State of Origin 2 player ratings: Queensland Maroons

On a night when it got no better for the Maroons, the 2021 State of Origin Series now stands at a cumulative scoreline of 76-6 in favour of the New South Wales men after Game 2.

I’ve been asked to analyse the performances of the men in maroon? A tough gig.

1. Valentine Holmes: 5/10
He hardly saw the pill in the first 40 minutes thanks to the Blues’ efficient kicking and ability to limit space for one of Queensland’s most dangerous players. Holmes did nothing wrong but had little chance of linking into the limited and disjointed attacking sets of the Maroons.

2. Xavier Coates: 3/10
Coates looked as nervous as his 11th hour call up demanded. He had limited chances with the ball and saw Josh Addo-Carr flash past him on a regular basis. Not a game for the scrapbook. Let’s not even talk about the failed grounding early in the second half that could have given Queensland some hope of a revival.

(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

3. Kurt Capewell: 4/10
A bad missed tackle that led to a Blues first-half try says all that needs to said about a player far from up to the task of combatting the electrifying weapons in the New South Wales back line. Another ordinary game at the representative level.

4. Dane Gagai: 4/10
After an unconvincing Game 1 and the promise of something better in the second, Gagai struggled whenever James Tedesco drifted across field looking for runners or a gap into which to dart. The odd missed tackled highlighted one of his major deficiencies and New South Wales will have no fear facing him at any time in the near future.

5. Kyle Feldt: 4/10
Catching the ball as a member of the back three is vital.

Feldt understands that, yet his weak submission as Latrell Mitchell pilfered it from his hands said a lot about the mental fortitude of both Feldt and his team. Feldt is a better player than he showed tonight.

6. Cameron Munster: 7/10
Off the back of a beaten pack, Munster stood no chance. His combination with Cherry-Evans appeared non-existent in the opening 60 minutes and any individual efforts with his famous footwork were snuffed out by a diligent New South Wales defence. Still, he was Queensland’s best.

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

7. Daly Cherry-Evans: 5/10
He appeared to have little connection to those around him and struggled to build cohesive sets. Whilst it is fine to wear one’s heart on the sleeve and play with passion, Cherry-Evans is not providing the steady head required to execute Queensland’s attacking options. Yet, with a battling set of forwards, does he stand a chance at all?

8. Christian Welch: 6/10
Belted it forward well, yet rarely bent or scared the New South Wales defence. After an early exit in Game 1, hopes were high that he could well be one of the differences for the Maroons in Game 2. He wasn’t, but not for lack of trying.

9. Andrew McCullough: 4/10
Another performance that convinces me further that McCullough is far short of representative level. His lack of spark around the ruck was once again evident and despite working well in defence, the Queensland rake offered little to spark their attack.

10. Josh Papalii’i: 6/10
He started the game like a house on fire, hoping to live up to all the pre-game hype of what he would add to the Maroon’s team. He worked hard throughout and could certainly not be labelled as a weak link or a reason for Queensland’s impotence on the night.

11. Jai Arrow: 6/10
Arrow vanished in the waves of New South Wales’ forward momentum. Serious questions must be asked of his representative form after another effort where he failed to display an ability to dominate an opposition pack through the centre of the field. Mind you, he was not alone in being completely overwhelmed by a superior opposition.

(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

12. Felise Kaufusi: 6/10
He worked hard on the fringe yet was exposed by the Blues’ ability to shift the ball at speed and use their attacking options to catch Queensland’s outside players on the hop time after time. Another brave effort from a quality player yet one well off the pace when it came to matching it with the dynamic Blues.

13. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui: 6/10
He led from the front during the early exchanges and then drifted from attention the longer the contest went. 15 minutes of firebrand action is fine, but as soon as the Blues applied consistent pressure, his tendency to drop off tackles came to the fore once again and without a few mates prepared to go into battle with him, there was no salvaging a lost cause.

14. Ben Hunt: 4/10
It is a long way from success at Kogarah to Suncorp and Hunt was found out for the umpteenth time at representative level. Queensland persist with him as they have nothing better in reserve, yet that does not make the bench utility any more able to compete with a New South Wales team far beyond his level.

15. Moeaki Fotuaika: 5/10
Considering the state of the contest, he did little more than tackle and scramble as New South Wales ran riot. His 36 minutes of effort showed some promise for the future and Queensland could do worse than invest in his talent.

16. David Fifita: 6/10
For a player with as destructive a reputation as Fifita, his 53 minutes featured little more than frantic defensive actions as New South Wales continued to mount waves of attack and constantly threaten the Maroons’ line.

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Fifita is a better player than we saw tonight but does need momentum through the centre of the field to even be noticed, something he could be contributing to with early game time.

17. Francis Molo: 5/10
I hardly noticed this man tonight. Came on, made a few tackles and could do little to impact the game as the Blues dominated. Perhaps more than 27 minutes will be on the cards for him in Origin 3.