State of Origin 2025

[Beavers Headgear]

Penrith win comps on the back of a great structure, week after week. Great structure doesn’t tend to win you rep games consistently, and have we seen this again this series ? Dylan Edwards and Yeo fit that style perfectly in club footy, in rep footy, their impact isn’t there to create something out of nothing. Not saying they’ve played poorly, but they don’t look like breaking a game open either. Yeo doesn’t strike as an inspirational style leader either

To’o playing hard as always, but every time he runs, you can see he isn’t right. Cleary and Haas also playing injured, has that cost NSW ? On the flip side of that, Tom wasn’t picked because he “didnt look right”. He would have had more impact than Edwards in the 1, more involvement than Latrell in the centres, and would have matched Lomax on the wing

brickbat of the night, Nathan Cleary. Obviously not fit, but f**k me, I have him challenging Joey at the end of his career as the best I have seen. Inside the first 5mins, Crighton was giving Shibasaki a bath. Cleary then spent 75mins ignoring him, absolutely criminal. His kicking game was bog average, and Luai had far more involvement than him over the course of the game. On the other side of the park, Dearden has been unbelievable and comfortably outplayed him

 

[Philip_Smith007]

Only got to watch last 30mins after workplace training.
Hudson headbutt on Capewell would have Warriors player sent off.
Mitchell got a hammer to the balls!
Dearden sold it to Mitchell and scored to seal a QLD win!

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Only got to watch last 30mins after workplace training.
Hudson headbutt on Capewell would have Warriors player sent off.
Mitchell got a hammer to the balls!
Dearden sold it to Mitchell and scored to seal a QLD win!

Shat myself when I saw that, thought Capewell might be concussed. Reminded me of Steve Price getting KOed in 2007, and Ivan sitting at home going 'oh f*ck no'

 

[Blair]

Watching the presentation can we have a jacket on Capewell so he doesn't catch a cold? 🥹

It was nice seeing Papali'i help raise the shield. Oh, and Luai will be angry this weekend. Latrell too, but that's not our problem.

 

[Izz]

lol bet Aaron Woods won't try stirring things up again...

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

Result sucked but can’t argue with QLD just being too good in the end. Defended like animals all game.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

Confirmed to me that I have complete apathy towards Origin these days, I used to really care about the results and get excited about it, but these days it doesn’t invoke that in me, I think the non stop talk about it from about Round 4 in the comp onwards gets me a bit over it

 

[JJ]

Just poor from NSW…. Clearly the better players…

Given the unretirement and then the Munster tragedy it was obvious QLD would be through the roof, but NSW should have been able to handle that and win.

I don’t buy criticism of the Penrith guys and talk of systems, you don’t win the big games they have by being solely bots.

The team played poorly, selection wise I don’t like the 9, or the propping rotation. Re injuries, those are decisions you can live with. Tom couldn’t be picked…

Elephant in the room is Daley, origin playing legend, but 1-5 is comical…. He cannot be the coach moving forward, simple really.

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

Elephant in the room is Daley, origin playing legend, but 1-5 is comical…. He cannot be the coach moving forward, simple really.

Yea I felt sick for Loz towards the end of the game. The poor dude must be starting to feel like he’s cursed.

 

[JJ]

Yea I felt sick for Loz towards the end of the game. The poor dude must be starting to feel like he’s cursed.

Yep, I loved him as a player (not when playing for Canberra lol), but the dude has failed as a coach - it is what it is... they should beg Gould to do it tbh, perfect balance of league savant but able to motivate people with the best of them

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

Yep, I loved him as a player (not when playing for Canberra lol), but the dude has failed as a coach - it is what it is... they should beg Gould to do it tbh, perfect balance of league savant but able to motivate people with the best of them

Yea Gould would be interesting but if the reason club head coaches are excluded is to avoid potential conflicts then Gould’s role at the Dogs could still present the same risks? It’d be almost worth it just to wind up Buzz though lol

But here’s a left field idea - Boyd Cordner. Bugger all coaching experience obviously, but has huge standing with the players. Put him in as a figurehead to drive the culture, and then surround him with the best coaches you can find.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

I don’t buy criticism of the Penrith guys and talk of systems, you don’t win the big games they have by being solely bots.

Club games to an extent you can get away with sticking to a solid program, because there is always a weakness you can bang and bang away at and exploit. Rep footy those weaknesses are far less pronounced and harder to hone in on. Obviously they can do it, Cleary in 2023 showed that in the space of 20 mins

Edwards is probably my example, worked his arse off, and everything he did, he did well. But in attack it is all predictable, block play after block play, and he doesn’t offer the penetration to create something on his own, and it didn’t test the QLD defence at all because they knew what was coming. On the slip side Hammer is electric and one little bit of space and he can change a game. Tedesco has probably been the form fullback of the comp this season.
To’o has barely played this season, you know what you will get from him, but he looks so busted on that leg of his, won’t effect him making his 200m, but in clear space he doesn’t look any hope at all of finishing from distance

Clearys injury probably took away his running game, and left the NSW attack far too predicable in style. Dearden killed NSW on sheer effort and not knowing what he is going to come up with

Not saying the Penrith players are poor, but they have had a big 5 years, and they are looking tired and I’m just not sure their style is creating enough problems for an elite defence to be unsure what to do

There is a bees dick in these games, and when I look at individual game breakers and explosiveness, QLD have that area covered over NSW at the moment

 

[JJ]

Club games to an extent you can get away with sticking to a solid program, because there is always a weakness you can bang and bang away at and exploit. Rep footy those weaknesses are far less pronounced and harder to hone in on. Obviously they can do it, Cleary in 2023 showed that in the space of 20 mins

I guess my point was that's also the way the playoffs are... and to be unkind to Qld I don't see their defence as impregnable - giving Crichton (of course a Penrith guy) and Latrell more chances to expose them was key...

Edwards is a terrific fullback, and was key last year - but I agree there are others that you can argue are as good... but To'o, Crichton, Cleary, Yeo, Martin - are all-world players... Luai behind Munster but not many others as a 5/8.

To your point, I think they should have Api there, he offers more, and I don't get King at all... Game two was just weird, Game three I come back to Qld's motivation and emotion, NSW not matching that/being flat, and I just don't believe Daley is the guy to coach them

 

[JJ]

On further reflection I am a bit over Origin too tbh, same schtick and horrible for the clubs and comp...

That said, if NSW actually want to win they need the right coach - Daley and Bellamy have both failed epically at Origin, and Daley doesn't have much coaching wise to recommend him... Fittler's record is much better

Maybe Dessie Hasler could "un-retire", or even as I said above Gould... other former players - hard to think of anyone who jumps out... but then I wouldn't have thought Slater was the answer

 

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

Laurie Daley
Great player, rubbish coach
Is not a Coach period.
NSW deserved everything they got, they played like mince and thats on the Coach.
How they even entertained him after his last run where he favoured Duggan and Fergerson and let them do what they want in camp has me lol non stop

 

[Beavers Headgear]

It’s a fine line isn’t it, if Lomax could kick goals in game 2, Daley has the series win

I’m not so sure either way, we were told early in the game that either Gould or Johns had been watching NSW train during the week, and they were giving the centres a huge amount of ball, that was the game plan. It looked a great plan in the first 5mins too, but then Cleary forgot about it for the remainder

 

[Blair]

It’s a fine line isn’t it, if Lomax could kick goals in game 2, Daley has the series win

I’m not so sure either way, we were told early in the game that either Gould or Johns had been watching NSW train during the week, and they were giving the centres a huge amount of ball, that was the game plan. It looked a great plan in the first 5mins too, but then Cleary forgot about it for the remainder.

And those centres, Crichton and Mitchell. Geez, chuck 'em the pill!

 

[Beavers Headgear]

 

[blue bags]

How dumb from Aussie Rugby to have a Lions game on tonight

They have done it before many times
Including past lion's tour's
When origin season starts
Somehow The media has a lot more RU articles

 

[JJ]

The front row selections and the Luai over Burton on form are issues, with the apparent lack of game plans and missing the start in two games is telling… if Daley keeps his job it’s a joke tbh