Who are you cheering on this year? Blues or Maroons?

Not confident of Qld winning the first game. But believe they will win the next two.

Poll added

Brave effort by the NSW team. But the Qld team will be banging the NSW team's wives tonight. It would be a big difference if 13 players were playing for NSW tonight.

That Ref should be sacked,

A "send off" in a State of Origin game was way over the top and ruined the game.

10 mins in the bin and a trip before the judicary afterwards, it should have been.

I turned the TV off and went to bed at that moment!

Redmond Neck wrote on Jun 6^th, 2024 at 6:34am:

That Ref should be sacked, A "send off" in a State of Origin game was way over the top and ruined the game. 10 mins in the bin and a trip before the judicary afterwards, it should have been. I turned the TV off and went to bed at that moment!

Not sure - it wasn't a good tackle.

Think the problem was a nutter coach selecting a very young player and then spending a week pushing aggression. Walsh got very low which didn't help. Didn't think it was too late the defender was committed without a view of when the ball left possession.

Walsh was slipping in the tackle, which made things worse. But it was a shoulder charge to the head. 10 in the sin bin should have been sufficient.

I had a lot of respect for the NSW team. Putting on two tries (and nearly another one) with 12 players. I think NSW will hit back in the next game.

Pretty unlucky the NSW player was sent off for lining up the opposition player at 'chest' height, only for the QLD player to fall back (and downward) in his passing, which resulted in the contact becoming 'head high'.

In Mt Druitt when playing League. We were taught that if one of our players gets sent off and we are a man or two down (which in Mt Druitt, players being sent off was common) - the only way to compete and possibly win is to just pump it hard up as a team of forwards as its impossible to win it out wide with less number of players.
This 'often' worked as besides the opposition becoming 'over-confident' and being a player or two more - it also takes them by surprise when our focus is to play the ball fast and just 'hammer' their forwards with constant forward thrusting (backs/wingers also chime in) attacking.
Before long - the breaks appear, their 'wall' collapses and we're scoring right up the middle.

This is the 'only' real way to beat the opposition when down players. To run at them like 'Dwarven' Warriors hard and fast straight up and eventually break and over-run their forwards while the backs are just twiddling their thumbs.

League is a 'Defensive' game - it's all about 'breaking the line' and if you look back at all the State of Origin games. The team with the best attacking 'pack' dominates and the backs just capitalise.
If you don't have the superior 'Forward' Play and pack - you won't win the series.
Simple as that.

Jasin wrote on Jun 7^th, 2024 at 1:28pm:

Pretty unlucky the NSW player was sent off for lining up the opposition player at 'chest' height, only for the QLD player to fall back (and downward) in his passing, which resulted in the contact becoming 'head high'. In Mt Druitt when playing League. We were taught that if one of our players gets sent off and we are a man or two down (which in Mt Druitt, players being sent off was common) - the only way to compete and possibly win is to just pump it hard up as a team of forwards as its impossible to win it out wide with less number of players. This 'often' worked as besides the opposition becoming 'over-confident' and being a player or two more - it also takes them by surprise when our focus is to play the ball fast and just 'hammer' their forwards with constant forward thrusting (backs/wingers also chime in) attacking. Before long - the breaks appear, their 'wall' collapses and we're scoring right up the middle. This is the 'only' real way to beat the opposition when down players. To run at them like 'Dwarven' Warriors hard and fast straight up and eventually break and over-run their forwards while the backs are just twiddling their thumbs. League is a 'Defensive' game - it's all about 'breaking the line' and if you look back at all the State of Origin games. The team with the best attacking 'pack' dominates and the backs just capitalise. If you don't have the superior 'Forward' Play and pack - you won't win the series. Simple as that.

A winning strategy against a team of schoolgirls.

Jasin wrote on Jun 7^th, 2024 at 1:28pm:

If you don't have the superior 'Forward' Play and pack - you won't win the series. Simple as that.

The NSW player could have gone lower, given that Walsh was slipping in the play. Even if Walsh was fully upright, Joey was so high off the ground after hitting Walsh that it would have likely been a high tackle anyway.

NSW Blues squad for State of Origin Game 2 vs Queensland Maroons


Quote:

Latrell Mitchell is all but confirmed to return to the State of Origin cauldron with the South Sydney star set to be named in the NSW Blues squad for Game 2.

The entire state of Queensland thanks the selectors for NSW selecting Latrell.

Qld will have to get rid of Walsh for game 3. Tabuai-Fidow to fullback. Cobbo in the centres. Then we will see a much better team.

I have not watched the replay of last night's game. But it seems that Qld were disgusting in the first half.

First half was played by Qld like they were not even trying to win. Taking it easy and saving their players for club games. The second half seems like Qld were trying to save face. 34-0 to NSW first half. 18-4 to Qld second half.

I have to wonder about that Hamiso being dragged from the field into goal. Was he not tackled in field?

Just spoke to a guy in town who's working for the NSW League (all over his ute) and told him it was the first 40 minutes of any Rugby League that I've ever seen that was basically flawless.
I've never seen a more dominant and near perfect performance in all my years of watching that game.
I don't think I'll ever see anything in the game better that 40 minutes. It was like hitting the ball in the sweet spot of the racquet or bat.
QLD are good - so it wasn't like watching a match like Australia v some obscure backwater nation to win 100-0.

QLD may have won the most series (wars), but NSW really does put on the best Battles (matches).

NSW scored 38 points because Qld played poorly. Keeping NSW to 4 points in the second half was more about Qld needing to save face. If Qld finished the game with only one try, it would have looked ominous for the next game in Brisbane.

UnSubRocky wrote on Jun 28^th, 2024 at 1:41pm:

Keeping NSW to 4 points in the second half was more about Qld needing to save face

Qld didn't keep NSW at anything. NSW were so far ahead they didn't care if Qld scored one or two any more.

John Smith wrote on Jun 28^th, 2024 at 2:21pm:

UnSubRocky wrote on Jun 28th, 2024 at 1:41pm: Keeping NSW to 4 points in the second half was more about Qld needing to save face Qld didn't keep NSW at anything. NSW were so far ahead they didn't care if Qld scored one or two any more.

Qld only 'allowed' one try in on the second half. Perhaps NSW let off the pressure in the second half. Had Qld scored another 2 tries in the second half, questions would have been asked about NSW's commitment. There might have been questions raised against NSW if Qld lost the game 38 to 24.

Great game.  Well done to the blues.  They deserved the win.

Aussie Rules is a VIC game.
Rugby League is a NSW game.
QLD couldn't come up with their own game and sponge off NSW.

Reckon the NSW backline would have even outplayed the famed QLD backline of Langer, Lewis, Miles and Meninga and whatever Wingers. So fast, strong, versatile and creative this backline of NSW in both defence and attack.

As far as I am concerned Reese Walsh has played his last game of State of Origin for Qld for quite some time. He let in the two NSW tries. His run down field was commendable. But not much came of it. And his covering tackle to prevent a try in the dying minutes was only enough to give him a moderate rating.

Unless he stars for the Broncos in whatever is left of the season and the Broncos go on to be in the finals, Walsh should be left out of the 2025 Qld State of Origin side.

John Smith wrote on Jul 17^th, 2024 at 10:06pm:

Great game.  Well done to the blues.  They deserved the win.

Got to admit, I wish Lomax could play for Qld. Great player.