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Rort of NSW game 1 thoughts

tomdl

Bench
Messages
3,577
Hayne ran sideways the entire game. Even The New South Wales supporters we watched with cringed everytime he was given the ball.
 
Last edited:

RABK

Referee
Messages
20,694
Pearce gave Bird, Jennings and Hayne plenty of good ball, we really carved QLD up on that left fringe. Hayne was tremendous, made 10-15m every run as did bird. Jennings had that brain explosion punch (Thaidays Origin career would be about 100 minutes shorter if that was a binning) but showed if given space he can tear it up.

Farah got his forwards rolling up the middle beautifully. Tamou, Gallen, Merrin and Farah all made a lot of metres and offloads. Support play (This is B Stewarts and Carneys job) was lacking up the middle big time. Arms free with yawning gaps but knowing running onto the possible pass.

Carney didn't turn up. Lewis, B Stewart, G Stewart and Morris did ok considering Carney was the half parked on that side of the field and didn't service them well at all. Surely Carney will be MUCH better for the run and our right fringe will get better ball. No point picking ball players like the Stewart Bro's if the guy who is supposed to take the ball to the line to start backline movements goes missing standing deep and just passing it back into the ruck (Carney).

Uate has always had a defensive game like that coming, hopefully it's a one off. He, Morris and Carney were simply not sliding and Thurston picked that up and made us pay.

Buhrer on for Farah was a terrible call as Farah was carving up and i think that along with the Jennings binning killed the momentum we had built up in the first 20 minutes of each half.

Williams had about 100 tackle breaks in 20 minutes - he should and will get more minutes in game 2. Buhrer? Just pick Watmough.

Creagh - meh, he just doesn't seem to want to do the tough stuff but he was ok.

Looking at the stats we really steamrolled their pack and were the better team yet once again, even disregarding the bullshit calls, we had them dog tired and they were the ones who dug deep and found points.
 

Mader45

Juniors
Messages
664
Myles and Bird were awesome. They both represented what Origin should be about. A spectacle of skill, always on the verge of emotionally charged chaos.

I'm a fan of good football and the one resounding thought running thru my head over and over after the last try was "Not like this". I dont recall walking away from an origin game so disillusioned.
 

RABK

Referee
Messages
20,694
As for QLD i think their backs deserve a lot of credit tonight. Their forward pack got handed probably their worst steam rolling since 2005 yet guys like Tate, Boyd, Inglis and Thurston played very well and got QLD the points with limited ball in our 20.

A lot, if not all, of QLD's success has been stated as the product of their hard working forward pack but tonight i think QLD showed they can win behind a beaten pack. Credit to Thurston especially, very Johns like performance behind a well beaten pack.
 

Knightmare

Coach
Messages
10,715
NSW played like a side who didn't just believe that they could match Qld, but that they could beat them. They will take a lot away from this match, without going into some of the controversial calls.

Jennings was stupid to run in and throw a punch like that, but he won't do that again. He showed he has the passion to back his team-mates up, and rectified himself by scoring that try. He has a long Origin career ahead of him.

Farah played better than I expected. If he keeps that form up, I have no problems seeing him as the established Blues #9. Even though his 40/20 attempt went out on the full, it only just missed. He had the right idea and showed great vision in attempting it, and his held-up try was a gutsy effort.

Uate needs to work on marking his man in defence. Get that right and he will be rock solid.

All in all, I think only a fool could call this series done and dusted. NSW know they had Qld's measure, not just for one half or even 60 minutes, but virtually the whole contest. The Maroons have more skill in the backs and it showed when they got within 20 metres of their tryline, but NSW showed they have plenty of ticker, guts and self-belief. Stick with this group for Game 2...
 
Messages
100
if stuart is going to allow farah to play like that, then he might as well get rid of one of pearce or carney and bring in another forward to take their place. farah made himself look good, but the overall outcome of his performance on that of the team was to upset the structure and get in the way of the halves whenever he decided to take it upon himself to dart across the field with ball in hand from the dummy half. NSW never looked like setting anything up because Pearce and Carney never got the opportunity Cronk and Thrurston consistently did, and the Blues got their tries from cross field kicks where the result can go either way. we know carney and pearce can combine well and direct a team around the park, but what's the point of having them both in there if farah intends on calling the shots too?? get rid of one and have the other combine with farah for the rest of the series.

and why the f**k did Tamou not return until the last quarter of the game? he was the one that put QLD on the backfoot early on with farah from dummy half and others on the edge of the ruck taking advantage of extra metres from his initial go forward.

as generally is the case in recent years, the NSW play came from ad hoc sparks in general play such as Hayne and Jennings. in contrast, QLD had the usual structure with halves predominantly directing attacking forays leading to two great executing tries and other close ones requiring some good NSW defending. despite the lack of possession, it was always QLD that looked like putting together structured plays to score points.

finally, the QLD players didn't have the best games individually, but as is normally the case, the difference best and worst wasn't that huge. On the other hand, the difference between NSWs best and worst was again greater, and the blues always manage to have the brain snaps.

hopefully, not too many changes are made. get rid of one of the halves as i eluded to earlier or get disciplined play from farah. watmough and hinchcliffe should come in - the latter in particular if buhrer is only going to be used for a token 5 mins. did not add any value to the team.
 

Vic Mackey

Referee
Messages
26,355
if stuart is going to allow farah to play like that, then he might as well get rid of one of pearce or carney and bring in another forward to take their place. farah made himself look good, but the overall outcome of his performance on that of the team was to upset the structure and get in the way of the halves whenever he decided to take it upon himself to dart across the field with ball in hand from the dummy half. NSW never looked like setting anything up because Pearce and Carney never got the opportunity Cronk and Thrurston consistently did, and the Blues got their tries from cross field kicks where the result can go either way. we know carney and pearce can combine well and direct a team around the park, but what's the point of having them both in there if farah intends on calling the shots too?? get rid of one and have the other combine with farah for the rest of the series.

and why the f**k did Tamou not return until the last quarter of the game? he was the one that put QLD on the backfoot early on with farah from dummy half and others on the edge of the ruck taking advantage of extra metres from his initial go forward.

as generally is the case in recent years, the NSW play came from ad hoc sparks in general play such as Hayne and Jennings. in contrast, QLD had the usual structure with halves predominantly directing attacking forays leading to two great executing tries and other close ones requiring some good NSW defending. despite the lack of possession, it was always QLD that looked like putting together structured plays to score points.

finally, the QLD players didn't have the best games individually, but as is normally the case, the difference best and worst wasn't that huge. On the other hand, the difference between NSWs best and worst was again greater, and the blues always manage to have the brain snaps.

hopefully, not too many changes are made. get rid of one of the halves as i eluded to earlier or get disciplined play from farah. watmough and hinchcliffe should come in - the latter in particular if buhrer is only going to be used for a token 5 mins. did not add any value to the team.


Who is this, Danny or michael?
 

T.T

Juniors
Messages
676
if stuart is going to allow farah to play like that, then he might as well get rid of one of pearce or carney and bring in another forward to take their place. farah made himself look good, but the overall outcome of his performance on that of the team was to upset the structure and get in the way of the halves whenever he decided to take it upon himself to dart across the field with ball in hand from the dummy half. NSW never looked like setting anything up because Pearce and Carney never got the opportunity Cronk and Thrurston consistently did, and the Blues got their tries from cross field kicks where the result can go either way. we know carney and pearce can combine well and direct a team around the park, but what's the point of having them both in there if farah intends on calling the shots too?? get rid of one and have the other combine with farah for the rest of the series.

and why the f**k did Tamou not return until the last quarter of the game? he was the one that put QLD on the backfoot early on with farah from dummy half and others on the edge of the ruck taking advantage of extra metres from his initial go forward.

as generally is the case in recent years, the NSW play came from ad hoc sparks in general play such as Hayne and Jennings. in contrast, QLD had the usual structure with halves predominantly directing attacking forays leading to two great executing tries and other close ones requiring some good NSW defending. despite the lack of possession, it was always QLD that looked like putting together structured plays to score points.

finally, the QLD players didn't have the best games individually, but as is normally the case, the difference best and worst wasn't that huge. On the other hand, the difference between NSWs best and worst was again greater, and the blues always manage to have the brain snaps.

hopefully, not too many changes are made. get rid of one of the halves as i eluded to earlier or get disciplined play from farah. watmough and hinchcliffe should come in - the latter in particular if buhrer is only going to be used for a token 5 mins. did not add any value to the team.

nice first post you joker.

it was obviously stuarts choice for farah to play like that, kicking from halfback position, he never does that at wt
 

dinko

Juniors
Messages
166
Who is this, Danny or michael?


:D:D:D

What an idiot:oops: So we don't need a HB because farah ran sideways on one or two occasions?

It's actually a strength, when one of the wingers slots in a DH and we have more ball players in the middle spreading the ball. more options to get under the sticks, keeps the toads guessing.
 

aqua_duck

Coach
Messages
18,765
Hayne ran sideways the entire game. Even The New South Wales supporters we watched with cringed everytime he was given the ball.

Hayne ran for 170m tonight, not sure what game you were watching. Maybe the same VHS tapes GI grew up watching.....
 

Big Pete

Referee
Messages
29,176
Strangest Origin of all time.

It didn't feel like an Origin game to me. Maybe I watched too many Origin replays before the big event but the play felt so structured and rehearsed that there was little room for the theatrics we're used to & when it came time for the brawl it was spoiled by a cheap shot from Jennings, more on that later. I'm not saying the game was low quality either, NSW played at a fierce pace and the completion rates were good considering but something was missing.

A first impressions run through...

NSW well and truly ambushed Queensland in that opening twenty. Qld didn't know how to handle them during that period & they were causing them all sorts in the middle. First points were a bit fortunate, but a just reward for their great start - Uate capitalising on Boyd's lack of confidence. I still have question marks whether Uate didn't get the slightest touch on it but based on the video we saw I couldn't see any conclusive evidence to say he did, so fair call.

Queensland started to get back into the game thanks to the boot of Smith and backline shifts to GI & Tate respectively. However, momentum didn't swing until Jennings was binned for running a good 20-30 minutes to blind side Tate with a cheap-shot. I'm really unsure how I feel about this. When it comes to Origin, I love the no holds barred interpretation of the rules and the theatrics of the brawls - even though Qlders invariably lose most of them. I would have been happy with a penalty & a few weeks suspension for Jennings but what kind of punishment is that really for Jennings? All he'd miss is a few Windsor matches and he'd be back to fight another day. So I can live with the ruling but would hate to see it become a habit at this level because that isn't my idea of Origin.

With Jennings off, Qld capitalise after a failed attempt down the right, targeting Uate on the left with a sweet backline to send Boyd over. They have a few more attempts at the vulnerable NSW line but a few kicks miss their mark and let NSW off the hook. 6-4 appears to be the final score heading into half-time until Bird gets penalised for an iffy tackle on Cronk. For mine, this is a black & white ruling and while this was well and truly on the lower scale, the refs. had little choice.

Qld off the back of that call target that right edge of the Blues again and it comes off beautifully with Boyd grabbing a double to well and truly put that early blunder behind him. JT kicks a very important conversion to take us to halftime, Qld leading 12-4.

At half-time I thought the first try scorer would win the match. If it was Qld, they'd run away with it, if NSW it was going to be a tight victory for them. Neither scenarios truly played out but they definitely dominated the majority of the half. Once again, sensing Slater was vulnerable under the high ball, they put it up high and he gifts them the valuable 6 pointer to put them well and truly back in the match.

From there, NSW well & truly take control of this second half but can't find that money pass to put a player over - resorting too much on cross field kicks that Tate did a fantastic job of defusing. Qld had a couple of rallies but never built on them, their best chance coming through a halfbreak on the right that ended in Thaiday spilling the ball when Qld could have scored.

After wave of attack, NSW grew frustrated and decided to take the two while they were offer. This was an incredibly confusing call at the time and it's perhaps a moment that will be capsuled in the wash up of the game. It appears the Maroons were on the ropes and cracks were starting to show. If the Blues had of managed to put on one good set they could have taken the lead & build on that lead. Instead, they took a risky penalty goal, missed & let Queensland off the hook.

NSW kept dominating and exposing Queensland down the right, Cronk in particular came up with a few bad reads that left his aged outside men exposed against the blistering speed of Jennings. After a scare from B. Stewart, the Maroons eventually held firm and through the good work of their backs & the boot of their 9 & 6 the Maroons finally put themselves in enemy territory.

It only really took one set and after going close on a few occasions, Qld found success off the Cronk/Slater aerial combination in a controversial try that has everyone talking. Technically I can see why it was awarded but I honestly didn't like seeing an Origin game decided on this call. While I was relieved Inglis sowed the game (and try record) up, for mine a try shouldn't have been rewarded. I don't believe GI ever had proper control and while I'm fine with the call going in Queensland's favour because Farah illegally lead with the foot I think a penalty would have sufficed and set up a far more satisfying conclusion. Either way, Qld take a victorious 18-10 lead. NSW try a couple of desperate plays but none of them come off and Qld take the important 1-0 for the series.

TL;DR - NSW ambushed Qld with their fierce pace but let themselves down with questionable decisions and poor plays in sets. While Qld weren't at their best, they can be proud of their resiliency & have plenty of room for improvement. Most of NSW put in top shelf performances, Qld can only say the same about 4 players.
 

Chook Norris

First Grade
Messages
8,322
Hayne ran sideways the entire game. Even The New South Wales supporters we watched with cringed everytime he was given the ball.

"runs sideways"

somehow still makes 168 metres runnning sideways

the most of both backlines and 2nd in metres gained for both teams, just behind Gallen

Hayne silenced his critics. The bloke is a proven performer at Origin
 

tomdl

Bench
Messages
3,577
"runs sideways"

somehow still makes 168 metres runnning sideways

the most of both backlines and 2nd in metres gained for both teams, just behind Gallen

Hayne silenced his critics. The bloke is a proven performer at Origin


Meh, watched the whole game. Still thought he was sub par and didn't ever really threaten. Just as he has been for a long time. Won't care if he is selected to play again.
 

aqua_duck

Coach
Messages
18,765
Meh, watched the whole game. Still thought he was sub par and didn't ever really threaten. Just as he has been for a long time. Won't care if he is selected to play again.

You must have been watching a different game to everyone else, either that or you don't know what Hayne looks like.......
 

Wally21

First Grade
Messages
5,072
Meh, watched the whole game. Still thought he was sub par and didn't ever really threaten. Just as he has been for a long time. Won't care if he is selected to play again.

Hey Dugan go and have another drink you knob jockey Bogan
 

WaznTheGreat

Referee
Messages
24,524
Robbie Farah stepped up and showed he can make it in the origin arena,his best performance for NSW


James Tamou made a great debut,ran hard every time


Jarryd Hayne and Michael Jennings looked dangerous in the backs


Uate is a brilliant ball runner but is a drongo in defense


Paul Gallen is Robocop


Mitchell Pearce was decent without being outstanding


Todd Carney completely shat himself on the big stage,you could see him in the dressing room before the game and he looked terrified


Tony Williams did very well first up from a spell


Jamie Buhrer looked like a amatuer


Anthony Watmough > Glenn Stewart


Josh Dugan > Brett Stewart


Josh Morris was pretty good and deserves another crack
 
Messages
3,097
Stuart's use of the bench was ordinary. Tamaou should have got more time, Buhrer was out there for what, 2 minutes? Didn't notice Creagh and Williams was on too late.

Yes the referees were poor but the better team on the night won.
 

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