Hoping Thaiday gets at least 3 weeks for that tackle on Gallen. He has no place out on that left edge and not really even in the side. O'Neill needs to go as well. He made a few important tackles but he did nothing with the ball, and he's just not up to Origin standard. He's not in the top 5 centres in QLD.
Now that the series has been won and lost I do think it's time to throw that fucking baby out with the bathwater. Reynolds and Maloney have manufactured one try each in 160 minutes of football. God knows what they would've come up with had they played behind beaten packs. And along with those two tries a myriad of shit kicks, poor passes, poor decisions, and a lack of direction or vision. Maloney wasn't as bad as I think a lot of people are saying. He isn't creative enough and can't ball play for shit but he did threaten with his running game. So I can see him being retained. With a ball-playing half, I could see him doing a decent job. I wouldn't keep him but it's not a horrible selection. Reynolds is just shit. He's a myth with a good kicking game and when that fails, as it has again, he really looks out of place. Credit to him for finally taking the line on and setting up Frizell. lol maybe QLD just assumed he would kick or throw a horrible pass as he pretty much always does. Like we said before the series, that crossfield chip shit to a winger in 20m of space happens at club level; it doesn't happen in Origin. There just isn't enough in his arsenal and I don't particularly rate him as an organiser either. It was weird game really because despite having the majority of field position again, I never really felt like NSW would come over the top of QLD with enough points. Even if Jennings had scored, there still felt like more points in QLD. Take out penalty goals, and opportunist intercept tries (Gagai's first and Maloney's) it was 3 tries to 1 and 5 line breaks to 3.
I don't know if it was like Myles in game 1 with not enough minutes but it seems like Tamou is turning into Brett White at Origin level. 26 hit-up metres? Had to double check the cunt even played tonight. Only thing I remember him doing is letting Smith stroll through in the second minute. Awful.
I thought Maloney went OK...for a NSW half. Did better than a lot of the other shit cunts before him. Just needs proper back-up.
Daley said in the press conference that there's no way he'll be blooding rookies or making changes and that they're there to win Game 3. That's all well and good if you think the current team is the best you can trot out. It just isn't though. He did say though that Reynolds is a long shot to play in Game 3 because of the shoulder injury. So it'll be interesting to see who he picks at halfback. #JuniorJnr.
How fucking good was that pass to no one from Thurston? I know play-makers have been doing it for a while but to pull it off in Origin at that time, fucking sensational from JT and Boyd. Game on the line and Thurston produces a deft kick for a repeat set and two tries. Gus is right, if Thurston played for NSW, things would be very, very different.
McGuire was solid in his starting debut. Thought he lacked a little penetration but for his first start he played well. 10 hit-ups at 8m per carry is very respectable. He's our long term option for sure. We'll need to bolster the stocks with Napa though now Parker is retiring.
Still wasn't quite as expansive a game as we'd hoped. The ground was a bit wet as its been raining heaps lately up here. It's raining right now so I'm glad it held off until after the match.
Matt Scott is the disappointing one. For a supposedly top tier front rower, he hasn't often been delivering for QLD over the last few years.
Scott was good last year imo. He's been a little disappointing so far this series but he was okay tonight. Made some very strong runs in his first stint. Second half was pretty tepid.
JT was great in the second half. The pin point kick for Gagai and the no look pass for Boyd were superb. Class!
There really is something about half time with this QLD side recently. I was overjoyed to go in at 10-4 after how little we'd offered and how on top NSW were because of this trend when the players come back from the sheds. If you go back through the games over the last few series, QLD have either scored or gotten on top in the first 10-15 after half time so many times it's just unbelievable. Gagai scored in the 46th tonight. In game 1 Moylan knocked on in the first few minutes and QLD were well on top for the next 10. In game 3 last year Klemmer knocked on in the first minute of the second half and QLD never let up, scoring three tries in that 20 minute period. In game 2 last year Gillett scored in the 48th minute. In game 1 last year Chambers scored in the 55th. In game 3 of 2014 Slater scored in the 44th. In game 1 of 2014 Boyd scored in the 57th. In game 2 of 2013 Inglis and Boyd both scored shortly after half time. I read a stat saying that in the 3rd quarter of the last 9 matches (20 minutes after half time) QLD have outscored NSW 52 points to 2. It's now 58 to 8. That is fucking unbelievable. To score 50 more points than your opposition in one quarter over 9 matches. It's only in 2012 that NSW had the better of QLD in this 20 minute period in which they scored 4 tries to 0 over the course of the series. Something is either going very right for QLD or very wrong for the Blues, at oranges. I don't think it's mere coincidence. They're losing a shitload of games because of how they come out after half time.
Just by the by, I don't actually blame Maloney too much for that so called shocker of a pass over the sideline. It had poor shape and he shouldn't have thrown it without looking but I tell you what, Gagai is miles out of position here and it was definitely on. Mansour is the one to shoulder the blame imo for not being there to capitalise. Look at this. Wtf is Gagai doing there? That's actually good vision from Maloney to see it.
Also wtf was Jennings doing in Gagai's second? My god that is poor from a supposed veteran. Old habits die hard I see. His defence is improved from the bad old days when I used to roast thecunt for not tackling a beach ball but that was a blast from the past. Absolutely nothing on there for QLD and he created it.
Loving Morgs off the bench. Twice late in the first half he got into second receiver and created the overlap. The first he should've passed earlier to GI as Greg was set upon as soon as he caught it and Oates was in a mile of space. It happened again shortly after and Oates made 30m but got put into touch. Morgan at lock in defence but occasional running five-eighth in attack had Walker and Ferguson in all sorts. Good shit.
Morgan is made for Origin. I could understand initial doubts over him but he's so far been quite valuable.
He was paying $1.87 to make under 110.5 metres, printing money. He's always fucking lazy in defence like that too, he'll come off the bench and within 2 minutes he's flat footed and not getting up.
