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Brad Fittler says he won’t panic and nor should he but the Blues need to make several changes if they have any hope of keeping the Origin series alive in Brisbane on June 21.
NSW rolled the dice with a few selections in game one at Adelaide and they mostly backfired.
He refused to even consider contemplating any changes after Wednesday night’s 26-18 defeat, saying “we’ll see what happens in a couple of weeks, we’ll go from there”.
Fittler also repeated the phrase “it is what it is” when asked about the Blues’ lacklustre performance in the defeat – this was either an example of Freddie’s relaxed demeanour which has been integral to NSW winning three of their five series under him or a worrying lack of intensity from someone seemingly bereft for answers.
Brad Fittler. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Many Blues fans think it’s option two. Fittler needs to regain the Origin shield to ensure he remains at the helm next year – the NSWRL powerbrokers are unlikely to give him another contract if he comes off second best two years in a row up against Billy Slater, whose stocks are rising by the day due to the Midas touch he’s displayed since entering the senior coaching fray just 12 months ago.
Fittler knows his future is on the line. The NSWRL has hit the pause button on any negotiations until after the series, which is footy official speak for “we’ll back you only if you win”.
While NSW were forced to make one late change by bringing in Stephen Crichton at left centre for Latrell Mitchell when he tweaked a calf at training on Monday, they otherwise stuck rigidly with the selected 1-17.
This was a mistake.
Tevita Pangai jnr was ineffective as a starting prop (unless you count flopping onto already tackled players as a worthwhile skill), Liam Martin and Cameron Murray proved they should not have been relegated to the interchange while Jarome Luai again failed to take up enough of the playmaking load to stop Queensland hunting Nathan Cleary.
Tom Trbojevic, after suffering a grade-one concussion, wasn’t supposed to play this weekend with Manly having the bye but has already been ruled out of their game next Friday under the NRL’s new protocols so he will not play again before Origin II.
Tevita Pangai jnr. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
His form has been mostly ordinary this season due to injuries and he didn’t do much for NSW in Adelaide so it is a risk to assume he will suddenly regain his superlative best in game two over picking in-form Rabbitohs centre Campbell Graham, who would have replaced Mitchell in game one if not for a sternum problem.
Knights veteran Tyson Frizell was solid in his return to Origin after a three-year absence and deserves another run while his second-row partner Hudson Young lacked discipline in his 30-minute first-half stint which proved costly when Queensland were piggybacked upfield to score back-to-back tries.
A more experienced campaigner like Angus Crichton could be a better inclusion amid the intensity of the Suncorp cauldron or the Blues could look at an impact option like Keaon Koloamatangi after he makes his comeback this weekend from an ankle problem.
Talk of NSW skipper James Tedesco facing the axe is premature (at this stage) but the 30-year-old fullback, despite being heavily involved in game one, does not appear to be the attacking force he was in previous years.
Not quite time to … Drop Ted, Fred.
And then there was Fittler’s allocation of minutes.
Their pack leader Payne Haas, arguably the most dominant prop in the NRL, played the first half-hour but got less than 20 minutes in his second stint.
Junior Paulo should have been the other starting prop ahead of Pangai and despite looking much more threatening than his Bulldogs counterpart, he only got 30 minutes from two stints.
When Paulo was replaced in the 52nd minute, Fittler threw Pangai back into the fray for what turned out to be a nine-minute stint before Haas took over.
James Tedesco. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Pangai gave away a penalty and came up with an error with an unnecessary offload which not only stalled the momentum built up after Api Koroisau’s try, but led to Selwyn Cobbo’s second Maroons touchdown.
“I was pretty filthy on myself,” Pangai told reporters in the sheds after the game. “You can’t make errors coming out of yardage against a team like Queensland, you want to spend minimal time on your line.
“I watched Game III (from 2022) with the errors coming out of yardage and we spoke about errors in the back end of Game III, and I put that in my mind. I was telling myself not to make errors coming out of yardage and that was crucial, they scored off that.
“I’ll look at what I did wrong … when you’re up by two points it’s arse up, head down and play the ball.”
With lock Isaah Yeo playing the full 80, Pangai was only needed for 27 minutes in the middle-forward rotation.
Martin played in the middle when he replaced Pangai in the 20th minute then scored a try almost immediately after switching to his preferred edge role when Young was replaced by Murray, who was given the final 50 minutes straight in the middle.
Fittler kept Martin on for the rest of the game as well, logging 61 minutes all up.
They trailed 10-0 in the time those two were off the field and went on an 18-6 run before Queensland hit back with another 10 points in the closing stages to steal an improbable win despite missing Tom Flegler in the sin bin.
Martin and Murray, as well as Paulo must start in game two. Frizell deserves to remain as an interchange option who can float between an edge and the middle while Pangai should become a member of the Origin one-hit wonders club.
Eels prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard is looking to make an early return from a groin injury next week after his team’s Round 14 bye.
Fittler doesn’t appear to be RCG’s biggest fan after only picking him twice during his previous five years as NSW coach but he can’t call upon the security blanket that is Manly veteran Jake Trbojevic, who is out until Round 20 after aggravating his calf tear while trying to make an early return before Origin I.
Slater raised eyebrows by bringing Reuben Cotter into his run-on side at prop but despite being much smaller than the other front-rowers on the field, his mobility and work rate was essential to the Maroons’ win and earned him player of the match honours.
Murray could perform a similar role for the Blues but leaving him on the bench for the first half-hour makes no sense.
Surely the Blues won’t go down the Jack de Belin path after making enquiries about the fitness of the controversial Dragon in the lead-up to game one before opting for Pangai.
Panthers prop Spencer Leniu has been an impact weapon off the bench for the dual premiers over the past two seasons and will try to make a return from a (goes without saying, painful) testicle rupture suffered at training recently in Sunday’s duel with St George Illawarra.
When it comes to his halves duo, Fittler is reluctant to split up Cleary and Luai.
Jarome Luai. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
After consulting Cleary in the lead-up to selecting his initial squad, it was no surprise that the response to Fittler was that he’d prefer to have his long-time teammate wearing the No.6 jersey.
Luai did come up with two try assists in Adelaide but again left the bulk of the general play kicking to Cleary, who put boot to ball 18 times to his three.
“I call for the ball all game, I want the ball,” Luai claimed afterwards.
It was a similar situation last year – Cleary did pretty much all the Blues’ kicking and the Queensland defenders loaded up on him to reduce his effectiveness.
Sharks playmaker Nicho Hynes, the reigning Dally M player of the year, sat on the Blues bench for all but the last 11 minutes, only got a run at right centre when Tom Trbojevic was forced off due to the impact of Thomas Flegler’s shoulder to his dome.
Hynes is a much better organiser than Luai and while Cleary does not need much help in that department at club level, it’s clear he could benefit from a halves partner in Origin who can also carry some of that load while also sparking line breaks a couple of passes off the ruck.
South Sydney veteran Cody Walker fits that bill and with Mitchell almost certain to be back for game two, their dynamic on-field chemistry could be potent for NSW.
Queensland’s only concern is finding a replacement for Dolphins forward Tom Gilbert who will be out for several weeks with a dislocated shoulder.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Storm prop Christian Welch, after being an unused reserve in Adelaide, is next cab off the rank and could fill a middle role from the bench with Cotter remaining on an edge after filling in so well for Gilbert.
Or they could bring an experienced campaigner back with Felise Kaufusi available after serving his latest suspension or Kurt Capewell at the ready after taking it on the chin when Slater told him that he’d missed the cut for the series opener.
As they’ve done for decades, the Queenslanders will happily sit back over the next couple of weeks and watch the Blues “eat their own” in the wake of their Origin I loss.
Past players and coaches will weigh in on who they think should get the chop or get called up and the Maroons will feel sunnier than usual in the Sunshine State.
1 James Tedesco
2 Brian To’o
3 Latrell Mitchell
4 Campbell Graham
5 Josh Addo-Carr
6 Cody Walker
7 Nathan Cleary
8 Junior Paulo
9 Api Koroisau
10 Payne Haas
11 Cameron Murray
12 Liam Martin
13 Isaah Yeo
14 Nicho Hynes
15 Tyson Frizell
16 Spencer Leniu
17 Angus Crichton
with AAP