Queensland Maroons player ratings: Origin 2

The Queensland Maroons have been demolished in Perth, completely outplayed across the 80 minutes as the series was kept alive and sent to a decider. Here are the player ratings for the men from north of the Tweed.

More Origin 2
» Five talking points from Origin 2
» Match Report: Blues belt Queensland to force decider
» WATCH: Video highlights from Origin 2
» Re-live the match with our live blog

1. Kalyn Ponga – 5
It’s so hard to get a read on Ponga last night. He struggled to get into the game due to the fact the Queensland forwards just got repetitively rolled, but then, after a quiet showing during the first half of Game 1, would it have even mattered?

His touches with the ball lacked any flair or danger, and the Blues defenders, for the most part, handled him pretty easily right throughout the 80 minutes.

I just wonder if the occasion of playing in what is his home state got to Ponga a little bit as well, while the rain certainly didn’t help matters.

Make as many excuses as you want though, at the end of the day, it just wasn’t a good showing from the fullback.

2. Corey Oates – 7
Corey Oates was, for mine, the best Queenslander on the park. It doesn’t mean much in a loss of this size, and sure his defence is going to need work, but he went looking for work, unlike many of the other Queenslanders.

He was prepared to take the hard run and try to get his team out of trouble, and finishing with almost 40 post contact metres is a testament to that.

Most of the defensive mistakes weren’t strictly his fault either, with Michael Morgan struggling to position on the inside.

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

3. Michael Morgan – 5
Morgan had more run metres than any other Queenslander, which definitely has to count for something. He came in and looked for work regularly, and had one or two moments when he was dangerous and looking like he might create something.

It was a tough night for the outside backs with the forwards struggling and the weather, so it makes that accomplishment all the better.

Unfortunately, his defence was a let-down, but again, not a surprise playing out of position in those conditions, missing three out of his six tackles.

4. Will Chambers – 3.5
Chambers Origin spot would be in question if there were other options. A real struggle for him last night as he made a ridiculous eight missed tackles, had an unbelievably slow play the ball speed when he did touch the ball, made just 44 metres from five runs and also came up with a pair of errors.

A really poor game for Chambers.

5. Dane Gagai – 4.5
Gagai was in South Sydney mode last night. Most pundits are often amazed at just how well Gagai goes in the Origin arena, where he is a proven performer, despite his usual club form going into the cauldron each year.

In Perth though, he really wasn’t good at all. Defensively torn up on the edge, and otherwise struggling to do anything with the footy as he only finished with 69 metres from ten runs, whereas his usual Origin performance hurls the kitchen sink at opposition defenders.

A tough night for the winger, who needs to bounce back in Sydney for the good of his state.

6. Cameron Munster – 5.5
Munster tried hard without having a great impact on the game, it’d be fair to say. He looked dangerous on a couple of occasions, but behind a struggling pack, the spine might as well stay in the sheds, especially when it’s your job to play off them and try to create things.

When he did get involved, he looked like he might spark something, but it was all in vain as Queensland were pulverised.

7. Daly Cherry-Evans – 5
Cherry-Evans just didn’t control his side like he did in Game 1, and while there are plenty of other factors which went into the final scoreboard, the skipper will need to be better in Game 3.

The one variable he really could control, the kicking game, wasn’t all that good. Far too often the ball was taken on the full, and add that to a couple of seven-tackle sets, Cherry-Evans won’t be wanting to remember much from a miserable night in Perth.

(Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

8. Dylan Napa – 3
Hard to be too critical on Napa, who was clearly hampered by the wrist injury he brought into the game. In the end, he only played his opening stint, never making it back onto the field, which probably tells you all you need to know.

Napa ended with just 27 metres from four runs, and while he made 13 tackles, he never looked likely to do anything which could change the momentum of the match during the first 20 minutes, something the Maroons desperately needed from their big enforcer.

If he wasn’t fit, he shouldn’t have played.

9. Ben Hunt – 4
A really tough night for makeshift Queensland hooker. You can hardly blame him because he is playing out of position, but for mine, he was a big part of Queensland’s problems.

His best at hooker isn’t good enough for Origin, and that was exploited last night as the Blues pack was able to shut down the Queensland pack and put them under pressure with regularity thanks to the slow service coming from No.9.

His defence also wasn’t quite as good last night, with numerous missed tackles.

I don’t want to pile on Hunt too much, but Andrew McCullough must surely be in calculations for Game 3, although there is definitely a spot for Hunt on the bench.

10. Josh Papalii – 4.5
The big Raiders prop was solid without being spectacular. He had 30 tackles with reasonable efficiency in the middle third of the field without many misses and ran the ball hard when he did get his hands on it, as Papalii will always do. However, even running hard he was struggling.

Getting his hands on it turned out to be pretty rare as well, with just ten carries for 69 metres in 45 minutes.

11. Felise Kaufusi – 6.5
Kaufusi is one of the only Maroons who can come out of Game 2 with his head held high. He was nowhere near the exploits of Game 1, but that was a result of his side only having 40 per cent of the ball as much as anything else.

Still played the entire 80 minutes, ran for 107 metres and tackled effectively.

12. Matt Gillett – 6
Gillett was his usual self on the edge, and while he didn’t have nearly as much impact with the ball (by virtue of Queensland not having much of it), he did make the most tackles on ground.

Worked hard, and deserves some credit for a solid performance in trying circumstances.

13. Josh McGuire – 6
McGuire just kept on trying for the Maroons. He was pretty solid right throughout the game, running hard and making 36 tackles with just one miss.

Over the years, Queensland have had a number of locks who just run and tackle. Not flashy, but good, solid Origin players. Guys like Dallas Johnson and Ashley Harrison. McGuire’s effort last night was that sort of performance.

(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

14. Moses Mbye – 4
It was fairly amazing that Mbye was able to play at all given what he went through at the end of last week.

Unfortunately, his impact was again fairly limited in pretty reduced time on the field. Queensland need to shake things up, and Mbye might be the guy to fall by the wayside if they do.

15. Jarrod Wallace – 3.5
The one endearing image out of the game for Wallace will be him colliding with Maloney in mid-air and continuing a silly run of dumb second-half penalties to the Blues which killed off whatever charge the Maroons might have been able to mount.

Even outside of that one-off moment of madness, it was a pretty shoddy return to Origin for Wallace, who finished with under 60 metres and just never was able to gain any ascendency for the Maroons.

16. Tim Glasby – 5.5
Glasby was the best off the Maroons bench by a considerable distance on his Origin recall. It was one of those lose-lose situations, given the state Queensland were in, but he did his best to try and flip the game.

Only had 63 metres, but 22 of them were post-contact, and he had some quick play the balls which at times felt like it might have been able to spark something for the Maroons.

Alas, it didn’t, but Glasby has done enough to keep his spot for the decider.

17. David Fifita – 4
Like the rest of the pack, and the Queenslanders in general, it’s pretty hard to play without the ball. Fifita was solid though without being amazing. Had some good runs, made some good tackles, and played some tough minutes.

Total: 83.5/170