Queensland have taken an early lead in the 2024 State of Origin Series and while the Joseph Sua’ali’i send off has dominated any post-match discussion, there’s a bit more that went into the Maroons dominant Game I performance.
Here’s what we learned from State of Origin Game 1.
QLD Maroons
Origin DCE is built different
The QLD skipper and halfback is approaching Cameron Smith areas with his ability to consistently influence a result.
The 40/20 he nailed literally one set after Nicho Hynes’ failed attempt had real ‘hold my beer’ energy and that intercept in the lead up to Xavier Coates try was the exclamation mark on a Man of the Match performance.
When was the last time we saw Cherry-Evans make a poor decision in a Maroons jersey?
‘In Billy we trust’
Billy Slater threw a curveball in naming Selwyn Cobbo on a skinny bench for Game 1 and the decision proved a masterstroke given Reece Walsh’s early exit.
As he mentioned in the post-match, key outside backs have gone down in three of the last four Origin series and Slater planned accordingly.
The details at play in both Ben Hunt tries also speaks volumes of Slater’s tactical nous.
He clearly identified something in the spaces around Jarome Luai and Stephen Crichton – specifically in their marker defence – and successfully exposed it on two occasions.
If you’re a Queenslander, there’s a lot to like about what Billy’s doing with this team right now…
Selwyn & The Hammer
The Joseph Sua’ali’i incident left NSW skinny on their right edge and this pair made them pay to the tune of three slick scoring actions.
Credit must also go to Tom Dearden and Jaydn Su’A for their work in the lead up, but the involvements of Selwyn Cobbo and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow in attack were ominous for Blues supporters.
This pair can already beat you in so many ways and they are still just 22 years old; it’s frightening to think what their Origin careers could end up reading like.
Where is Carrigan’s ceiling?
He’s been one of Queensland’s best going back three Series now and was immense through the middle again in Game I.
Carrigan’s work rate makes him a ‘stat friendly’ player but the numbers don’t always accurately represent the importance of a certain involvement.
Whenever the Maroons needed a tough carry or a dominant tackle, Carrigan was there.
Equally capable as a distributor as he is a ball carrier, Carrigan is the best middle forward in the game for mine and I’m not sure we’ve seen his ceiling just yet.
NSW Blues
Flat, fast & direct
We guessed at the style of footy Michael Maguire wanted to play in Game 1 and got it right for the most part.
The Blues back five (four) were productive to consistently get NSW on the front foot early in sets before Reece Robson and a mobile forward pack played fairly one-out in yardage.
For NSW to average 43m per set while a man down is testament to the yardage qualities of their back five, in particular.
The Blues had no trouble earning good field position with a simple, direct approach that we can expect to continue throughout the Series.
James Tedesco
It was a luxury to bring a player of ‘Teddy’s’ calibre in at the 11th hour as injury cover and the former NSW captain was his usual, involved self; that scrappy, grubber-kick try while down a man is James Tedesco in a nutshell.
Unfortunately though, the issues that plagued NSW’s 2023 Series were also on display.
Why they fired so many shots through Teddy down a depleted right edge is a question that needs asking, and perhaps it will explain why so many of his passes hit the turf down.
He’s been a wonderful servant to NSW but Tedesco’s time has come.
Where do NSW’s points come from?
It was the biggest question for the Blues heading into Game 1 and while their chances were limited with a 12-man attack, those doubts were vindicated with a fairly poor offensive display.
More possession, more field position and better completion rates should translate into points but between Jarome Luai’s left-foot step, Tedesco’s questionable pass selection and Nicho Hynes’ inability to manufacture chances several plays ahead, the Blues attack struggled.
Hynes is the best in the business at recognising and punishing cues in the line, but the best defensive teams don’t offer a lot of those cues or weaknesses.
Hynes in defence
Regular listeners of the Neds NRL Unpopular Opinions Podcast will know I had my concerns about Hynes’ defence coming into Game 1.
He’s not a bad tackler, but his defence positioning and decision making under pressure often exposes himself or others in the line.
The spaces around Hynes have become a spot for attacking teams in clubland and the Maroons beat him on either shoulder a few times in Game 1.
Missing his centre partner was a fair excuse last week but this is not an isolated issue for Hynes in defence and it could be a deciding factor in his selection for Game 2.
NRL Rep Round Heroes
It’s a strange time in clubland right now as representative players drop in and out and most rugby league discussions inevitably circle back to State of Origin.
With that in mind, I want to give a few NRL club players a shoutout for their leading roles in NRL Round 14.
It’s not often a player puts four on the best defensive system we’ve ever seen in the NRL but Tommy Talau did just that in NRL Round 14.
The involvements of Jake Trbojevic further in field were instrumental in Manly exposing a rare weakness in Penrith’s defensive line.
NRL Video Analysis: How teams target spots in attack (or how Talau put four on Penrith)
"What looked like a winger repeatedly beating his opposite number was actually the result of Manly’s ability to target a spot in Penrith’s line further infield."
— Rugby League Writers (@rlwriters) June 11, 2024
Ben Hunt and Zac Lomax were immense in St George’s shut-out of Wests Tigers on Friday night.
With 93 touches between them, any excuses around Origin fatigue were quickly forgotten as Hunt and Lomax combined for three linebreaks, three try assists, four tries and 270+ running metres.
With Dragons role players doing their jobs around them, Hunt and Lomax were allowed to dominate in NRL Round 14.
Latrell Mitchell is the name on everyone’s lips leading into Origin II and he did his chances of a recall no harm with a leading performance against the Titans.
He’s one of the best ballplayers in the NRL and equally threatening as a ball carrier (when he wants to), he’s a big watch again vs Brisbane this week.
Te Maire Martin has been superb filling in for Shaun Johnson and as an OG fan, it’s been a joy to watch.
He’s not a highlight reel player but Martin nails all the fundamentals of good halfback play; tempo, deception and pass selection. Roster depth was a key factor when I ranked New Zealand so highly to begin the year and it’s paying dividends now after a slow start.
Tyran Wishart is the new Mr Fix It in Melbourne and is relishing an extended stint in first-grade.
A typical Craig Bellamy project, Wishart oozes effort in everything he does and appears to be highly coachable, as evident in his ability to fill so many different roles in this Storm attack.
What were your key takeaways from Origin 1 and who were your club’s standout players in a disrupted NRL Round 14? Let us know in the comments.
Written by Oscar Pannifex | rugbyleaguewriters.com