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Wayne Bennett defied bookies odds and exit polling to produce a stunning Origin boilover on Wednesday night, in the process leaving New South Wales with no option but to stall the series with an unnecessary legal challenge or move Jack Wighton to five-eighth.
The supercoach masterminded an 18-14 triumph to re-emerge as the Blues’ kryptonite, vanquishing Brad Fittler’s vaunted team of favourites and five-eighths by cunningly selecting players in their positions.
Lifting the injury-plagued Maroons was the latest in Bennett’s mental stronghold over NSW, reinforcing his position in the interstate pantheon as the southern state’s master tormentor by once again transforming water into whine.
With the Blues’ talent pool reduced by bubble restrictions, it leaves Brad Fittler with scant options to rescue the series this coming Wednesday at a half-filled, now-cynical ANZ Stadium.
As always after a catastrophic defeat, talk in the NSW camp has already turned to the principle of ‘pick and stick’, and how it should be avoided at all costs.
This could see the coach parachuting in Ryan Papenhuyzen or Nathan Brown, or even taking extreme measures by bringing in reinforcements from outside the bubble, like David Klemmer or an attorney.
With the Blues dominating on paper but collapsing again under the Bennett mystique, Fittler may have no option but to tackle his adversary in the Supreme Court – and not the one that seats 52,000 near Caxton St.
While completely unprecedented and bananas, experts inside the camp say litigating Bennett is the most meritorious avenue for Origin success, and furthermore, nowhere near as bad as naming TBA.
Not only would a televised court showdown improve the ratings from Wednesday night, but it would also help the Blues find a “meaningful transparency” to the game other than Clint Gutherson’s edge defence.
Staunch Blues supporters have wasted no time blindly supporting the move, even pointing to a number of irregularities in the opening match that could already render the mastermind’s miracle workings null and void.
Not only was it an Origin match suspiciously staged in November against a team of Storm players made of 85 per cent Bacardi, conspiracy theorists also highlighted that according to some previews, it was history’s first-ever dead-rubber Game 1.
This was in addition to the match being inexplicably hosted by Karl Stefanovic, before obscurely being played on a round oval in a city that calls devon ‘fritz’.
NSW’s paranoia then went into overdrive with the game deep into the second half, with officials beginning to suspect a US election-style ruse after learning they had led the match until the Maroons overtook their score.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
But while consideration was given to demanding play be halted for a recount, thankfully cool heads prevailed to allow the match to run its full 79 minutes and 58 seconds.
Despite accepting the disastrous defeat, Blues officials have now conceded the only way to overcome Bennett is by lawyering-up due to his unbreakable psychological grip on the state, plus there are no more halves to choose from.
But the obvious question has been raised by constitutional law experts and sane people alike: how would a legally disputed Origin series actually be resolved?
Some have suggested utilising the current processes of Golden Point and retention to the carryover champions, however, these options have been rejected on account of both last benefiting Queensland.
With confusion reigning due to the scenario’s unprecedented nature, many predict it could result in the scene of a self-barricaded Fittler being forcibly removed from the sheds 40 days after full-time, albeit this time for legal purposes and not a waiting cab to The Cross.
However, legal experts have warned NSW of the real possibility that much like Donald Trump’s crumbling grip on reality, Bennett’s aura could potentially transcend law. This could see NSW’s crack team of QCs overpowered by a single solicitor from Burpengary, or Felise Kaufusi stalling.