Opinion
New South Wales looking to keep the series alive at ANZ Stadium, after suffering one of the greatest Origin upsets at the Adelaide Oval last Wednesday night.
The Blues went into the game as hot favourites and did well to lead 10-0 at halftime, before an unheralded Maroons side sprung a shock 18-14 victory.
» State of Origin 2 live scores: Blues vs Maroons live blog
Whatever coach Wayne Bennett told his side, dubbed the worst Queensland side in Origin history, at halftime must have worked wonders as they emerged from the sheds a totally different side.
Debutant AJ Brimson scored his first Origin try to kick-start the comeback, which was followed by tries to Xavier Coates and Cameron Munster, as the Blues seemingly switched off.
Josh Addo-Carr pegged back a try with five minutes remaining, but the Blues could not conjure one final miracle as they lost the opening match for the second year in a row.
It was Bennett’s first win as Queensland coach since Game 3, 2003, which was actually a dead rubber as the Blues had already won the series.
This puts all the pressure on Brad Fittler’s side to square the series ahead of what shapes as a daunting third and final game at Suncorp Stadium, where NSW have not won a live series decider since 2005.
Already the third-year coach has swung the axe, dropping Luke Keary for Cody Walker at five-eighth, while Boyd Cordner and Cameron Murray have also been ruled out for the series due to injuries.
Boyd Cordner (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
In Cordner’s absence, James Tedesco will wear the captain’s armband for the first time, while Payne Haas comes into the run-on side. Nathan Brown and Isaah Yeo will both make their debuts on the bench, while Dale Finucane comes in after missing the first game.
For the Maroons, Brimson and Christian Welch drop out due to injuries, with Valentine Holmes and Dunamis Lui replacing them.
Coen Hess is the only unforced change, dropped after his poor Game 1 performance. Moeaki Fotuaika will make his debut on the bench, while Jaydn Su’A gets promoted to the run-on side.
COVID-19 restrictions will all but guarantee the lowest attendance for an Origin match at ANZ Stadium since it opened in 1999, with the attendance capped at 40,000 – about 50 per cent of the ground’s capacity.
Nonetheless, Blues fans will be out in force as they look to will their team to victory.
History will favour their state, with NSW having won on eight out of the 11 occasions in which Game 2 has been played at the Olympic stadium, including series-sealing victories in 2003, 2014 and 2018.
But of Queensland’s three Game 2 victories at the venue, two sealed the series in their favour (2007 and 2009), while in 2017 they pulled off a miracle after losing the first game at Suncorp Stadium by 28-4, to force a series decider on their home turf.
So, can the Blues rebound from their poor second-half performance last week or will the Maroons seal the series behind enemy lines and give themselves the chance to win the series 3-0 for the first time in a decade?
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