State of Origin 2017 Game 2 player ratings: New South Wales Blues

The New South Wales Blues have lost State of Origin 2017 Game 2 by two points and will now have to play a decider in Brisbane. This is The Roar‘s player ratings for the Blues.

State of Origin 2
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» Match report: Maroons steal Game 2 win to force a decider
» Watch all the Origin 2 highlights
» Why the State of Origin man of the match process is broken

See how the Queensland Maroons rated in Game 2 of the series.

1. James Tedesco – 7
Despite being taken out for 15 minutes with a HIA in the second half, Tedesco put in another starring performance for the Blues. His running and danger at the line was pivotal in putting the Blues in front early and he came up with some strong defensive plays. He finished with 151 metres and two try assists.

2. Brett Morris – 6
Morris put in a performance we have come to expect from him. It was solid both in defence and attack. He grabbed a try, and while he did miss a few tackles was solid for the most part.

3. Josh Dugan – 7
Dugan’s best moments came in the brief period when he was at fullback, making some brilliant runs off his own goal-line and stopping Cooper Cronk one-on-one in full flight. He also defended well in the centres and looked dangerous when he had his hand on the ball. Alongside Tedesco, the best of the Blues back seven.

4. Jarryd Hayne – 4.5
It was rocks or diamonds for Hayne. While he scored a pretty easy try in the first half, he also made some awful decisions including flicking a ball out of a tackle across the sideline on the third play. Add that to the errors he made, five missed tackles and a blown try, and you get why his rating won’t go any higher than unsatisfactory.

5. Blake Ferguson – 6
Like Game 1, Ferguson was good bringing the ball out of his own end. He made life easier on the Blues forwards with some big runs, always putting his hand up for the extra carry. He finished up with 128 metres.

6. James Maloney – 5
Maloney played a reasonable game, but lost control in the second half. The Blues played bad footy, and with halves partner Mitchell Pearce not standing up to take the responsibility required, some of that should have fallen on the shoulders of Maloney. He tried at various points, but didn’t get involved nearly enough. Add that to a couple of dumb – beyond dumb – penalties in the first half and it wasn’t his best night out.

7. Mitchell Pearce – 4
I’ll give credit where credit’s due – Pearce was decent in the first half. It wasn’t anything spectacular, but he did his job. The second half though – was Pearce even on the field? Well, he was, but everything he touched turned to rubbish. Game management was woeful, execution of plays not much better.

Does he get selected for Game 3? If there was a suitable replacement, I’d say no.

8. Aaron Woods – 6

9. Nathan Peats – 6.5
Peats’ service during the first half was again high quality. The best thing about Peats when he is playing well is that you don’t notice him – he is the quiet achiever, not standing on the forwards toes or getting in the way of the halves. As the Blues lost the plot in the second half he started making some runs, but all in all it was a solid performance from the hooker in his second Origin.

10. Andrew Fifita – 5
It wasn’t really through a fault of his own that Fifita had an ordinary game. He was swamped by the defence every time he got his hands on the ball and as such didn’t bend the advantage line once all night. He had no room to move and as such gave the Blues almost nothing in his 45 minutes.

11. Josh Jackson – 7
I didn’t think Jackson did anything seriously special – but it was a workmanlike performance and that, at the end of the day is exactly what the Blues needed. There was no doubt he was one of the best New South Wales players on field – the Australian selectors rated him the best on field – and while I wouldn’t go that far, he never stopped trying.

Jackson did everything with 110 per cent intensity and proved again why there will be no overlooking him in the Origin arena for years to come.

12. Boyd Cordner – 7.5
Cordner was one of the best on field for the Blues in a true captain’s knock. He played his card quietly, but I called his name plenty of times on the blog as having done a ‘solid run’ or ‘bending the line.’ He was dangerous and finished with 148 metres to show for it.

13. Tyson Frizell – 5.5
Frizell looked threatening with the ball in hand a couple of times and came close to scoring twice, but couldn’t force his way over. Solid without being spectacular.

14. David Klemmer – 8
What an effort from the bench it was from Klemmer. Fifita and Woods didn’t do a great deal in the first 20, but Klemmer put the Blues right on top with his hard-nosed running. He was impossible to stop, and like Fifita in the first game stood out. He finished with 173 metres from 16 runs.

15. Wade Graham – 4
This would have to be Graham’s worst performance in the Origin arena. His reading in defence was particularly bad, and he finished with six missed tackles. Some of his kicking game was good, but it was an uncharacteristic performance from the usually solid second rower.

16. Jake Trbojevic – 7
Like Klemmer, Trbojevic was brilliant at the back end of the first half and did plenty early in the second. He set up Tedesco for the try assist of Pearce, ran like his life depended on it and came up with some big hits in defence. He ended with 114 metres from 11 runs and 26 tackles.

17. Jack Bird – 5
Bird looks threatening with the ball in hand, but he is being utilised poorly in this Origin series. He isn’t getting a chance to do what he does best, playing limited minutes and seemingly having no role in the side when he does come on.

Total: 101/170

Roarers, what did you make of the Blues performance in Game 2? How did you rate the players? Drop a comment and let us know.