New South Wales Blues vs Queensland Maroons – Wednesday night – ANZ Stadium
Blues
- Jarryd Hayne (Parramatta Eels)
- Will Hopoate (Parramatta Eels)
- Josh Dugan (St George Illawarra Dragons)
- Michael Jennings (Sydney Roosters)
- Daniel Tupou (Sydney Roosters)
- Josh Reynolds (Canterbury Bulldogs)
- Trent Hodkinson (Canterbury Bulldogs)
- Aaron Woods (Wests Tigers)
- Robbie Farah (Wests Tigers)
- Paul Gallen (c) (Cronulla Sharks)
- Ryan Hoffman (Melbourne Storm)
- Beau Scott (Newcastle Knights)
- Greg Bird (Gold Coast Titans)
- James Tamou (North Queensland Cowboys)
- Trent Merrin (St George Illawarra Dragons)
- Anthony Watmough (Manly Sea Eagles)
- Luke Lewis (Cronulla Sharks)
Maroons
- Billy Slater (Melbourne Storm)
- Darius Boyd (Newcastle Knights)
- Greg Inglis (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
- Justin Hodges (Brisbane Broncos)
- Brent Tate (North Queensland Cowboys)
- Jonathan Thurston (North Queensland Cowboys)
- Daly Cherry-Evans (Manly Sea Eagles)
- Matt Scott (North Queensland Cowboys)
- Cameron Smith (c) (Melbourne Storm)
- Nate Myles (Gold Coast Titans)
- Sam Thaiday (Brisbane Broncos)
- Aiden Guerra (Sydney Roosters)
- Matt Gillett (Brisbane Broncos)
- Ben Teo (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
- Chris McQueen (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
- Jacob Lillyman (New Zealand Warriors)
- Dave Taylor (Gold Coast Titans)
Note: team line-ups are subject to considerable change. Rosters will be updated as amendments filter through.
With all the talk of chaos and crisis around the Queensland camp, you would be forgiven for assuming the team has been abandoned at sea on a small raft for the last three weeks. Now I'm not here to say there hasn't been disruption, because there has, but I'm starting to think the talk has been a little overplayed. In game one Queensland lost their halfback early in the game and had to adjust on the run (and with one less bench player) - now that's disruption. Despite that, only a rather heroic performance from NSW stopped the Queenslanders from collecting the chocolates.
I'm going to assume Cherry-Evans plays and, let's be honest, it was only a matter of time before he was wearing the seven for QLD anyway. Even with a bad knee he's had more time to prepare for game two than he did for game one. He's the form halfback in the NRL and will be steering QLD around for another decade. I think he'll be okay. In the unlikely event that he doesn't play Ben Hunt gets a chance. Hunt, like Cherry-Evans, has been in tremendous form in the NRL. If Hodkinson can handle the step up to Origin intensity I'm betting that Hunt will handle it also.
Sam Thaiday returns for game two and in Origins past he has (at times) produced performances that were the catalyst for some of QLD's most dominant victories. His first fifteen minutes in the game could prove crucial.
Josh Papali is out injured but after a quiet game one he may have missed out anyway. Gillett slots into the lock position for Corey Parker and makes way for Thaiday in the second row. Slice and dice them any way you like them - this is still a very good football side.
I can say plenty of good things about the performance of NSW in game one, but everyone else has already said it. For mine, the absence of the Morris brothers is as big a loss for NSW as Cronk is for QLD. Dugan is playing out of position and needs to contend with QLD's most successful attacking edge in Inglis and Boyd. Beau Scott will be out there helping him, but he'll need to. Hopoate slots in on the wing - he's been there before and has had plenty of experience combining with Jarryd Hayne. For mine, those two appear to be the likely scorers for the home side. Back either or both to do so with confidence (weather permitting).
New South Wales have their noses in front in the series and go into this game with confidence...and deservedly so. They should certainly be favoured to win game two, but the price on offer for QLD is outrageously generous. Champions produce and should never be doubted. Cherry-Evans, possibly on one leg, to calmly slot a field goal in the final five.
This series goes to a decider.
Verdict : QLD 19 - NSW 18
First try scorer: Darius Boyd
Man of the Match: Jonathan Thurston
Comments
Submitted by a on
I think the scores and the people who score tires are
QLD 18 Justin Hodges Darius Boyd Brent Tate Thruston 3/4 NSW 12 Josh Dugan Beau Scott Trent Hodkison 2/2
Man of the match Darius Boyd
Submitted by Johnny Ray on
Alright. I can't believe that I am still here because I don't deserve to be here ! I've been making too many bad calls lately but cool here's one that I am sure about - NSW will win this week State Of Origin !
You want to know why I think that ? No Johnny Ray ! Cool, reason why I think that is that it's all got to do with my Warriors equal shit theory. That whenever something significant happens in the NRL, it always happens to Warriors. Storm get found out for cheating salary cap, Warriors play them same week. Sharks get found out for drug cheating by ASADA, Warriors play them same week. There's Woman In League coming up ? Warriors Player puts video up of him getting it on in his car. Warriors become first team from eighth spot to get into Grand Final against Sea Eagles ? NRL changes their system ! Warriors are still only team in professional sports to lose first game they ever won ! ( We got docked two competition points for having fourteen players on field which cost us spot in top eight in 1995 ). Because of this theory I'm picking NSW to win because you know who Warriors playing this week ? Queensland premier team The Bronco's ! And it can only be Warriors that would be playing Broncos the same week Queensland loses their first Origin series in eight years ! Like I said Warriors equal Shit ! NSW 20 QLD 10 Man Of Match Jarrad Hayne.
Submitted by mark ashford on
HOLY SMOKE Johnny Ray. I've got a tear in my eye for your Warriors!
Hope that prediction is off course mate.
Most calendars have the week beginning on a Sunday.
Well last Sunday the Eels (underdogs) got up and last night the Storm (underdogs) got up as well.
So this is the week of the underdogs and the Maroons (definite underdogs) are going to do the same.
Slater and Inglis are fit to play as is the rest of the team.
Thaiday and Taylor will want to make up for not being there SOO1. Inglis and Thurston will be the big improvers and win it for the Maroons.
If Hunt plays for Cherry Evans he'll be OK his Bronco form is fine.
Maroons 16
Blues 10
MOM GI
Submitted by The Joker on
NSW 26 QLD 12... UP THE BLUES!!!!
Submitted by Guru Craig on
Queensland - For eight years we've had Maroon dominance, until NSW got their 2pt win at Suncorp in game one. The Blues did themselves and their supporters proud, they seemed to have found what QLDers having been going on about all these years.
If we take a look at the game, one of the best true Origin games in recent memory, we see that it took several factors to get the Blues on top and up 1-0. The Guru doubts NSW will have such luck twice in two games, QLD are a team of champions, some are wounded and some new faces have shown up, but the essence of what they built is on the line and all QLDers know this Maroons team will give everything they have to keep the series alive, and that's more than enough for me.
QLD 18 - NSW 14
First try - D.Boyd
MOTM - D.Taylor
Submitted by Johnny Ray on
NSW SOUTH WALES !!! :-)
Submitted by The Thinker on
Morning All
It's been a long night. I'll get the tips for the next round up as soon as I can get my eyeballs operating.