Tedesco claims back-to-back Fittler gongs
First he defended the shield, then he claimed back-to-back medals.
If you listen to Phil Gould, Latrell Mitchell is as good as done when it comes to State of Origin in 2019.
His cards are marked, his head’s not in the game, he’s a distraction to the ball boys.
If you watch Mitchell’s performance in Brisbane last week, it’s hard to disagree with any of it.
But 11 years ago, a similar firestorm was about to burn.
In Game 1 of the 2008 series, Mark Gasnier gave Greg Inglis the most torrential bathing of his young career. It was the master versus the apprentice and the master came up trumps and then some. The novice had no answers to the proven marksman and his clinic of world-class centre play.
Three weeks later, everything changed.
At Suncorp Stadium in Game 2, Inglis delivered one of the dominant performances in Origin history. Go back and watch the highlights. It was the GI show. Steve Turner and Gasnier are still picking grass from their teeth all these years later.
It was a performance rich with triumph and jubilation. The kid was apparently shown up in Game 1. His hype was suddenly unwarranted. Cue the comeback of all comebacks and the rest is history.
(Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
Fast forward to the present day and Latrell Mitchell apparently doesn’t like comparisons with the great GI. Sadly for Latrell, we haven’t seen a more dominant young centre since Inglis broke ribs and scored tries for fun in the late 2000s.
The comparisons were always going to come.
While his performance was less than flat in Game 1, history shows us that great players do not stay down for long. If he is picked – and he absolutely should be – Mitchell will terrorise Queensland in Perth.
Tom Trbojevic will also add spark and nous to the Blues backline. Whether he plays centre or wing is up for debate, but he’ll make a difference regardless.
Matt Lodge must also make his debut, in place of the injured David Klemmer. A brief interview with Jharal Yow Yeh for the Broncos’ internal social media channel made this a matter of urgency.
When asked who would win Game 1, Lodge told the camera that not only would the Blues win, but that he also hoped two of his Broncos teammates (who would run out in Maroon) would be “folded” by another Bronco in Blue.
This kind of behaviour is invaluable in Origin.
It’s also the kind of arrogance that a refreshed and rejuvenated Latrell Mitchell will display towards his foes at the futuristic Optus Stadium.
The great GI showed us as much all those years ago.
First he defended the shield, then he claimed back-to-back medals.
Rugby league is facing the content conundrum.
James Maloney made headlines yesterday after announcing his departure from the NRL at season’s end, signing a three-year deal with Catalans Dragons in France.
Origin is a special competition, from its unique nature fostered by a state duopoly on the NRL to the passion it ignites that is generally reserved for only the fiercest international sporting rivalries.
NSW’s State of Origin victory has led to dominance in a Kangaroos merit team picked by Australian selectors from performances in the interstate series.
Much has been made of the perpetual pariah Mitchell Pearce and his recent Origin success after more than a decade of failure, and it is easy to see why.
