There’s more chatty hacks than the back bar at the Walkleys. There’s more cameras than Kardashian instagram. State of Origin is a succubus, a vortex in space.
Throw in that very rugby league staple, The Redemption Story – and make it perhaps the greatest redemption story State of Origin has seen – and media will chase it like those snakes going after that lizard in that video, I reckon you know the one.
We’re at the NSWRL’s excellent Centre of Excellence out Homebush way in the shadows of mighty Olympic Stadium for Mitchell Pearce’s first open training session with the NSW Blues.
And in one’s best Rabby Warren, I am here to tell a man, come Wednesday night, Mitchell Pearce will absolutely kill it.
He will own it.
And he will own a State of Origin series win.
Why?
Because he is an absolute gun footy player. That’s important, being really good at footy. And Pearce is super-good, and you can wash your dear sweet mouth you think otherwise.
Accepted wisdom: He’s a good club footy player but not an Origin one.
It’s bullshit. You dominate NRL club footy, you can dominate Queensland, especially this Queensland.
This Queensland isn’t that Queensland, the greatest one there’s ever been, the one Mitchell Pearce – and everyone else bar Jarryd Hayne in excelsis – couldn’t beat either.
Those people were ridiculous.
These people are but men.
And Pearce’s time is now. And everyone knows it. The bookies have the Blues long odds on $1.38.
Old boy Maroons, in their heart of hearts, know: it’s over. The underdog thing can get you so far. Now they’re against a Blue Machine of Death. It crushed them in Perth, and that was with a halfback who only played 40 minutes.
Mitchell Pearce wins it in golden point for the Knights. (Photo by Tony Feder/Getty Images)
At the helm of the super-death machine tank thing this time around will be Our Mitch: Origin Man.
Watch him: He’s tough. He takes the ball to the line; he doesn’t care if he gets hit as he passes it.
He goes to the line, and right on the line where the wild things are. he’ll shoot quality lateral pill across his body, 90 degrees, freeing up hard-chargers either side.
It’s a singular, hot bit of skill.
James Maloney does similar. Cooper Cronk, too. Johnathan Thurston did it into future Immortality. It’s body on the line stuff – take the hit, free up the runner.
Andrew Johns used to call it playing tough, playing physical.
And Andrew Johns admires Pearce for that very trait. And a few other things.
Watch him kick. His spiral torpedo bombs are abominations from space. Whoever the Maroons put at the back – and they’re battling there, because one assumes it’ll be Michael Morgan or Cameron Munster, both fine No.6s like Corey Norman – will fret underneath them like tax-dodging Don Trump.
Watch him win the fun little drills, pinging sympathetic ball for supports.
Hear him talk. Pearce’s is the dominant voice in the training drill, in defence and attack.
James Maloney’s is the other. They play on the right (Pearce) and left (Maloney). But where they’ll play on Wednesday night, could be both sides.
Consider: no-one watching any of the “open” sessions in Perth had any idea about the great Two Fullbacks Manouevre … my but that bastard’s hard to spell … Manoeuvre … that Crafty Freddy and company ripped off in in Big O #2.
Was Mitchell Pearce the right choice to replace Cleary? (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
But then when you think of it, having Tom Trbojevic and Jimmy Tedesco in the same team, why limit one of them to a “side” of the field? Go where you like, Turbo! Roam free like the buffalo, you great free-running beast.
Turbo killed ‘em in Perth. And Pearcey will kill ‘em in Sydney.
For as it is with Turbo, so it is with Pearce.
He’s experienced – 30 years-old is the age for a halfback.
Watch him on the paddock. He’s owning team run, owning the training paddock at Homebush.
He is The Voice. The quarterback.
Main Hombre.
He’ll be apples. He will be so many Batlow Delicious.
Pressure? Oh, you mean the pressure of playing State of Origin after playing 18 State of Origin matches without a series win?
He’s good with it. He’s 30, we may have mentioned that.
Watch him in front of the dozens of cameras here to beam the great Origin super-beast to the consumer (that’s you, cob): he’s chilled. He’s joking, self-deprecating. Not taking it too seriously. It’s a game of footy, bra.
Our Freddy can take some credit there. As can Jimmy Maloney. There’s a game face and a training one. It’s fun times here.
Yet the main reason Mitchell Pearce will be sweet Wednesday night is Queensland.
The Queensland that Pearce played against in each of those 18 Origins were the greatest rugby league teams ever assembled.
You could’ve put Joey freakin’ Johns against Smith, Cronk, Slater, Inglis and Thurston – and you’d be leaving out Boyd, Hodges, Thaiday, and a few others – and he would not have won State of Origin series.
He flat out would not have, not with the same teammates that Pearce had, excellent first graders, even Origin Players, who were rag-dolled by Inglis and treated like children.
Johns would have won parity with Thurston. But the Maroons had four other blokes among the greatest players there have ever been. No one halfback could beat those people.
But Queensland no longer possess those people.
And Pearce’s teammates now include names like Cordner, Klemmer, Cook, Maloney, Addo-Carr, Tedesco and the fabulous Brothers Trjbojevic.
And they are shit-hot. And they’re playing in Sydney and the noise for the home team will be vast. And “owning” the result will be Mitchell Pearce.
And he’ll be owning a big fat “W”.
Because Mitchell Pearce is a gun. And his time is now.
Footy Fan
Guest
Pearce was in half a dozen games lost by a few points or less against the greatest Qld sides. But treated like they lost by thirty. That's just the way it goes for a halfback. Yeah, there were a few lesser decisions or executions in the final minute or two against Qld defence rushing and spoiling for dear life. Always with Robbie and Gal over-contributing in those final plays. But remember the other 78 mins contribute equally to the result. The flipside works totally to Pearce's advantage. Scrappy game, with Blues lucky? Wouldn't matter a dot, as long as he was out there. Not facing a 'great' Qld side? Irrelevant, since he's done his due ten times over with those past super sides. So if they win by 1, NSW can treat it like it's fifty, with Pearce a Blues champ. But I agree with Matt. Think we'll see a quality, controlled game from Pearce. He and Maloney will help each others' games, ramp up the pressure and make the Maroons pay a bit.
Larry1950
Guest
Or alternately, Pearce could play true to his origin form, freeze in the headlights & blow the last chance he'll get to touch that shield. That's more likely.
Snoop Bloggy blog
Roar Rookie
Slater and JT are the 2 best readers of an attack the games seen. Both seemed to put extra attention to Pearces kicking to minimise impact but also frustrate and unsettle him. With the short kicking JT seemed to know what Pearce was doing before he did. Slater caught so many of his long kicks on the full and it was clear he’d done a superb job analysing Pearce.
Richard POWELL
Roar Rookie
Spot on Matt. Remember: game 1 - Wighton takes the tackle; maybe NSW score and definitely Qld don't get the 6 point intercept try. NSW win game 1 and romp in game 2 - NSW win the series. Good point that this is not the Qld team of Smith, Cronk, Thurston, Slater & co and no amount of hype will turn the present Qld team into a patch of those brilliant teams. In fact it's disrespectful to even make the comparison.
farkurnell
Guest
Matt give it a break, we're all over the MP story its been done to death for 3 days,move on, theres 16 others playing for the Blues ,here's a suggestion --write a story about one of them!!
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
Courier Mail savaged Pearce over his drunken episode & referred to him as "Dog Boy". Shame he isn't as well behaved as Roberts & Lodge. Hope he is awarded MOTM next Wednesday so that newspaper can then concentrate on their "Broncos bias"although they'll be short of a story come semis time.
Admiral Ackbar
Guest
As good as Pearce is, he just ain't Tom Trbojevic. It's Turbo that is going to give Queenslanders trauma and nightmares for the next 10-15 years, not Pearce.
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
True, I stand corrected... :). Should have said 'not much to the attack'
nrlfan
Roar Rookie
Cleary caused two turnovers in defence, that’s pretty good in origin football!
U
Roar Rookie
Most funny doggone article I’ve read in a while on here. It’s enough to make you barking mad!
nrlfan
Roar Rookie
Lol
nrlfan
Roar Rookie
Matt... this was a great read... thoroughly enjoyed it. And I agree with ya! I hope Pearce has the game of his life. I hope he does a 2005 Joey johns
RoryStorm
Guest
If QLD win, it won't just be Pierce finding a big hole to crawl into, it will be the whole seventeen players as well as Freddy and his coaching staff. Humouress article though Matt. A bloody good read.
Beastie
Roar Rookie
Must correct 1 part of this article... Andrew Johns did beat a lot of those players in Origin. 2005 QLD had Slater (replaced by Bowen for game 3), Smith, Lockyer and Thurson and he beat them in game 2 and brained them in game 3 (he didn't play game 1 due to injury). In saying that, as good as Mitchell Pearce is & potentially can be, he is and never will be on the same level as Andrew Johns. Not many are.
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
If Qld win why would you ever pick him again If Queensland win there won't be a hole big enough for Pearce to crawl into and die.. I feel for the bloke, NSW should win by a cricket score, especially after last year with a halfback (Cleary) who added nothing, and a huge win in Perth - again halfback (Cleary) added nothing.. Anything less than a cricket score win will be held against him. And I can assure you, without doubt, that many people in QLD (including some on the team itself) pictured nothing but a big NSW win next Wednesday.. until they picked Pearce.
Aiden
Guest
Spot on. There is a bit of nonsense in the article. Plenty of games in the last few years were close to going NSW way, they’d be won by Qld off the back of some sterling defense and a bit of JT/Slater/Smith etc magic with 10 or 15 to go. Where Pearce was poor is he did not seem to capitalize when NSW had Qld under the pump and he had space and time to play. Thurston didn’t make him take poor kick options or do nothing other than pass the ball and forget his running game. I think he’s a different player now though and he will do well. Deserves his shot at redemption.
Big Daddy
Guest
The thing is Pearce is saying pick me I'm available, I want to put things right and obviously convinced the NSW powers that be he's the man for the job so now he needs to prove it on the field. He now has no excuses as this no Thurston , cronk , lockyer. If Qld win why would you ever pick him again. If Cody walker had his mind on the job he maybe still there. You never saw Thurston get side tracked with issues that may affect his game.
DR
Guest
The MP supports must just save these articles from every time he got dropped and bought back - hasn’t helped yet.
Griffo
Guest
I think the biggest knock on Pearce in origin is that went missing in the big moments, when it is close, late, the game is on the line and you need your halfback to be decisive, even if it doesn't come off, but you won't win if he isn't decisive. Typically in these situations he would come up with nothing plays, a hit up or something silly like that. If Queensland have a tight lead late in the decider and Pearce has an opportunity that will be his test, his moment for redemption. But will he just do what he's always done and choke under the pressure?
JimboJones
Guest
The ranting of a mad man.