- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
The decider is over. New South Wales have slumped to their 11th series defeat in 12 years and there are some serious questions to be asked.
Without further ado, here are The Roar‘s NSW Blues player ratings for Game 3.
More Origin 3 coverage:
» GORE: Hang your heads in shame, NSW
» Liebke Ratings: State of Origin Game 3
» ELDRIDGE: Queensland own us, now and forever
»NSW Blues Player Ratings
» Queensland Maroons Player Ratings
» Game 3 match report: Maroons keep their dynasty alive
» Five talking points from Origin Game 3
» WATCH: Highlights from Origin Game 3
» How it happened: Re-live Game 3 with our live blog
1. James Tedesco: 7
It was another strong performance from Tedesco, and he was among the Blues’ best. He barely made a mistake in defence, although he did drop one high ball under pressure. His running game was strong and in a losing side, his attack was solid.
2. Brett Morris: 5.5
Morris didn’t stand out, but he didn’t do anything wrong. He made 82 metres from 10 runs and he was always willing to get involved.
3. Josh Dugan: 6
He scored the Blues’ only try and made some strong runs in the second half. Unfortunately, errors ruined some attacking raids in the first period and it’s impossible to score Dugan any higher.
4. Jarryd Hayne: 4.5
Hayne just didn’t have an opportunity to do anything special. He had some decent runs and, for the most part, cut the errors out of his game. But his defensive positioning was very poor.
5. Blake Ferguson: 5
Ferguson was really solid in the first two games, but he wasn’t as good in Game 3. He still ran for more than 100 metres, but missing three tackles takes him down.
6. James Maloney: 4.5
Yes, he assisted the only Blues try and saved another at the back end of the first half, but he was woeful otherwise. For the third game in a row, Maloney let a struggling Mitchell Pearce do the majority of the kicking, and missing nine tackles isn’t good enough.
The two plays which summed up his night were a telegraphed inside ball that you could see before the play even started, and a kick out on the full.
7. Mitchell Pearce: 3.5
Some will agree, some will disagree – Pearce is not up to Origin level. Every kick he took went down the throat of the back three and he failed to run the ball. When the Blues did get a chance to attack, his game was frantic and poorly judged and he didn’t do any better in defence, missing eight tackles.
Surely, this is the end of his Origin career. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
8. Aaron Woods: 4.5
Woods was better than his front row partner, but not by much. Offloads bailed him out of trouble in the first two games, but not this time, and it showed in his running game. He has a tendency to amble into tackles, and that was on full display during the decider.
It’s no small surprise the Blues lost a lot of momentum when he replaced David Klemmer in the second half.
9. Nathan Peats: 5.5
Forty tackles is something to note for Peats, who again played the whole 80 minutes. Unfortunately, he only ran the ball once for three metres, which was a problem for the Blues. Of course, it’s not all his fault, being a hooker in a losing side isn’t much fun.
10. Andrew Fifita: 4
Queensland have done an awesome job in the last two games in shutting Fifita down. He only made 63 metres in 10 runs during the decider, and there is only one run I can recall where he actually got to the advantage line.
11. Josh Jackson: 5.5
Jackson’s efforts on defence are always admirable, and again he didn’t miss a tacke in Game 3. Unfortunately, seven runs for 45 metres doesn’t really cut it.
12. Boyd Cordner: 5.5
I’m not sure he should have played. He lasted the 80 minutes but looked tired at different points of the match. Four missed tackles is uncharacteristic for Cordner, and despite making nearly 150 metres he offered little in attack or the way of leadership for a Blues team that appeared rudderless.
13. Tyson Frizell: 4.5
Frizell’s influence has really diminished this series. He touched the ball just five times, but you could remember each run because they were all strong. He was good in defence, but if you are going to play Origin as a starting lock, five runs isn’t good enough.
14. David Klemmer: 8
Klemmer was the Blues’ best on ground. He came off the bench and cleared the advantage line more often than not. He finished with 173 metres from 17 runs, also adding 24 tackles in just 48 minutes. It’s no shock the Blues were at their best when Klemmer was on the field early in the second half and at the back end of the first.
15. Wade Graham: 5
Graham has had an ordinary series, to say the least. Game 3 was his best, but it still wasn’t great. He made 81 metres from eight runs, but missed a tackle and didn’t offer a great deal.
16. Jake Trbojevic: 7
It’s been a splendid debut series for the Manly lock. Even in his worst game of the series (if you could call it that), he made 130 metres, 19 tackles and looked dangerous with the ball at different times.
17. Jack Bird: 4.5
Laurie Daley continues to use his utility incorrectly. Bird came on a little earlier in the second half, but still seemed confused in his role and as a result offered nothing. He made just 21 metres from three runs.
Total: 92/170
Roarers, what did you make of the Blues’ performance in Game 3? How would you have rated them? Drop a comment and let us know.