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Greg Inglis: Handy footballer, but not captaincy material

7th June, 2018
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Maroons look dejected. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
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7th June, 2018
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A lot of people are talking about how well Greg Inglis played in State of Origin, rabbiting on about what an inspirational captain he was.

Really?

In the first Origin match of 2018, Queensland looked rudderless at times, which I haven’t seen for years.

And in pressure moments, Inglis let himself and the Queensland side down.

For example, in the 26th minute, when his team were down 8-nil and needed to find inspiration, Inglis decided to stand way offside to belt Tom Trbojevic with a cheap shot. Trbojevic got up straight away, mind you, and he went on to have a terrific game. But how was that hit inspirational?

Inglis not only gave away a penalty at a time when Queensland could least afford it, but showed the sort of ill-discipline that loses Origin contests. It was a lazy, premeditated tackle that put his team on the back foot and seriously under the pump defending their goal-line. They managed to dodge a bullet a few minutes later, when Valentine Holmes scored an intercept try, but it had nothing to do with any inspirational play from Inglis.

NSW was one pass away from being up 14-nil, and Holmes took a huge risk to go for the intercept.

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In the second half, Inglis put another big shot on a bloke half his size when he smashed Nathan Cleary.

Again, It was high and I thought he was offside. But Cleary got up, dusted himself off, and played the ball quickly to get his side on a roll with the next play.

Basically, Cleary said to Inglis and the rest of the Queensland team, “Is that the best you’ve got?”

If the Queensland captain and his mate Will Chambers (who likes to use his knees when he runs and tackles) really want to know how to tackle, they should look at the replay of how Cleary nailed Inglis on the NSW tryline when the Maroons skipper looked certain to score in the second half. Now that was inspirational!

Then there’s the Trobjevic try. Remember how Trobjevic scored when he leapt into the air and plucked the ball out of Holmes’ hands? Take a look at the replay: Queensland’s captain was standing there, motionless. He didn’t attempt to block Trobjevic’s run, or even go for the ball when the kick came down.

I’ve lost track of how many times Greg Inglis has completely destroyed NSW, but Wednesday night wasn’t one of them.

If anything, it highlighted the fact that Inglis is probably not the right bloke to lead Queensland.

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