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The New South Wales Blues have won the 2018 State of Origin series in straight sets, getting the better of the Queensland Maroons by four points at ANZ Stadium. Here are the player ratings from their victory.
More State of Origin 2:
» Match report: Blues win game 2, series
» Nine talking points from Origin 2
» WATCH: Video highlights from Origin 2
» Re-live the match with our live blog
1. James Tedesco – 8
I’m about to say Tedesco had his worst Origin game. And it was still excellent. He was among the Blues’ best, created plenty of chances and threatened the Queensland line all night. He was absolutely made for this arena and if this series has confirmed anything, it’s that he is the Blues long-term option in the No.1 jersey.
2. Tom Trbojevic – 7
The winger wasn’t quite as amazing as he was in Game 1, but then, that’s probably because Queensland learnt a thing or two about what happens when you relentlessly bomb Tom Trbojevic’s corner. He looked like a star in Game 1.
Of course, he still had a very good game last night as well. He made lots of strong runs and was never afraid of doing the hard yards. Defensively very sound as well.
3. Latrell Mitchell – 6.5
I fully expect to be called out for this one, but I don’t care. Mitchell didn’t have a great game despite some of his better moments. The positives were there, with the Roosters centre scoring a try and being dangerous in his ball running at times. He also came up with some good defensive plays, but the fragility of his game came to show throughout.
With anyone other than a misfiring Ben Hunt on the other side, there is every chance Mitchell’s mistakes in defence, as well as a crazy flick pass on tackle zero might have come back to haunt them. They didn’t and Mitchell is part of a winning Blues side, but he still has a lot to learn.
4. James Roberts – 5.5
Roberts had an up and down game, but in short, the jury is still out on him and his Origin potential. He had a good Game 1, but Billy Slater came back and all of a sudden his defence was shot to bits. While they only let in a single try down that side of the field, they were broken a handful more times.
Roberts is one of the most dangerous attacking players in the game, but struggled to show it during Game 2. He needs a big performance up in Brisbane.
5. Josh Addo-Carr – 7
Like Roberts, it was up and down for Addo-Carr. He seemed to start quite poorly with an error and a penalty marring the first half for the winger, but he grew into his performance pretty strongly as the game went on, scoring an excellent try with great footwork to remind everyone of his attacking talent.
6. James Maloney – 8
Not for the first time in this series, Maloney reminded everyone why he is so pivotal to the Blues and why the Panthers are sitting near enough to the top of his table. His control over game tempo with his kicking was superb, while he had two try assists and his goal kicking was the difference between the sides.
James Maloney kicks off during State of Origin. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
7. Nathan Cleary – 7
Cleary was a little quiet at times throughout the contest, but he took the line on six times and created some opportunities, even if he didn’t end up with an assist to his name. At the end of his day, he played his role, defended solidly and deserves to revel in the success of Origin victory among the rest of his teammates.
8. David Klemmer – 7
The way Klemmer was used confused me somewhat. He played most of the first half and was quite strong, running for 87 metres at almost ten per run. He made every impact count through the first half, coming up with some big tackles as well, but the confusion was when he didn’t return for the second half.
Both starting props missing the first half doesn’t make much sense to me, but you can only judge Klemmer on what he did and his body of work was impressive.
9. Damien Cook – 7.5
Two Origin games and twice the leading tackler, Cook is proving himself more than capable of playing the full 80 minutes. He made 42 of them last night and while his attacking edge was slightly reduced, the game simply didn’t suit outrageous attacking play. Did his job and gave solid service to the New South Wales pack.
10. Matt Prior – 5
I’d love to give Prior more, but his impact on the game was absolutely minuscule. He made just three runs in a first stint which saw plenty of strong defence, but he never returned to the field afterwards, playing just 25 minutes.
He probably survives the axe for Game 3, but it’ll be a two-game Origin career with plenty of other forwards chopping at the heels and desperate to get a run in the sky blue.
11. Boyd Cordner – 7.5
Cordner was named official man of the match and while I’d dispute that claim, it’s hard to argue he again led from the front for the Blues, proving his captaincy credentials again.
He ran the ball hard, picking up 117 metres and didn’t let anyone down in defence.
12. Tyson Frizell – 6
A pretty stock standard game from Frizell. It’s more or less what we have come to expect at this point, with the second rower getting involved, making some big runs, some good tackles and generally improving the Blues with his impact.
13. Jack de Belin – 7
The moment which summed up de Belin’s excellent performance was his big tackle early in the second half, causing a Queensland error. His defence was excellent and he definitely made a step up on his efforts from Game 1 of the series, where he made a solid start to his Origin career.
Didn’t do much in attack, but he didn’t need to. His role was to terrorise the Queenslanders and he did exactly that.
14. Paul Vaughan – 6
Vaughan seemed to have more of an impact off the bench than he did in Game 1. Made some big runs to help the Blues control territory during the middle third of the game and will be happy with his 80-metre effort.
15. Jake Trbojevic – 7
Put in a performance we have come to expect at this level from Jake Trbojevic. Has taken his benching this year like a champion, playing every minute after he entered the field at Homebush and making more than 100 metres to go with his stack of tackles.
16. Angus Crichton – 6
Just like he did in Game 1, the second rower did everything in his power to propel the Blues off the bench. He was maybe a little it quieter this time around, but made the most of his minutes, making two line breaks.
17. Tyrone Peachey – 3
It’s hard to get a read on Peachey. He has played less than 20 minutes across the two games, but was poor last night. In the crucial late stages of the game, he gave away a penalty for a blatant trip and didn’t do much to bump up his rating.