Brad Fittler’s gone all or nothing for Origin II with plenty of team changes but I can only see that as a positive thing for the Blues’ chances of getting revenge on Queensland.
Ultimately as a coach, you are judged by results and Freddy is backing his instincts to get the job done in Perth on Sunday night after they lost game one to Queensland a couple of weeks back in Sydney.
You live and die as a coach based on what the scoreboard says and if it’s not in his favour at Optus Stadium on Sunday night then he will own that but he’s got the courage of his own convictions and I admire that about him.
He’s not concerned about what other people think and he has shown he can make the tough calls. It’s worked for him in the past so he should stay true to that.
There’s been a lot of talk about him picking a lot of Panthers for NSW with seven current Penrith players now in the squad with Api Koroisau starting as well as one from last year with Matt Burton coming in at left centre.
Api Koroisau. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Those eight players have all got good relationships with each other and they know what’s required to win games – including the 2021 premiership.
Koroisau could be the key to a much better Blues performance in game two. He’s a clever player in attack but he also anchors Penrith’s ruck defence.
He’s one of the form hookers in the NRL from a team that’s dominating the competition so I don’t see anything wrong with that approach. I think it will make them a better team.
Having him start the game will mean the attack will be in synch from the dummy-half to whoever needs it.
Koroisau will know when and where Nathan Cleary, Jarome Luai and Isaah Yeo like to get the ball and they will have more time to play with.
He doesn’t overplay his hand, that’s one of the things that strikes me about him. He rarely makes errors at the play-the-ball or goes the wrong way with his play selection – and he is a genuine threat as well.
Not that Damien Cook wasn’t great as a hooker for NSW. I think having him come off the bench will simplify his role and give them a bit of extra punch as well if he’s presented with a tired defensive line.
Blues coach Brad Fittler. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
There were criticisms back in the 1990s of the Brisbane Broncos having too many players in the Queensland team when Wayne Bennett was also the coach but I think the cohesion outweighs that dependance on one style, to be honest.
There was a difference between being a Bronco and a Queensland Origin player and there’s a difference between being a Panther and a NSW player.
Bringing Jake Trbojevic back into the pack is another plus for NSW. Freddy was complimentary of Tariq Sims and the service he’s given to the state but it was time to go with a younger player. Jake’s four years younger at 28 and has 13 Origins under his belt, still playing well for Manly and more than mobile enough to handle the speed of the game on Sunday.
NSW were not that far off in game one, they let themselves down with their composure and their execution in attack so Koroisau at hooker should help fix those problems.
Murray Taulagi. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
And the changes shouldn’t be viewed as trying to counter whatever Queensland’s doing, Freddy needs to pick the team he thinks can win.
Queensland’s two changes were forced by unfortunate injuries to Xavier Coates and Reuben Cotter.
I’ve been advocating for Murray Taulagi to play since before the series began so it’s great to see him get his chance on the left wing to duplicate the combination he’s built up with Val Holmes at the Cowboys which was the logical decision to make there.
And with Cotter being ruled out after doing his hammy in the warm-up the other night for North Queensland, that’s a massive blow. I know it was only his first game but his ability to get through the full 80 minutes and do a mountain of work won’t be easy to replace.
Cotter’s efforts around line speed and first contact in defence was excellent and his play the ball speed was also tremendous.
Moving big Tino Fa’asuamaleaui to lock and bringing in Lindsay Collins means Billy Slater will have to be even more strategic around his interchange rotations.
Jai Arrow is now on the bench and has never let the Maroons down previously so they haven’t lost much there.
They’re more settled with their squad but it doesn’t mean a lot if you don’t get the same level of commitment and performance in game two.
The speed of the game in the first match was a big talking point but I think the result came down to NSW not taking advantage of their early field position and making a couple of errors in good-ball sets.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
They need a more of a patient approach in attack and they must nail their execution when they create their chances. They didn’t build any pressure and Freddy should be driving that into Luai, Cleary, Koroisau and James Tedesco.
Cameron Munster, Kalyn Ponga, Daly Cherry-Evans and Harry Grant came up with the big moments in Origin I. And Queensland will expect their execution to be better in game two as well.
Having Burton in the Blues team, I can see him jumping in there on the left side and putting in a few kicks to take a bit of the pressure off Cleary and Luai. That will allow Luai to get in to lead the kick-chase as well, which he’s very good at doing.
Freddy said the other day that the Blues don’t have a safety net anymore now that they’ve lost game one so they’ve got to play like that.
They can’t afford to get it wrong again – otherwise the State of Origin shield will be heading to sunny Queensland.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Yeah cool… look I was mostly mucking around I don’t begrudge anyone an opinion… but you weren’t debating an opinion, you were calling people “nerks” for having an opinion…
JennyFromPenny
Guest
Hages, you said last week we should take the Laurie Daley approach and keep the same team. Are you telling us, you may have got it wrong ?
The Sporacle
Roar Rookie
Burton being on that edge will mean that QLD cant compress as much because of that option to kick for the winger, that then cuts down the margin of safety on the rush on Cleary and that gives more space on that edge. Or at least I think that's the thinking :thumbup:
Muzz
Guest
Yeo scores in the dying seconds and Fittler is a legend. Ask every Roarer to select the NSW team and I'd be surprised if any 2 teams are the same. Looking forward to reading all the positive articles regarding Freddy's game 2 masterstroke selections.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
Fair enough Rob. Get stuffed........ just kidding!
Malo
Guest
API is the man . How did the Tigers get him Best Buy since Douehi. Great buy. Cook is over thinking his game API is a great swap for the Blues and will see the Blues win by 13 plus even though Slater is the superior coach.
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
FT, I think I get what you're saying, but may I suggest that you're being a little too strict or sensitive about how you expressed it? Anyways, I come here for some great insight and banter and I'm sure you do too. Most importantly, we can all learn from the players who belt each other other for 80 min then stand around hugging and chatting for 20 min after the hooter. :thumbup:
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
The very first SOO game lit the fire. Confirmation bias takes care of the rest :stoked:
The Sporacle
Roar Rookie
Talakis got him for Beard though, so that evens it up :thumbup:
The Sporacle
Roar Rookie
Yeah I understand that, my point was more that at club level people are saying Talaki has been very quiet and that Holmes has been outstanding, truth is they've both been pretty good. I'd take Holmes as an origin centre every day though :thumbup:
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
The Roar describes itself as ''Australias greatest sporting debate'' as you may well know T.B. If they change the way they operate and make it some sort of place to comment and criticise but where you are not allowed to debate others' opinions, which is exactly what I'm doing, then I'll comply. I was very strong in my support of P.V.L during Covid and accepted the very strong attacks on my opinion because it's a debating site. If P.V.L caused the mayhem many were declaring was on the way , I couldn't exactly complain if they took me to task , which they would. Have you noticed Jimmy having a dig at someone who I believe completely wrote off the Cows at the start of the season in an article? He's perfectly entitled to do that. He doesn't need a lecture on the old chestnut about ''someone being entitled to express his opinion'' because it's a given, just as Jimmy is entitled to comment on that person's opinion as much as he wants. I'm the same , if I want to comment on someone's post I will as you have done to my posts many times often laced with a good old thrashing with a baseball bat. A poster who recently described Hasler as an '' arrogant jerk'' wasn't happy when I had a go at one of his posts. It's just another example of posters who like to dish it out but don't like heat in the kitchen when they're putting together a Nerk burger for lunch. They're a dime a dozen.
PB Meister
Roar Rookie
“ Damien Cook’s demotion to the bench and Api Koroisau’s recall to the side, perhaps the most eye-catching move from NSW”. Demotion? I get the sentiment but don’t necessarily agree that Cook has been “demoted” as such. He’s still in the side and could well come on and tear the game up. If I were writing the piece, I would be more inclined to say something like, “In a tactical move, Cook is now slated to start from the bench later in the game in order to get the Blues rolling through a tiring QLD pack” Edit: That quote BTW was not from the above article.
Mickey Bobby
Roar Rookie
The Blues lost by six not sixty, I don't get these knee jerk squad changes. If the players didn't live up to the expectations post game it's partly due to the pre game hype from journos and the like who assume perfection will be on display, and if it's not then players will get the hook for not playing better than their best. At the end of the day it's Freddy choice, a Blues win he's a genius, a loss he's lost it and needs to be axed. It must be tough job being paid to be footy critic.
Albo
Roar Rookie
If the put a bomb under Tupou they might be able to get him under one of those Burton bombs ? :silly:
matth
Roar Guru
Where Burton will kick is if there is an opportunity after the ball has been swung left to put one behind the QLD winger for the Fox to use his superior speed and score … oh wait.
matth
Roar Guru
And a starting position. Talakai is up against Nanai.
matth
Roar Guru
And I for one welcome our alien overlords.
matth
Roar Guru
Thank goodness I felt that glow for 12 of 13 series back a while, otherwise how would I even cope? Or maybe it's the worst team ever from 2020 that keeps me warm at night :silly:
R N
Roar Rookie
As a footy fan happy that API K and Burton playing. Great players and love watching them both. However, as a QLD fan I am not looking forward to Ponga standing under a Burton special or that beautiful service out of dummy half that API provides!
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
Hi Dwayne, I clearly remember the majority claiming Freddy was clueless because he chose Turbo and Mitchell in the centres because they were out of position. I'm not claiming wisdom in hindsight, I was with Freddy before the game. I rated Mitchell as the games most important player for a few years and thought it was an obvious choice.