Game One of State of Origin has been and gone, and this little wombat enjoyed the game enough that I’ve decided to forgo the usual angry ranting; yes, this is even with the fact that the Maroons lost!. Even with the lack of attacking prowess by the Maroons, it was still an entertaining game, and the success of Wallace, Quinn, and the other debutants for NSW filled my loyalty-before-form-is-in-team-selection-is-so-freaking-stupid heart with joy, as did Craig Bellamy’s impressive work as coach.
There’s no real need for a play-by-play of events from the game (it’ll be replayed a bazillion times anyway), so instead I thought that I would go through and talk about the high and low points of both teams, as well as the game itself. I’m not going to go into who I think should be selected for game 2; I doubt the teams are going to change much anyway, and I think the Maroons loss was not due to the calibre of player, but rather due to the ineffectiveness of their playmakers.
Now before everyone starts whinging about how easy it is to be an “armchair coach”, I would just like to point out that I am fully aware of just how easy it is…that’s why I’m writing it, innit?
The People That Impressed:
Karmichael Hunt – say what you will about him not being an actual 5/8 (nor is Scott Prince, for the record people), he worked his arse off in defence last night, including smashing Ryan Hoffman about a million times. With a little work on his kicking and passing game, there is no reason why Hunt couldn’t be a damn good 5/8; as it was, his lack of those abilities probably hampered the Maroons a little in attack (especially with Cameron Smith forgetting to actually lead the side). That isn’t Hunts fault, however, and on the whole I thought he performed quite well in the position.
Ryan Hoffman – Speaking of Hoffman, I continue to be amazed out just how hard he works, especially considering that he can also turn out a bit of speed or a great pass when the situation demands it. One of the great things about the rise of Melbourne under Craig Bellamy has been a whole bunch of NRL hopefuls being given the chance to shine; it’s scary to think how many rep players would not even be playing first grade now if not for the Storm. Hoffman gave a typically tough, no-nonsense performance, and really stood out in the NSW forward pack.
Mark Gasnier – I feel dirty even typing these words, but Gaz had a pretty damn good game last night. Now admittedly he was quiet until the end, but he pulled his weight in defence, and his attacking football was quite impressive. If he played like this consistently, and can pull out these kinds of performances when his team is not so dominating, then I would be forced to reconsider calling him the MOST OVERRATED PLAYER EVER. Erhmm.
Anthony Quinn - I was impressed enough by Quinn when he played for Newcastle, but like many other players heading to the Storm has really improved his game. Members of the media seemed shocked at his appointment in the NSW side, but I cannot for the life of me understand why; he defends well, hits well above his weight, is confident under a high ball, and can score tries too. I hope this is the start of a long tenure in rep football.
Justin Hodges - Hodges was, to me, one of the few highlights in attack for the Maroons. He tirelessly chased after every kick, and was one of the sole reasons that Brett Stewart was taken in-goal quite a few times. He also looked positively deadly in defence, and is another player that can take down guys far bigger than him with what seems like the minimum of effort.
Peter Wallace – And the bloodnut makes the Blues his own; what a phenomenal performance! From his first touch Wallace looked as though he was in complete control of the game, and never seemed to take a backward step. He made one or two decisions that didn’t come off too well (kicked out on the full, for example), but he didn’t let these do his head in or compromise his overall performance. In my mind he outplayed Thurston on the night, and even with the fact Thurston was under a fair bit more pressure, that is still a huge achievement at this level. Hopefully Wallace’s great game will ensure that no one ever mentions Brett Finch and Origin in the same sentence again, unless the sentence is: “Hopefully Wallace’s great game will ensure that no one ever mentions Brett Finch and Origin in the same sentence again.”
The other debutants – I’m slotting them all in here, both the numerous Blues ones, as well as the couple for the Maroons. On a night of fairly dogged defence and some lacklustre Maroons attack, all the debutants managed to have a fair bit of impact for their sides. Besides the players I’ve already mentioned, I would especially like to compliment Laffranchi and Hannant for the Blues and Maroons respectively; both played hard, and managed to get involved in numerous positive ways. Laffranchi especially was overdue for an Origin birth; now we just need Buderus to finally piss off so Farah can make the side.
Craig Bellamy - I couldn’t talk about how impressive the Blues were without mentioning the new Coach. Bellamy is definitely the premier coach of the game, and his restructuring of the Blues was a masterful example of why he is so respected in the NRL. NSW were disciplined, ruthless in defence, and patient in attack, all qualities which they lacked in the previous two series’. I have the utmost respect for former Blues coach Graham Murray, but if Bellamy had gotten the job two years ago, I’m not so sure that Queensland’s title reign would have gotten off the ground
The Ones That Disappointed
Cameron Smith - A simple question: Where was he? Smith is an absolute attacking dynamo, and is a big part of why the Maroons have dominated the last two series so well. So why then, on a night when he was especially needed due to the absence of Lockyer, did Smith not put his hand up and take control? Smith’s non-event performance in attack left all the hard work to Thurston, and this led to far too much pressure being placed on the formidable halfback. If Cameron Smith had stepped up last night, the result could have been very different; that’s how much of an impact he can make. Hopefully he’ll remember this when game two rolls around.
Brent Tate - Yes he scored two tries, but so what? They involved little skill on his part. Tate, for the entire night, was pretty much terrible. He didn’t even contest the Anthony Quinn try, when a simple jump had a decent chance to stop it cold, not to mention that being ready to actually smash Quinn over the sideline might also have worked. He repeatedly ran too close to the sideline and was made to pay for it, his kicking game was shockingly bad, and he always seemed to be a step behind on the attack, especially when linking with Slater. I was hesitant about his inclusion in the side, seeing as how he has been in bad form at the Warriors, and unfortunately my fears were justified.
Billy Slater – I hate having to say this, but Slater was disappointing last night. Sure he was rock solid in defence (as per usual), and was completely safe running the ball back (also per usual), but his attack felt forced at times, as though he was trying too hard to make an impact, and thus missing those occasions where he could actually shine. Admittedly he wasn’t helped by NSW’s dominant defence, or the fact that his combination with Brent Tate was severely lacking (not Slater’s fault), but nonetheless I expected better. Mind you, I have no doubt that he will deliver come next game, assuming the selectors don’t do anything stupid.
Israel Folau – This isn’t actually Israel’s fault, as much as the sheer stupidity of the Maroons coaching staff for playing him on the wrong side of the field. Seriously, why? Why would you pick such an incredible attacking player on the opposite side of the field to where he usually plays? If this was meant to be some form of cunning ploy, well it failed miserably. Israel was good when he got the ball, but wasn’t anywhere near being his usual, powerful self. I hope this is fixed for the next game, but I sort of doubt it.
PJ Marsh – Deserved to be selected less than every other player on the field, including Willie Mason. Marsh has not been impressive since before he joined the Warriors many years ago, and the brief flashes of brilliance just make the rest of his play look that much worse. As far as ball-playing utilities go, there has to be someone better to sit on the Maroons bench than this guy. Actually I’d also like to give a dishonourable mention to Petero Civoniceva here; everything I said about Marsh applies equally to him, only with the added bonus that he’s slow as all hell.
Jarryd Hayne – I think Hayne might want to get some counselling, because quite frankly he has done little to excite me at all since his epic gunfight in Kings Cross alongside The World’s Greatest Gunslinger/Centre/Five-Eighth/Fullback/Captain/Co-Captain/Captain-Coach/Messiah, Mark Gasnier (I had to take a shot at him, I was still feeling dirty from complimenting him earlier…geddit, take a shot? Oh ho ho ho!). Hayne was selected on faith after an ordinary year for Parramatta, and I don’t really think he lived up to the confidence shown in him; mind you, with NSW winning comfortably, I imagine he’ll hang onto his spot for a while longer.
Paul Gallen – Gallen did not actually have a bad game (although he was hardly spectacular), and indeed he’s quite a good player; however, I object to him being in the NSW side purely on principle. This guy has built a reputation by literally grabbing guys by the balls, and has backed this up with the cheap shot on Cooper Cronk and the working over of Laffranchi’s facial injury during club games. This kind of dirty play should not fly in the modern game, and the NSW and Australian selectors rewarding him by choosing him for rep football just sends out the wrong message to everyone involved.
Danny Buderus – Why is this guy still in the NSW side, never mind its captain? Forgetting for a moment that his rise to prominence came about thanks to hanging from the coattails of Andrew Johns, Buderus has not impressed with his form for the last few years now, and Newcastle have only recently started actually winning games again. While admittedly not an option for this Origin, how it is that Robbie Farah did not unseat this guy two series ago is beyond me. Thankfully he’s going to England at the end of this year, although this brings up another point; I thought it was the policy of rep selectors to not choose players heading to Superleague in rep sides?
The Game
NSW - Honestly, the entire NSW side was pretty much a class act in every regard; even those players that did not impress individually managed not to let the side down, and it really is a testament to the defensive prowess of the Maroons that the winning margin was not much, much higher. From Craig Bellamy to Peter Wallace, the Blues were damn impressive in every facet of the game, and I have the sinking feeling that New South Wales are going to take Origin this year due to their fitness, toughness, and all round ability.
Maroons Defence – On a night where the Maroons attack consisted of two five minute flurries atop seventy minutes of blarrgh, their defence managed to be far more impressive. Sure they missed quite a few tackles (especially compared to the rock-solid Blues defence), but they still managed to keep the scores respectable despite really being played off the park. With such a solid foundation to work from, I have high hopes that the Maroons attack can be brought back to where it should be for game 2.
Karmichael Hunt Smashes Ryan Hoffman – Honestly, this has to have been the highlight of the game for me. After days of criticism in the press, in which Hunt’s defensive abilities were repeatedly ridiculed, watching him consistently pound Hoffman into the dirt was as impressive as it was hilarious.
The Slater-Hodges Express – Considering how unimpressive the Maroons attack was as a whole, as well as Slater’s individual performance, this play almost made up for it and came very close to turning the tide of the game; indeed, I have to give huge wraps to the NSW defenders that stopped Hodges centimetres from the line. Nonetheless, this run was definitely a highlight, and showed, albeit briefly, why the Maroons backline is so feared.
NSW’s Aggression – Despite almost never being square at marker, NSW nonetheless managed to really impress me with how forceful they were in containing the Maroons; in fact, there were numerous sets of six where the Queenslander’s struggled to run ten metres, which is more than just impressive considering the calibre of players involved. The fact that they repeatedly ran down and smashed Billy Slater while he was returning the football was also terrific, and was very effective in containing him for the entire game.
Well that’s it for this decidedly longer, and decidedly less ranty, Ranting Wombat. We’ll return you to your regularly scheduled bitch session next week.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go scrub myself with a wire brush while mumbling “unclean” over and over under my breath; can’t believe I said nice things about Gasnier….
- The Evil Wombat
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