bound to happen.
This Queensland side hasn’t had a chance to gel properly with Thurston’s injury concerns, Billy Slater being left out and the other new guys coming in.
It could take 20 minutes for the wheels to start turning on these new combinations and by that time New South Wales will have enough confidence in their own gameplan to finish the job and the series.
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