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2023 Origin I - Wed 31 May - NSW 18-26 QLD @ Adelaide

Series: NSW v QLD

  • New South Wales

    Votes: 25 53.2%
  • Queensland

    Votes: 22 46.8%

  • Total voters
    47
  • Poll closed .

Reflector

Juniors
Messages
2,264
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.
 
Last edited:

Reflector

Juniors
Messages
2,264
They were "always in the contest" when they lost 44-12 last year and 50-6 the year before
They picked and stuck with Paul Green for a whole series.

Meanwhile NSW kept Laurie Daley two series longer than he should’ve been given...
 

Pumpkin

Juniors
Messages
326
This isn't over. We were the better team on the fundamentals of position and possession but couldn't ice our chances. Qld got lucky.

Hynes needs to replace Luai at 5/8th to put on plays near the line. I raised serious concerns before the match on TPJ and he needs to be replaced. Mitchell will hopefully come back into the side. Turbo isn't himself.
 

Peach & Apricot

Juniors
Messages
390
The NSW attack and kicking game was embarrassing tonight. Dominated possession and were consistently in the Qld 20m zone yet came up with nothing. Cleary and Luai, totally overrated.

Tedesco should be dropped - NSW would be better off with Hynes at fullback if we are going to persist with the Penrith duo in the halves. Though frankly I think Adam Reynolds would be a better choice at halfback.
 

Pumpkin

Juniors
Messages
326
Cleary
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.
Cleary is not a gifted footballer. He has worked very hard on his game and good luck to him. He's never going to own a series as these idiots are suggesting. What you expect from him are good, solid performances and he's doing that. Hynes is a gifted footballer, and if he replaces Luai then we score a number of tries near the line that were crying out for a ball player. Hynes is the man for the job.
 

Reflector

Juniors
Messages
2,264
This isn't over. We were the better team on the fundamentals of position and possession but couldn't ice our chances. Qld got lucky.

Hynes needs to replace Luai at 5/8th to put on plays near the line. I raised serious concerns before the match on TPJ and he needs to be replaced. Mitchell will hopefully come back into the side. Turbo isn't himself.
I wouldn’t say Qld got lucky. They got lucky in 2020, and they got lucky in the opening game 12 months ago. Tonight they just played smarter overall with the possession they had.

I agree that a NSW team with a low error count in a game that flows would’ve won tonight, and if they can tick these two boxes for the remaining two games then we definitely have a live series.
 

aqua_duck

Coach
Messages
18,316
Tedesco was shocking but realistically he’s got enough runs on the board to last at least the rest of the series but it’s up to Freddy to get him to change how he plays. Teddy is awesome running straight and hard behind the ruck and as a support player but it’s like he’s gone away from that and has tried to turn himself in a 2nd five eighth which is just not his go, he completely stifles the attack with his sideways runnings and runs all his support players out of the play. We need to stop picking players like Young and TPJ because of this perceived mongrel, the game isn’t about that anymore, it’s about which team owns the big moments and that was Qld. Not sure what the time frame is for RCG but he comes straight in for TPJ and either Koloamatangi or Olaakauatu comes in for Young. I’d like to see Angus Crichton find some form because IMO he’s always been a job for NSW previously.
 

some11

Referee
Messages
23,313
Tedesco out jumper by a prop @Valheru defend that
Anyone who watched him this year for the roosters would have come to the same conclusion. He's lost the ability to break tackles and just doesn't look like he enjoys footy as a result.

Fittler will let him play out the series but his rep career is over.
 

Pumpkin

Juniors
Messages
326
By lucky you mean scoring two tries with a player in the bin.
Billy Slater said he had mixed feelings about the match. NSW did all the things necessary to win the match. Winning the battle of possession and position. QLD scored some lucky long range tries and stopped 2 by the skin of their teeth. That's not sustainable. Unless Qld improve, NSW will win the series. Especially with Hynes at 5/8th, with the ability to put players over for tries near the line and NSW were near their line a lot.
 

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