Noddy would throw pass again
By Dean Ritchie
May 27, 2005
SHATTERED NSW halfback Brett Kimmorley last night spoke of being "gutted" at throwing the ill-fated intercept pass which handed Queensland victory in State of Origin I.
But a defiant Kimmorley is refusing to turn conservative and has vowed to continue playing his instinctive brand of rugby league.
The Blues halfback spoke exclusively with The Daily Telegraph last night at Cronulla Beach.
He spoke of the anguish and heartbreak at throwing the pass which saw Matt Bowen score the golden-point try that gave Queensland a 24-20 win.
Always honest and upfront, Kimmorley stressed he would continue to be the spontaneous player that has made him arguably the world's finest halfback.
Asked how he felt at fulltime, Kimmorley said: "I was gutted. To throw the pass which cost us the game was really disappointing.
"The hardest part is that you take it personally.
"It felt like we won the game when Danny [Buderus] scored.
"But once Matty Bowen got the ball, I knew it was a try. It was a 'what-could-have-been' I suppose.
"But we have to take it as a positive that we scored 20 points in one half and look to game two."
Kimmorley said his natural instincts have only failed once in his wonderful career - that happening on Wednesday night at Suncorp Stadium.
Asked would he throw the same high-risk pass again, Kimmorley said: "Definitely. If I don't keep playing on instinct then I become very structured and then I'm not the player I am.
"All the good players don't go out with a set plan, they just throw the ball where there is a weakness or a bit of space.
"It's the way I like to play, off the top of my head and what's in front of me.
"I've played first grade for nine years and feel I've lost one game through my instinct.
"It's a fair record."
Kimmorley said the long, high-risk pass would come again as early as tomorrow night when his Sharks play Parramatta at Toyota Park.
"I'll do it again, I'll do it again this weekend," he said.
"If we need to score to win, I'll back myself again. I just need to fix up the execution, that's the difference.
"I still back myself on the pass.
"I didn't think about Matty Bowen catching the pass, I just thought about us scoring a try the other way.
"I want to play Saturday to get over the disappointment. I want to play instinctive again.
"I want to move forward."
Kimmorley should retain his position in the NSW side for Origin II in Sydney on June 15.
He was not talking immediately after the match about the pass, saying: "I don't think I could have got any words out."
But yesterday Kimmorley spoke openly about the pass.
"I watched the ball hit Bowen on the chest - it couldn't have been any straighter," Kimmorley said. "It was one of those things.
"You see things and you back yourself.
"I was very disappointed last night and am still very disappointed today.
"The hardest part about how I feel is that we played so good the last 40 minutes. The guys made a tremendous effort to come from 19-0 down.
"But it was my bad pass which took all their hard work away from them.
"It was a 50-50 thing that went their way and unfortunately for us we are now one-nil down.
"You don't plan for these things to happen. It just did."
NSW coach Ricky Stuart has urged Kimmorley to continue playing his natural game.
Stuart said he wants the Cronulla halfback back in the NSW number seven jumper for the next Origin game at Telstra Stadium.
"You could look at it both ways - if we get the ball we score, if they get the ball, they score," Kimmorley said.
"I think [Ricky] was just glad we backed ourselves.
"Going into a game feeling confident you back yourself.
"I read this morning that it was Matty Bowen's first intercept. Good for him.
"The players have been tremendous. The messages I got overnight and the phone calls this morning have all been really good.
"It's the best thing about playing a team sport.
"You shoot yourself but my teammates have been tremendous and that's great given the match's big stage.
"If I play two good games for Cronulla then hopefully I'll be in game two."
NSW reserve forward Steve Simpson yesterday backed Kimmorley's decision to attempt to exploit an overlap with what became the crucial intercept.
"He threw that pass but if it lands in one of our blokes' arms it's a try at the other end so it was just one of those things - that's just the way it goes in footy," Simpson said.
Stuart wants his entire 18-man squad there for the second match at Homebush.
The Daily Telegraph
