Reflector
Bench
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Got home not long ago, can’t be arsed scrolling through the entire match thread so I’ll give the cliff notes:
- I’ve long said my biggest concern going into an Origin match is that an officiating blunder will decide the game and possibly the entire series. Api’s try was 50/50 (even if Holmes was an idiot for forcing the pass instead of taking the tackle so close to his own line) while the Flegler sin bin was diabolical. If NSW had won it would be a hollow win for me, and my concern would’ve been that it airbrushed how poor NSW were all game. As a backhanded compliment, that was the worst I have seen the Blues play since Freddy took over 5 years ago. Now they can’t gloss over that performance with a win or fall back on the series still being live if they lose in Brisbane. It is do or die, and (like 2016 should have ultimately been the end for Daley) it should be the game that decides Freddy’s future as coach of the this team.
- When DCE retires from rep footy Qld are going to lose a major component of their kicking game. That 40/20 has become a trademark of his and is just the thing to lift a team who are toiling out of their own end. Not sure if there’s another Qld half who pulls off that move like DCE has time and again?
- Walsh was sound tonight. Not sure when or if Ponga makes his way back into the team? I get the impression his attitude is at odds with how Slater picks his teams.
- People who think the series is over are jumping the gun. The last team to come back from 1-0 down was a Blues team not too different from this one, also coached by Freddy. Tonight was down to execution and dumb football IQ. Fix those two and I’m confident this series goes to a Decider (TM), which we know the NRL is all too happy to accomodate.
- Teddy cost NSW the game in the last 5 minutes. End of.
- Cleary (for the criticism he still cops from some here) is no worse than Joey or JT were at Origin level at the same point in his career. I feel people judge him based on who those players became ultimately, rather than where they were at the same point. Lockyer was one poor game from being dropped at 29 - and he managed to play 5 years of great rep football from there.
- The difference between Qld under Slater vs Qld under Walters/ Green is they do the 1% plays which makes a difference. They do the simple things well and don’t play too complex. This was a similar trait of NSW under Freddy in his first couple of seasons, a focus on effort and execution. If he wants to save the series, and his Origin coaching gig, he needs to go back to basics for Game 2.
- I’ve long said my biggest concern going into an Origin match is that an officiating blunder will decide the game and possibly the entire series. Api’s try was 50/50 (even if Holmes was an idiot for forcing the pass instead of taking the tackle so close to his own line) while the Flegler sin bin was diabolical. If NSW had won it would be a hollow win for me, and my concern would’ve been that it airbrushed how poor NSW were all game. As a backhanded compliment, that was the worst I have seen the Blues play since Freddy took over 5 years ago. Now they can’t gloss over that performance with a win or fall back on the series still being live if they lose in Brisbane. It is do or die, and (like 2016 should have ultimately been the end for Daley) it should be the game that decides Freddy’s future as coach of the this team.
- When DCE retires from rep footy Qld are going to lose a major component of their kicking game. That 40/20 has become a trademark of his and is just the thing to lift a team who are toiling out of their own end. Not sure if there’s another Qld half who pulls off that move like DCE has time and again?
- Walsh was sound tonight. Not sure when or if Ponga makes his way back into the team? I get the impression his attitude is at odds with how Slater picks his teams.
- People who think the series is over are jumping the gun. The last team to come back from 1-0 down was a Blues team not too different from this one, also coached by Freddy. Tonight was down to execution and dumb football IQ. Fix those two and I’m confident this series goes to a Decider (TM), which we know the NRL is all too happy to accomodate.
- Teddy cost NSW the game in the last 5 minutes. End of.
- Cleary (for the criticism he still cops from some here) is no worse than Joey or JT were at Origin level at the same point in his career. I feel people judge him based on who those players became ultimately, rather than where they were at the same point. Lockyer was one poor game from being dropped at 29 - and he managed to play 5 years of great rep football from there.
- The difference between Qld under Slater vs Qld under Walters/ Green is they do the 1% plays which makes a difference. They do the simple things well and don’t play too complex. This was a similar trait of NSW under Freddy in his first couple of seasons, a focus on effort and execution. If he wants to save the series, and his Origin coaching gig, he needs to go back to basics for Game 2.
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