Have the Queensland Maroons finally played their last Origin 1 against the New South Wales Blues. It was a tough evening for the home side in Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium. The match, pivotal in the State of Origin series, exposed several weaknesses within the Maroons squad, particularly during critical moments when high-class plays were necessary.
Despite a valiant effort from the Maroons, they were on the backfoot for the majority of the game. They were particularly unsuccessful at holding their ground in the midfield, where New South Wales dominated them physically. This failure of dominance meant the Blues were allowed to control the tempo and pace, bringing about the Maroons’ undoing. Their Queensland pack, traditionally the bedrock of their strength, did not have the same knockout power to even make a contest of it.
Beyond their all-too-physical travails, the Queensland squad cracked under the mental strain. They were “K.O.-ed between the ears,” up against a great, dangerous opponent that was going to make you pay for every mistake. Some of the Maroons’ final touch last play choices were embarrassingly poor, stopping them from picking up valuable points when it mattered. Harry Grant, the Maroons’ hooker, made several poor decisions that further undermined the team’s efforts.
Even amidst these obstacles, there were shining performances for Queensland. Jeremiah Nanai showed his defensive chops with this huge shot on Latrell Mitchell to dislodge the pill. This led to just a magnificent try to put Xavier Coates over. Robert Toia, making his debut at just 20 years old, impressed fans by effectively marking Mitchell and executing a trademark one-handed offload for Coates’ try.
The positives were mostly cancelled out by the constant stream of penalties given away by the Maroons, most of which were completely avoidable. The team’s inability to remain disciplined under pressure proved detrimental as they sought to regain momentum against a formidable opponent.
In fact, the Maroons have never won a series in which they lost the first Test away from home. They’ve lost the past two games under these conditions. That begs the question of whether or not they can flip the script in this one. As this team mourns a bitter loss, few could blame them from turning their thoughts to what comes next. Now even experienced players like Daly Cherry-Evans are left unsure of their spots in the squad.
