General talk State of Origin 2015, can the Blues go back to back, NO, It's the Maroons again !! [Archive] - Aus99 Forum

View Full Version : General talk State of Origin 2015, can the Blues go back to back, NO, It's the Maroons again !!

AHLUNGOR

22-05-2015, 01:58 PM

State of Origin 2015, can the Blues go back to back?? NO, It's the Maroons again !!

The Blues had a surprised win in Game I at Suncorp last year when Cooper Cronk was injured very early and they defended very well.

More of the same in Game II in Sydney. So, for 160 min of excellent defense work, they deserved to win the series for the first time in 8 years.

But without the brilliance of Jarred Haynes and the brutal defences of Paul Gallen and Greg Bird, I doubt they can do back to back !!

Just look at Game III last year and you can see where this year's Origin series will be heading !

Maroons to win 3 Zip !!

Go Queenslanders !!

:shout::shout::shout:

AHLUNGOR

22-05-2015, 02:17 PM

Three bets for me:

Johnathan Thurston to get Man of the Match @$6.00

Darius Boyd to score a try and Maroons to win 13+ @$10.00

Greg Inglis to score a try and Maroons to win 13+ @$10.00

mask

22-05-2015, 03:02 PM

AHLUNGOR

22-05-2015, 03:58 PM

yeah but NSW has Mitchell Pearce........lol

Who has NEVER played in a winning series !!

harmony

22-05-2015, 05:11 PM

The Daily Telegraph is right, Brother Canetoad
The Maroons are fair favourites for Origin 1, 2015

Its too early to assess the three matches, but with Thurston in top form, Queensland are deserved favourites to win the first game.

Im happy to be proven wrong, but I doubt I will see NSW win a series with Mitchell Pearce in the backline, in my lifetime.

Im not a gambling man, but the odds on a Queensland win, no matter how slim, would be an interesting statistic this weekend !

My 2 cents

This is the Daily Telegraph article on the subject. Pretty accurate.

State of Origin 2015: Replacing Paul Gallen, Greg Bird and Jarryd Hayne won’t be easy

"Bird, Gallen, Hayne not so much the heartbeat of Team Blue as its Holy Trinity"

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/state-of-origin-2015-replacing-paul-gallen-greg-bird-and-jarryd-hayne-wont-be-easy/story-fnp0lyn3-1227360623721

AHLUNGOR

22-05-2015, 05:53 PM

Three bets for me:

Johnathan Thurston to get Man of the Match @$6.00

Darius Boyd to score a try and Maroons to win 13+ @$10.00

Greg Inglis to score a try and Maroons to win 13+ @$10.00

harmony

22-05-2015, 05:58 PM

On another topic, which silly person authorised mass importation of canetoads to Australia, to combat the sugarcane beetles ?

Didnt they know, that the canetoad has no natural predators ?
So canetoad numbers cannot be easily controlled

http://turtlecare.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/images/frogs-and-toads/cane-toad-adult-male.jpg

The cane toad (Bufo marinus) or giant toad is native to south and central America.
It has been introduced to many countries, including northern and eastern Australia

http://www.beam.org.au/post/2014/06/

There was apparent success of the cane toad in eating the beetles threatening the sugarcane plantations of Puerto Rico, and the fruitful introductions into Hawaii and the Philippines
Therefore a strong push was made, for the cane toad to be released in Australia to negate the pests ravaging the Queensland cane fields

As a result, 102 toads were collected from Hawaii and brought to Australia
Large-scale releases of canetoads were subsequently undertaken

By March 1937, 62,000 toadlets had been released into the wild
The toads became firmly established in Queensland, increasing exponentially in number and spreading in location.

However, the toad was generally unsuccessful in reducing the targeted grey-backed beetles, in part because the cane fields provided insufficient shelter for the predators during the day

This is partly because the beetles live at the tops of sugar cane - and cane toads are not good climbers

Since its original introduction, the cane toad has had a particularly marked effect on Australian biodiversity

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_toad#Australia

AHLUNGOR

22-05-2015, 06:02 PM

http://www.nrl.com/image.ashx?src=/Portals/NRL/images/41/41783_39_2.jpg&cn=620x349

harmony

22-05-2015, 10:37 PM

I hope the State of Origin win 2014 by NSW, does not become a faded memory ...

https://transform.fairfaxregional.com.au/transform/v1/crop/frm/storypad-GJZ5TVpAk84wrTzsQfLQRB/00513bd6-5e25-4598-93c6-3157d5abb568.jpg/r0_100_3000_1787_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg

Looking at the 2014 side, it was pretty good.

http://stateoforiginlive.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/NSW-Blues-Team.jpg

NSW Blues team listing for State of Origin Game 1, 2014 (in jumper number order):
1. Jarryd Hayne (Eels), 2. Brett Morris (St George-Illawarra Dragons), 3. Josh Morris (Bulldogs), 4. Michael Jennings (Roosters)
5. Daniel Tupou (Roosters), 6. Josh Reynolds (Bulldogs), 7. Trent Hodkinson (Bulldogs), 8. Aaron Woods (Wests Tigers)
9. Robbie Farah (Wests Tigers), 10. James Tamou (Cowboys), 11. Ryan Hoffman (Storm), 12. Beau Scott (Knights)
13. Paul Gallen (c) (Sharks)

Interchange:
14. Trent Merrin (St George-Illawarra Dragons), 15. Anthony Watmough (Sea Eagles), 16. Luke Lewis (Sharks), 17. Tony Williams (Bulldogs)

Does the 2015 NSW side have the same quality ?
That is the question !
They will need to 'play out of their skins' to defeat the QLDers !

http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2015/05/21/1227363/439901-2725ab16-ff66-11e4-9430-4717fa7bce71.jpg
http://www.gettyimages.in/detail/news-photo/the-blues-state-of-origin-team-pose-for-a-team-photograph-news-photo/474025674

NSW Blues team listing for State of Origin Game 1, 2015 (in jumper number order):
1. Josh Dugan, 2. Daniel Tupou, 3. Josh Morris, 4. Michael Jennings, 5. Will Hopoate, 6. Mitchell Pearce, 7. Trent Hodkinson, 8. James Tamou, 9. Robbie Farah (c), 10. Aaron Woods, 11. Beau Scott, 12. Ryan Hoffman, 13. Josh Jackson

Interchange: 14. Trent Merrin, 15. Boyd Cordner 16. David Klemmer, 17. Andrew Fifita

18. Tony Williams

Missing: Jarryd Hayne, Paul Gallen, Anthony Watmough, and halfback Josh Reynolds
With the man mountain Tony Williams (aka T-rex) now 18th man ??!!!

May the best team win in 2015 !

harmony

22-05-2015, 11:09 PM

There is no point analysing the QLD team.
Always a champion team from jumper 1-13.

The NSW 5/8, Mitchell Pearce, is a possible weak link for the Blues

Far be it for me to kick a man when he is down
Mitchell Pearce is only 26, still young.
Im just highlighting parts of his game, that he can definitely improve on

http://cdn.sunshine.radiozinc.com.au/images/mitch.jpg

Lets face it, Mitchell has Origin in his blood.

Mitchell's father, Wayne Pearce, was a NSW Blues player from 1983-1988
In 1986, Wayne Pearce was also NSW Captain, and led NSW to their first ever 3-0 Origin clean-sweep series win over Queensland.

http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2013/05/23/1226645/437289-pearce.jpg

This foxsports.com.au article summarises where Mitchell Pearce needs to improve:

The narrative around Mitchell Pearce’s Origin career is so bleak it’s hard to separate fact from fiction

Putting all that aside, however, are the knocks on Pearce’s Origin performances backed up by the data?

1)Missed tackles
Here’s where Pearce really does have a case to answer.
While he has built a reputation for being one of the best defenders in the NRL to wear a six or seven on his back, he’s been a fair way off that at rep level.

In the NRL a missed tackle rate between one and two per game is considered acceptable.
Get up towards three and you’re starting to give your coach a headache...

In 2010 Pearce missed an average of four tackles per game.
In 2011 he improved a touch, missing an average 3.7 tackles per game
In 2012, he again had a shocker, missing an average of 4.3 tackles per game.

There is a glimmer of hope in the numbers for Blues fans though
In 2013, he showed marked improvement, missing an average of 2.0 tackles per game

2)Kicking game
When the post-mortem has been conducted following another Maroons victory, the word “wasteful” has too often appeared in a sentence about Pearce’s kicking game, and with kick returners like Billy Slater, Greg Inglis and Darius Boyd in the opposing side, that’s not good.

3)He is not a winner
Unfortunately this is one stat Pearce can’t change without getting back on the horse and doing it all again.

Trent Hodkinson and Josh Reynolds will always be remembered as the halves who broke the drought by leading their side to a 2-1 series victory in 2014
In comparison, Pearce has three 2-1 losses and a losing clean sweep against his name over the four years he was in the saddle.

Can the much-maligned halfback rewrite history? Looks like we’re about to find out!

http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/state-of-origin/state-of-origin-2015-mitchell-pearce-statistics-to-make-nsw-fans-quiver-ahead-of-selection/story-fn31yxah-1227359789718

AHLUNGOR

23-05-2015, 11:08 AM

One think I know, Queensland is a lot more loyal to our players, and we will Never changed a winning team !!

Origin is not your normal NRL games, you either are an Origin player or you are not ! (Phil Gould !)

I think one of NSW's biggest problem is you have too many choices and after every loss, you jump into making a lot of changes ! So the players are forever playing for their spots rather than the game !

Losing Haynes, Gallen and Bird is huge ! How big ? You will find that out on the scoreboard on Wednesday night ! It was then IMHO that Daley should stick to the winning side of 2014 as much as he can ! Luke Lewis and Anthony Watmouch were both very experienced Origin players and they will be missed !

harmony

23-05-2015, 12:03 PM

Agreed Brother Canetoad

The NSW Blues have three major problems:

1)Mitchell Pearce in the 5/8 position - but I would love to see him redeem himself, that would be awesome !

2)Queensland lost Cooper Cronk for Games 1 - 2 due to injury. No doubt that factor made a big difference

3)NSW have lost Haynes, Gallen, Bird, Watmough etc. Very very significant loss of experience and skill.

Who remembers Haynes try in Game 1 2015, which basically won that game for NSW. Singlehandedly. One of the best individual tries you will ever see.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/5486214-3x2-940x627.jpg

And Gallen is a born leader of men.
People left their own NRL clubs to play with him at Cronulla, he is such an inspiration to them
Hope Gallen is fit for Origin 2 !

http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/5586148-3x2-940x627.jpg

Odds for a NSW Blues win? Probably astronomical.
Worth a punt on the NSW Blues ?
Only if you want to lose your money

Go NSW Blues. Prove me wrong boys !
NSW Blues, stand up and be counted in Game 1, 2015.

harmony

23-05-2015, 12:12 PM

Jarryd Hayne. We miss you, brother.

This is Jarryd Haynes on debut, playing for NSW in State of Origin, 2007

And of course, he scores this freakish try against the run of play, on debut !

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/t3PhTqUP2Ts/hqdefault.jpg

VIDEO:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3PhTqUP2Ts

harmony

23-05-2015, 12:27 PM

State of Origin 2014
Game 1
Ground: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland
Highlights

Cooper Cronks breaks his arm
Jarryd Haynes remarkable one armed somersault try
Tremendous bravery by Josh Morris to defend his tryline in the second half, despite a fractured shoulder sustained in the first half !

http://cdn0.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/New-South-Wales-State-Of-Origin-Game-1.jpg

VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUxidJlMSYE

AHLUNGOR

23-05-2015, 12:51 PM

Agreed Brother Canetoad

Odds for a NSW Blues win? Probably astronomical.
Worth a punt on the NSW Blues ?
Only if you want to lose your money

Go NSW Blues. Prove me wrong boys !
NSW Blues, stand up and be counted in Game 1, 2015.
'

Well, the odds for a NSW win in Game I is Not that high !! The bookies certainly think that they have a chance @$2.15

In fact, if they only lost by 8 points or less, it's money back with Sportsbet !

Wednesday 27/05/2015
Includes Extra Time
20:30 New South Wales v Queensland
@ ANZ Stadium Markets (90)
New South Wales 2.15 Queensland 1.73

harmony

23-05-2015, 12:57 PM

State of Origin 2015 preview
For the Rugby League experts
Former NRL coach Matt Elliott, a QLDer, gives an insiders view on the strengths of halfback Trent Hodkinson, and 5/8 Mitchell Pearce.
Makes you a bit more optimistic if you support NSW ...

http://bigpondvideo.com/Web/Images/Content/20150520110929a_326x184.jpg

VIDEO:

http://www.nrl.com/the-breakdown-with-matt-elliott-pearce-hodkinson/tabid/10959/contentid/753070/default.aspx

harmony

23-05-2015, 01:00 PM

Let me be honest
There is no better sight in Rugby League, than this man running into the gaps
I hope he has a few quiet games in State of Origin 2015

http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2012/04/20/1226334/767016-120420-greg-inglis.jpg

True champion

AHLUNGOR

23-05-2015, 01:03 PM

I think Cooper Cronk will have a point to prove in Game I.

Although the Maroons has smashed the Blues in Game III last year, but the series had already been won so the Blues didn't play with the same intensity in the dead rubber, so only the Maroons was still keen to spoil the party and give something for the local Queensland supporters to cheer for.

Game I this year will be the real deal, it's a new series and Cronk has to prove his own worth and importance for getting injured last year and missing 140 min of footy.

This could be good, in fact, I think this is gonna be really good. If you are Queensland supporters!

Just look at the NRL ladder:

1. Storm 10 7 0 3 0 202 138 64 4 - 1 3-2 14

2. Dragons 10 7 0 3 0 154 120 34 4 - 1 3-2 14

3. Broncos 10 7 0 3 0 198 174 24 4 - 1 3-2 14

4. Cowboys 10 7 0 3 0 226 211 15 4 - 2 3-1 14

5. Rabbitohs 11 6 0 5 0 210 200 10 4 - 2 2-3 12

Storm, Broncos and Cowboys who provide the majority of the Maroons are in the top 4 side of the competition. And the biggest star of the Rabbitohs is also a Maroons.

Sure, the best NSW team is the Dragon sitting at second but the two best players at the Dragon (Marshall and Widdop) ain't playing for the Blues !!

Queensland by 19 !!

harmony

23-05-2015, 01:06 PM

I want to see this NSW powerhouse have his way on the field
The NSW player the QLDers fear most...

NSW may no longer have T-Rex (Tony Williams), but we have a handy replacement...
Andrew Fifita, time for you to stand tall.

http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/980w/public/2013/11/26/fifita.jpg?itok=W5kY5zAB

http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/4826994-3x2-940x627.jpg

http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2014/03/07/1226847/739564-119ae9b8-a4eb-11e3-900e-99186aa12c4d.jpg

http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2013/06/01/1226655/042632-andrew-fifita.jpg

Andrew Fifita, the 114kg powerhouse, with his six month old son, Latu Jay

Andrew Fifita was arguably the NRL’s most explosive forward in 2012 and 2013 before a drastic dip in form last year when dramatic contract negotiations were played out in front of the media.
He has recaptured his best form over the past month.

A try against the NZ Warriors earlier this month showed why NSW coach, Laurie Daley, has backed Fifita...

The 25-year-old beat six Warriors players in a 10m space to barge over for a memorable try.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/state-of-origin-2015-blues-andrew-fifita-maroons-biggest-threat-warns-billy-moore/story-fniablkr-1227365841616

AHLUNGOR

23-05-2015, 01:07 PM

The all time top try scorer in Origin history :

For NSW - Michael Cronin with 12 tries ??

For QLD - Greg Inglis and Darius Boyd, both with 15 TRIES !! and they will add more to the history book on Wednesday night !!

AHLUNGOR

23-05-2015, 01:13 PM

Instead, I want to see this NSW powerhouse have his way on the field

Andrew Fifita, the 114kg powerhouse, with his six month old son, Latu Jay

Good luck to him, I'm sure a few of the Maroons forwards will be looking for him on Wednesday night.

We don't have to pick the biggest man, and Andrew Fifita is not the biggest, try Dave Taylor: I think Dave is big and strong and very talented, but probably Not an Origin Player !!

David Taylor

Dave Taylor is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Gold Coast Titans of the National Rugby League. Wikipedia
Born: July 8, 1988 (age 26), Rockhampton
Height: 1.85 m
Weight: 123 kg

http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2014/07/02/1226975/567794-fcbc51b6-01bb-11e4-8a13-c9890f82f8cd.jpg

harmony

23-05-2015, 01:30 PM

harmony

23-05-2015, 01:59 PM

Respected journalist Phil Rothfield nominated the 50 Greatest Origin Players of all time, back in 2010
Guess which current State of Origin team possesses more of these Champion players ?

1) Wally Lewis (QLD)
2) Andrew Johns (NSW)
3) Allan Langer (QLD)
4) Brad Fittler (NSW)
5) Mal Meninga (QLD)
6) Darren Lockyer (QLD)
7) Greg Inglis (QLD)
8) Cameron Smith (QLD)
9) Steve Mortimer (NSW)
10) Arthur Beetson (QLD)
11) Johnathan Thurston (QLD)
12) Billy Slater (QLD)
13) Laurie Daley (NSW)
14) Brad Clyde (NSW)
15) Brett Kenny (NSW)
16) Gene Miles (QLD)
17) Gorden Tallis (QLD)
18) Wayne Pearce (NSW)
19) Peter Sterling (NSW)
20) Glenn Lazarus (NSW)
21) Shane Webcke (QLD)
22) Andrew Ettingshausen (NSW)
23) Petero Civoniceva (QLD)
24) Ray Price (NSW)
25) Dale Shearer (QLD)
26) Steve Roach (NSW)
27 Michael O’Connor (NSW)
28) Paul Harragon (NSW)
29) Steve Renouf (QLD)
30) Garry Jack (NSW)
31) Steve Walters (NSW)
32) Ricky Stuart (NSW)
33) Paul Vautin (QLD)
34) Kerry Boustead (QLD)
35) Eric Grothe (NSW)
36) Paul Sironen (NSW)
37) Benny Elias (NSW)
38) Tim Brasher (NSW)
39) Gary Belcher (QLD)
40) Sam Thaiday (QLD)
41) Trevor Gillmeister (QLD)
42) Bob Lindner (QLD)
43) Israel Folau (QLD)
44) Gavin Miller (NSW)
45) Danny Buderus (NSW)
46) Steve Price (QLD)
47) Greg Dowling (QLD)
48) Chris Close (QLD)
49) Noel Cleal NSW
50) Jarryd Hayne (NSW)

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/phil-rothfield-names-his-50-greatest-origin-players/story-e6frexnr-1225871315740

AHLUNGOR

23-05-2015, 02:07 PM

NSW have gone for four forwards on the interchange bench

This will leave the team short staffed if any of the playmakers get injured

Imagine if a winger gets injured, and they have to put one of these forwards on the field, on the wing !

Anyway, NSW is going to use power over skill

Hmmm, not sure this is going to work, but Im sure there will be fireworks come Wednesday evening !

http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/2/i/7/7/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gh2asa.png/1431704117420.jpg

Josh Reynolds dumps Brent Tate during last year's State of Origin series, Game 1, 2014

With the current NSW squad, Beau Scott will be that utility player, his former position is Centre at the Dragons !!

Although, it would be prudent to have included Luke Lewis who cover also cover for Wing/Centre and Five Eight !!

That's why Greg Bird is such a big loss for the Blues, as he can also play in Five Eights, in fact, Bird had won Man of the Match twice when he was wearing no. 6 !

kuntous

23-05-2015, 03:24 PM

Most of these current QLD players which also play Australia just got their arses handed to them by NZ.

harmony

23-05-2015, 03:40 PM

Fair point kuntous
But Brother Canetoad did bring up a good point in rebuttal
He said (above) ...

Just look at the NRL ladder:

1. Storm 10 7 0 3 0 202 138 64 4 - 1 3-2 14

2. Dragons 10 7 0 3 0 154 120 34 4 - 1 3-2 14

3. Broncos 10 7 0 3 0 198 174 24 4 - 1 3-2 14

4. Cowboys 10 7 0 3 0 226 211 15 4 - 2 3-1 14

5. Rabbitohs 11 6 0 5 0 210 200 10 4 - 2 2-3 12

Storm, Broncos and Cowboys who provide the majority of the Maroons are in the top 4 side of the competition. And the biggest star of the Rabbitohs is also a Maroons.

AHLUNGOR

23-05-2015, 03:41 PM

Most of these current QLD players which also play Australia just got their arses handed to them by NZ.

Very true!

The Kiwis are the no 1 team in the world at the moment !

There were excuses with the Kangaroos last time but no question the Kiwis are on top of us for the last 12 months !

And they did that without one SBW too !

harmony

23-05-2015, 03:55 PM

For a bit of inspiration, I was thinking "Who was the best NSW Origin Team in history" ?
Lets look at the NSW teams that inflicted 3-0 whitewashes against the QLDers
Now to some extent, you also have to consider which team faced the tougher QLD team
But just based on gut feeling, I would say the 1986 NSW team had the most class

1986
New South Wales

Position

Game 1

Game 2

Game 3

Fullback (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullback_(rugby_league))
Garry Jack (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garry_Jack)

Wing
Steve Morris (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Morris_(rugby_league))
Brian Hetherington (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Hetherington)

Brian Johnston (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_S_Johnston)

Centre
Michael O'Connor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_O'Connor_(rugby_footballer))

Centre
Chris Mortimer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Mortimer)

Wing
Andrew Farrar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Farrar)
Eric Grothe, Sr. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Grothe,_Sr.)

Five-Eighth
Brett Kenny (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brett_Kenny)

Halfback
Peter Sterling (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Sterling)

Prop
Steve Roach (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Roach_(rugby_league))

Hooker (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooker_(rugby_league))
Royce Simmons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royce_Simmons)

Prop
Peter Tunks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Tunks)

Second Row
Steve Folkes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Folkes)

Second Row
Noel Cleal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noel_Cleal)

Lock
Wayne Pearce (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Pearce) (c)

Replacement
Terry Lamb (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Lamb)

Replacement
David Gillespie (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gillespie)

Coach
Ron Willey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Willey)

1996

Position

Game 1
Game 2
Game 3

Fullback (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullback_(rugby_league))
Tim Brasher (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Brasher)

Wing
Rod Wishart (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Wishart)

Centre
Andrew Ettingshausen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Ettingshausen)

Centre
Laurie Daley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurie_Daley)

Wing
Brett Mullins (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brett_Mullins)

Five-Eighth
Brad Fittler (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Fittler) (c)

Halfback
Geoff Toovey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Toovey)

Prop
Glenn Lazarus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Lazarus)

Hooker (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooker_(rugby_league))
Andrew Johns (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Johns)

Prop
Paul Harragon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Harragon)

Second Row
David Furner (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Furner)

Second Row
Dean Pay (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Pay)

Lock
Adam Muir (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Muir)

Interchange
Jim Dymock (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Dymock)

Interchange
Jason Croker (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Croker)

Interchange
Jamie Ainscough (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Ainscough)

Interchange
Steve Menzies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Menzies)

Coach
Phil Gould (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Gould)

2000

Position

Game 1

Game 2

Game 3

Fullback (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullback_(rugby_league))
David Peachey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Peachey)
Tim Brasher (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Brasher)

Wing
Adam MacDougall (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_MacDougall)

Centre
Ryan Girdler (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Girdler)

Centre
Shaun Timmins (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaun_Timmins)
Matt Gidley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Gidley)

Wing
Jamie Ainscough (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Ainscough)

Five-Eighth
Brad Fittler (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Fittler) (c)

Halfback
Brett Kimmorley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brett_Kimmorley)

Prop
Robbie Kearns (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie_Kearns)

Hooker (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooker_(rugby_league))
Geoff Toovey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Toovey)

Prop
Rodney Howe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_Howe)
Jason Stevens (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Stevens)

Second Row
Bryan Fletcher (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Fletcher_(rugby_league_player))

Second Row
David Furner (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Furner)

Ben Kennedy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Kennedy)

Lock
Ben Kennedy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Kennedy)
Scott Hill (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Hill_(rugby_league))

Interchange
Scott Hill (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Hill_(rugby_league))
Andrew Johns (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Johns)

Interchange
Terry Hill (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Hill)
David Furner (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Furner)

Interchange
Michael Vella (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Vella)
Adam Muir (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Muir)

Interchange
Jason Stevens (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Stevens)
Michael Vella (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Vella)

Coach
Wayne Pearce (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Pearce)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_State_of_Origin_series

AHLUNGOR

23-05-2015, 04:02 PM

During the Super League war in 1995, a no names Queensland team (without any Broncos !) coached by the fat man Paul Vautin beat the NSW team 3-0 !!

AHLUNGOR

25-05-2015, 10:44 AM

Eight Series wins in a row brother, Eight Series wins in a row !!

Can you count the fingers ?

It has NEVER been done before, and most likely will NEVER be repeated ever again !!

Absolute dominations !!

http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2013/07/18/1226681/039813-queensland.jpg

dohdoe

25-05-2015, 07:14 PM

The maroons will win. Because nsw have mitchell pierce playing for the blues ;)

AHLUNGOR

26-05-2015, 03:35 PM

I posted the following just before the 2013 Origin series, history would show that, Queensland made it 8 in a row !!

But I do think the numbers don't lie and this is still a numbers game:

While there may be some last minutes changes on the two sides, the teams that were named have very little surprises!

Let's face it, the contests had been fairly tight every year but the big name players from QLD just seems to be able to close out or hold on to win the big games, that's all.

I don't think the Blues can win this as a general team, the team itself is not that far behind the Maroons anyway, it will always come down to some individual brilliants.

If we look at the team selected and corresponse that with their respective Club and the points each Club has on the NRL ladder, the QLD side clearly has an advantage.

This is how I see it, if you give each players from the Bunnys 18 points and 17 points to each Storm players and Eels players gets 6 points and same with the Tigers. The QLD team has a total of 215 points and the Blues 196 points. This means the QLD players on average are playing for better performing NRL Clubs.

Furthermore, the QLD team has 6 players from the top 4 teams while the NSW only has 5. And most significantly, the QLD side has NO players from the bottom 4 teams and NSW has 4 in Hayne (1), Morris (5), Farah (9) and Merrin (16), especially on 1 and 9, two of the key position on the "Spine", they are both great players but their team keep getting bashed week in week out is not gonna help their confidence.

And then you look at the 1 and 9 from QLD, enough said.

Go Queenslanders !!

Just my 7 and soon to be 8 cents

Cheers

:shout::shout::shout::shout::shout::shout::shout:

:shout:

Let's take a look at this years line up and see how the numbers would stack up:

Last time I used the placing in the NRL ladder as the respective rating number, this year I think I will use the number of points the players' team is on as a guide (using from 1-16 will look really embarrassing for NSW, so using the points will be more appropriate just from 16-6 instead !!):

NSW BLUES:

New South Wales Blues team for State of Origin Game 1:
1. Josh Dugan, Dragon 16
2. Daniel Tupou, Rooster 12
3. Josh Morris, Dogs 10
4. Michael Jennings, Rooster 12
5. Will Hopoate, Eels 6
6. Mitchell Pearce, Rooster 12
7. Trent Hodkinson, Dogs 10
8. James Tamou, Cowboys 16
9. Robbie Farah (c), Tigers 8
10. Aaron Woods, Tigers 8
11. Beau Scott, Knights 10
12. Ryan Hoffman, NZ 12
13. Josh Jackson, Dogs 10

Interchange:
14. Trent Merrin, Dragon 16
15. Boyd Cordner, Rooster 12
16. David Klemmer, Dogs 10
17. Andrew Fifita, Sharks 10

Total points: 190

Total Top 4 teams players at 16 points = 2

Now the Queensland Maroons:

Queensland Maroons team for State of Origin Game 1:

1. Billy Slater, Storms 16
2. Darius Boyd, Broncos 16
3. Greg Inglis, South 12
4. Justin Hodges, Broncos 16
5. Will Chambers, Storms 16
6. Johnathan Thurston, Cowboys 16
7. Cooper Cronk, Storms 16
8. Matt Scott, Cowboys 16
9. Cameron Smith (c) Storms 16
10. Nate Myles, Titans 10
11. Aidan Guerra, Roosters 12
12. Sam Thaiday, Broncos 16
13. Corey Parker, Broncos 16

Interchange:

14. Michael Morgan, Cowboys 16
15. Josh McGuire, Broncos 16
16. Matt Gillett, Broncos 16
17. Jacob Lillyman, NZ 12

Total Points: 254

Total Top 4 teams players at 16 points = 13

AHLUNGOR

27-05-2015, 05:38 PM

This is it !!

No more waiting, let's cheer for your team and may the better team on the night win !!

Go Queenslanders !!

H3da

27-05-2015, 08:23 PM

If anyone is a punter (on horses/sports) pm me for special deals as I work for one of the online bookies so offer some freebies

AHLUNGOR

28-05-2015, 10:36 AM

Queensland and Cooper Cronk by 1 !!

NSW BLUE IT !! (The Daily Telegraph !!)

harmony

29-05-2015, 12:24 AM

Omen

29-05-2015, 12:55 AM

The problem wasnt mitchell pearce. he played well it was trent hodkison he wasnt involved enough and played like shit. Dont even know how he made it to origin this year his form has been shit. should have been maloney.

AHLUNGOR

29-05-2015, 09:39 AM

I had a prior engagement, so I missed the game
And boy I am glad I missed it
On the car on the way home, I turned on the radio, and the Blues were leading (something like 10 - 6)
Then I get home, turn on the TV, and there is 1 minute left, and Queensland are in the lead

That must have been a frustrating and depressing game to watch for a NSW supporter
And I do prefer games with lots of tries, not the dour games with only 2-3 tries in total

The big question for me is - who do we keep for Game 2 ?
Yes, I know, Queensland never chop and change.
But their time is coming, their team is getting older, and I heard that Greg Inglis isn't playing well at the moment

And do we keep Mitchell Pearce? This is the main question every time the young guy plays

Mitchell Pearce will stay ! They picked Trent for his goal kicking and field goal abilities, but he let the team down when he failed to take control !

Woods was the best forward ! Just imagine when the Blues get Paul Gallen and Brett Morris back at the G !! This series isn't over yet !

Queensland will be more of the same ! Will Chambers will be the next Justin Hodgers ! I just wonder if they will let DCE back in for Michael Morgan ? So this weekend game between Cowboys and Manly will be crucial !

Same for Storms vs Roosters ! If Maloney can have a big game against Cooper Cronk and Smith / Slater , he will be in for Game II

The good thing for the Maroons on Wednesday was that GI was not 100% and Darius Boyd was still in pre season mode ! Both will be a different player in three weeks ! Watch out Blues, they have 30 Origin Try's between them !

Another good thing about Queensland is the players coming up for the halves : Daly, Michael, Ben Hunt and Anthony Milford !

We just need a few more big forwards up front !

harmony

02-06-2015, 04:05 PM

Sydney Roosters team show how the Queensland Key Players Can Be Beaten

www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/roosters-v-storm-james-maloney-sends-nsw-selectors-another-reminder-in-big-win-over-storm/story-e6frf3vu-1227378522551 (http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/roosters-v-storm-james-maloney-sends-nsw-selectors-another-reminder-in-big-win-over-storm/story-e6frf3vu-1227378522551)

IF only NSW could just send the Roosters out to tackle Queensland in Origin 2 in Melbourne.

Just five days after the Storm’s brains trust of Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk plotted the Blues’ downfall, the Roosters on Monday night knocked Melbourne off the top of the NRL ladder to jump up to fifth spot themselves.

In arguably their most impressive and comprehensive performance of the season against quality opposition, Trent Robinson’s premiership favourites made the Storm look second rate with a commanding 24-2 victory.

Mitchell Pearce and James Maloney took charge.

In doing so, Maloney again gave Laurie Daley reason to have a rethink about who he wants to partner Pearce with in the NSW halves for the upcoming game on June 17.

Whether or not Daley considers the change remains to be seen given he has already backed Trent Hodkinson to remain at No.7 for the Melbourne Origin game.

https://s.yimg.com/ea/img/-/150503/pearce_maloney_630_1akbnok-1akbnos.jpg

AHLUNGOR

02-06-2015, 06:59 PM

Good club form is not necessary equal to winning an Origin game !

So the Rooster had a good win ! But so did the Broncos and Cowboys , who have 8 Maroons between them !

The most impressive team over the weekend was the Dragon ! Dugan is looking very dangerous !!

flamejob

03-06-2015, 07:03 AM

Go the maroons!

AHLUNGOR

09-06-2015, 06:01 PM

Origin 2015 Game 2 teams have been announced:

QLD XXXX Maroons NSW VB Blues

Billy Slater 1 Josh Dugan
Darius Boyd 2 William Hopoate
Greg Inglis 3 Michael Jennings
Justin Hodges 4 Josh Morris
Will Chambers 5 Brett Morris
Johnathan Thurston 6 Mitchell Pearce
Daly Cherry-Evans 7 Trent Hodkinson
Matt Scott 8 Aaron Woods
Cameron Smith (c) 9 Robbie Farah
Nate Myles 10 James Tamou
Aidan Guerra 11 Beau Scott
Sam Thaiday 12 Ryan Hoffman
Corey Parker 13 Paul Gallen (c)
Interchange
Michael Morgan 14 Trent Merrin
Josh McGuire 15 Boyd Cordner
Matt Gillett 16 David Klemmer
Jacob Lillyman 17 Josh Jackson
Mal Meninga Coach Laurie Daley

Based on the performance of Game 1, and the Maroons are losing Cooper Cronk while the Blues are getting Paul Gallen and Brett Morris back, the Blues on paper is looking a stronger team !!

Queensland will need to lift more to wrap up the series while the Blues will want to take the advantage and win game 2 then go to Suncorp for the decider !

Purely on form, I would have given Michael Morgan a start on the run on side to partner his Cowboy Captain, the pair have won 10 matches in a row, especially on Monday night to come back from 30-6 down and win over the Eels, absolutely sensational. And on the fact that DCE is with a team at the bottom of the ladder and Manly just got smashed by the Broncos by 44-6, I would have left out DCE and pick Ben Hunt off the bench !! Anyway, may be when DCE is with the other 16 Maroons around him instead of the sorry Manly teammates he will be a better player !!

Go Queenslanders !!

Mr Bastard

09-06-2015, 06:36 PM

Its such an easy game to play from the comfort of ones arm chair dont you think?

kuntous

09-06-2015, 07:05 PM

The Qld morons don't do too well without Cooper Gronk.

Oneonone

09-06-2015, 09:35 PM

Its such an easy game to play from the comfort of ones arm chair dont you think?

Sure is bro.

Unfortunately NSW don't have that will to win at all costs that QLD have.

AHLUNGOR

13-06-2015, 02:12 PM

I can't believe what I am reading this morning in the Daily Telegraph !!

The NSW Blues' inspirational Captain Paul Gallen was getting his inspirations from you know who ??

The executed drug dealer Mr Chan from the Bali jail !!

I wish Mr Gallen NEVER get to Captain the Australian Team !!

Mr Bastard

13-06-2015, 06:17 PM

Inspiration comes in many forms for different individuals. Who are we to judge the thought process behind Gallens use of this inspiration. There is a good chance it comes from the strength and courage to face what you have become, the mistakes you have made, the hurt you have caused your family and friends through your actions, and to act with courage and dignity in the face of knowing you are going to receive a piece of lead or two hurtling through the air on their way to tearing the flesh from your rib cage before spilntering bone and cartlige a milli second before it penetrates your heart and then renders you dead, dead, dead. And all the while keeping a brave and humble outlook on your soon to be ended life whilst helping others in similar postions of dire consequence, devoid of misplaced anger towards your captors and executioners.

I wonder what inspires most people among us, maybe its something as trivial as building a fanciful ego in a sex-site forum and using this to invoke a false love and respect of oneself from ML's, whom feel pressured to go above and beyond to not only fulfil the desires of the ego devloped, but in turn placate their mamasans, for the sake of bulging the mamasans purses, which inspires the thinking that this ego and not themselves may well be the new Masiah..........not that anything is wrong with that...........life is such a puzzle

PS: There is scientific studies indicating that ones ego is an entity entirely seperate to a persons personality yet still contained in the same mind...........

PSS: Maybe, just maybe Mr Bastard himself did not write this post, yet his EGO is responsible.....something to ponder

PSSS: And lets all of us not take this as common knowledge, or as if it has come from a higher being....its just an opinion of a muse.......

One mans dribble is another mans right to offer an opinion........

Oneonone

13-06-2015, 09:25 PM

Mr Bastard

14-06-2015, 07:44 AM

AHLUNGOR

15-06-2015, 10:38 AM

As a long time blues supporter I have to admit that I don't thing NSW has what it takes to win this year!

They may win the next game but when it comes to winning the series that's another story.

Well I quess we can only hope.

One thing I know, all the players who have injury concerns will all play on Wednesday night ! Otherwise they would have pulled out by now like Slater, Scott and Farah !

Secondly, the forecast is for rain on Tuesday and Wednesday in Melbourne Which is a pity, 80,000 people at the G to watch an origin game, won't that be something !

And for The Maroons. A wet track is Not good for this aging champion squard! It should favour the bigger, much younger Blues team !

There could be a decider at Suncorp afterall !

harmony

15-06-2015, 11:42 AM

Brother Canetoad
It is a pity, as you say, that rain is forecast for this Wednesdays Origin game
But as always Im hoping for a high scoring game

The game could go either way, but I feel an upset is on the cards
After all, NSW are the defending champions, and I am sure that is one of the motivations being instilled into the NSW Blues during this weeks preparation

Go Blues !

http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2014/06/21/1226962/319292-e6b106e4-f90c-11e3-85eb-f305a31fe088.jpg

http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2011/06/24/1226081/595019-paul-gallen.jpg

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/sites/sbs.com.au.news/files/styles/full/public/images/a/a/aap_5843_6Aug_PaulGallen_800x600.jpg?itok=vEDg6aKH&mtime=1377218396

http://cdn.3news.co.nz/3news/AM/2013/5/3/296367/1200-paul-gallen.jpg

harmony

16-06-2015, 03:09 PM

Go The Blues !!

State of Origin titleholders 2014

http://images.scribblelive.com/2014/7/9/d9643325-3580-4075-8288-aef04cc3b9a5_800.jpg

https://c3.staticflickr.com/3/2938/14424530200_bf3233c941_b.jpg

https://img-a.zeebox.com/images/ugc/u1df28bc2-0957-11e3-ffaa-b9850f907904/33c6494c-699a-4555-8a86-c020fc706c68.jpg

http://transform.fairfaxregional.com.au/transform/v1/crop/frm/storypad-3BFjzfcYy5TxiAkRPjHuXRz/80b5120e-fd8d-4477-a4ab-802837bf8078.jpg/r0_224_4801_2934_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/07/09/article-2685908-1F823F3E00000578-132_634x422.jpg

http://cdn0.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/BluesFans.jpg

http://i.embed.ly/1/display/resize?key=1e6a1a1efdb011df84894040444cdc60&url=https%3A%2F%2Fscontent.cdninstagram.com%2Fhpho tos-xfa1%2Ft51.2885-15%2Fe15%2F11247746_1006841972674028_412660192_n.j pg&width=810

http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2013/12/11/1226780/860016-0e58d50c-6225-11e3-be16-1445237cc09f.jpg

http://transform.fairfaxregional.com.au/transform/v1/crop/frm/storypad-3BFjzfcYy5TxiAkRPjHuXRz/e4a39cd2-cc2f-4117-9973-8db9526941e5.jpg/r0_403_5184_3329_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg

https://c3.staticflickr.com/3/2928/14610629402_b1a1bc2101_b.jpg

Mr Bastard

16-06-2015, 04:34 PM

One_____sleep

AHLUNGOR

18-06-2015, 11:12 AM

One_____sleep

See you at Suncorp in 3 weeks ??

AHLUNGOR

18-06-2015, 11:15 AM

I think congratulations to the Blues and all you Blues supporters are in order !!

Well done guys !

I think Pearce, Farah, the Morris twins, Dugan, Woods, Klimmer and Jennings and Co have all done very well last night, deserved winners !!

Bring on the decider !!

AHLUNGOR

18-06-2015, 11:19 AM

This is going to be a record breaking Origin series, with 91,000 people at the "G" last night, this will be the most attended Origin series ever !!

It's great for the Game !!

harmony

18-06-2015, 01:06 PM

Thanks Brother Canetoad

I personally am happy Mitchell Pearce won a game with the Blues, although he did drop a ball which lead to a try by Greg Inglis (that was later unfairly disallowed)

The find of the Origin 2015 has been NSW forward David Klemmer
He looks like a fighting Orc from Lord of The Rings.
In the second half, he wiped out Jonathan Thurston with a legal tackle

He looks tall, big, tough, and uncompromising, and just a little crazy
Just like other crazy and mad Blues legends like Mike Geyer, Paul Gallon and Terry Hill
I love that crazy tough player, that intimidates and strikes fear in the opposition !
Who else saw Clemmer, in the latter stages of the game, swinging punches in the air as he got up from a tackle !
Scary, mean and crazy !

But importantly, David Clemmer is 21 years old
Queensland will have to deal with this giant for another 10 years, barring injury !

Of course Queensland seem like a one man team, and cant win without Cooper Cronk !

Bring on Origin 2015 Game 3, and may the best team win !!!

http://i.guim.co.uk/media/w-620/h--/q-95/f15b8bad863adf80bd0502f4e183776f177a20c2/293_49_2586_1553/1000.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/04/04/10/2740123900000578-3025319-image-a-15_1428140689860.jpg

David Klemmer, you want to mess with this guy ??

http://cnet4.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2014/12/02/a69c9cbf-4402-449e-a77e-e5ef2aa15eb0/resize/1170x878/3cbb2fcd215bbfcec0d382d394dd0a57/hobbit-lotr-desolation-orc.jpg

No, I didnt think so.
NSW forward. He loves to play Queensland. And win.

harmony

18-06-2015, 01:37 PM

Cooper Cronk. Who is this Cooper Cronk ??
Bring him to me. Im hungry !

David Klemmer, NSW forward, Origin 2015

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/04/04/10/2740123900000578-3025319-image-a-15_1428140689860.jpg

kuntous

18-06-2015, 01:46 PM

AHLUNGOR

18-06-2015, 02:48 PM

Qld don't do well when ref enforces 10m rule.
The old legs burn.
Game 1 they were %80 offside.
Last night ref kept them back and they suffered.
Besides losing Gronk they have an injured Hilly no mater and a heavily marked Johnogrub Thurston.

I think the turning point was the NO TRY after Greg Inglis raced 90M down field to score near the post !! The scores at the time was the Maroons lead 18-14, if the try had stood which I think it should, the scores would have been 24-14 the Queenslands way and with all the momentum - I don't think the Blues can come back from there !!

With the NO Try decision, the next play was a NSW scrum 10 metres out from the Qld line and the Blues scored next and that's the Ball Game - it's a game of momentum man !!

A bad night for yours truly punting wise, only got a $100 money back from Sportsbet because Qld lost by 8 points or less.

If the GI's try would have stood, I would have won the head to head $1.73

GI to score two tries and QLD win @$12.00

And pretty sure JT would have won the Man of the Match too @$6.50

That's a lot of RnT money going down the drain because of the bloody knock on call !!

kuntous

18-06-2015, 03:28 PM

GI try was offside

Qld player behind him tapped the ball forward

GI took it and ran.
Deservedly disallowed!

Cordner hit on Jonogrub was icing on the cake and beautiful to watch in slow mo.

AHLUNGOR

18-06-2015, 03:33 PM

GI try was offside

Qld player behind him tapped the ball forward

GI took it and ran.
Deservedly disallowed!

Cordner hit on Jonogrub was icing on the cake and beautiful to watch in slow mo.

10 years from now, no one will remember what had happened, the record book would only show: the Blues beat the Maroons 26-18 in front of a record Origin Crowd of 91,500 at the MCG and level the series !!

Only a Maroons win on Games III at home would have any meaning now !! :smile:

harmony

18-06-2015, 03:42 PM

"A bad night for yours truly punting wise, only got a $100 money back from Sportsbet because Qld lost by 8 points or less.
If the GI's try would have stood, I would have won the head to head $1.73
GI to score two tries and QLD win @$12.00
And pretty sure JT would have won the Man of the Match too @$6.50
That's a lot of RnT money going down the drain because of the bloody knock on call !!"

Brother A
Ever considered bringing a Class Action legal suit
Against the officiating referee for the evening, Gerard Sutton ?
If not, why not ?

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT-FYljdeukx66RyUggB-eWC30H1hyeWIR4JZA6Eic18m04RnQ9BA

Just joking.
Commiserations brother

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/state-of-origin-game-2-blues-benefit-from-referee-calls-even-phil-gould-thought-so/story-fniablkr-1227403099029

harmony

18-06-2015, 03:46 PM

"Qld don't do well when ref enforces 10m rule.
The old legs burn."

Agreed khuntous
The two weaknesses of the ageing Queensland side, are losing Cooper Cronk (their playmaker), and getting tired later in the game

“I think the referees have been given strict instructions about opening the game up,’’ Cameron Smith said in an interview as he walked off at half-time in Origin 2 2015

Losing Cooper Cronk for the third game, you would have to be a brave Queensland supporter to back them to win by more than 6 points

The momentum of the series may be shifting back to NSW for the decider !

If we stay young and hungry, NSW can win the series

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/04/04/10/2740123900000578-3025319-image-a-15_1428140689860.jpg

Im not beautiful, but I am effective.
Move out of my way, or you will be my next meal.

David Clemmer. NSW forward, Origin 2015

AHLUNGOR

18-06-2015, 04:04 PM

I think this Champion Maroons team probably have one more big game in them, let that be Game III in 3 weeks.

After winning 8 series in a row, they have nothing more they need to prove, and many of the key players in this Maroons side are nearing the twilight of their career, but I think GI looks close to his brilliant best in Game II and his combination with Boyd on the left side is damaging, there are still plenty of points to come their way. Hodges will play his last representative game in Suncorp, does he have one last big game in him ?? Chambers in the Centre and a new winger we will see next year !

I wonder if Cronk can come back for game III, the 10 million dollar man in DCE is no worthy of much based on his two games in the run on side ! Will Mal be bold enough to let Morgan play the half with JT or bring in Ben Hunt who will deliver at Suncorp no doubt - and the Bronco half is shaping as the future to face Pearce next year if not the years after. But that's not the immediate problem facing the Maroons, our forwards are getting overrun by the bigger and younger Blues Props, who can we bring it ??

harmony

18-06-2015, 04:26 PM

Yes, I feel some sympathy for Queensland, they are having the same dilemma as NSW faced for over 10 years, of not having a consistent halves pairing

NSW chopped and changed for a decade, due to the overwhelming superiority of the Queenslanders

The tide may finally be turning, and we see an emerging NSW dynasty

Cooper Cronk and Jonathon Thurston would always be a hard pairing to replace. Both these players are world class

But as New Zealand has showed, their are neither unbeatable nor immortal

The final game is in Queensland, but you could easily argue, the MCG was also a home game for Queensland

Im not a betting person, but I would be more comfortable backing NSW for a close win in the third game

I also really loved the open game of Game II at the MCG.

harmony

18-06-2015, 04:27 PM

Date
Details
Referee(s)
Ground
Crowd
Man of the Match

Tuesday, June 1, 1982
New South Wales 20 (Ziggy Niszczot 2, Steve Mortimer, Brad Izzard tries; Michael Cronin 4 goals)
Queensland 16 (Mitch Brennan, John Ribot tries; Mal Meninga 5 goals)
Kevin Roberts
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
27,326
Mal Meninga

Tuesday, June 8, 1982
Queensland 11 (Gene Miles, John Ribot, Paul Vautin tries; Colin Scott goal)
New South Wales 7 (Brad Izzard try; Tony Melrose 2 goals)
Barry Gomersall
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
19,435
Rod Morris

Tuesday, June 22, 1982
Queensland 10 (Wally Lewis, Rohan Hancock tries; Mal Meninga 2 goals)
New South Wales 5 (Phil Duke try; Michael Cronin goal)
Don Wilson
Sydney Cricket Ground (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Cricket_Ground)
20,242
Wally Lewis

Tuesday, June 7, 1983
Queensland 24 (Wally Lewis 2, Mark Murray tries; Mal Meninga 6 goals)
New South Wales 12 (Steve Ella, Eric Grothe, Sr. tries; Phil Sigsworth 2 goals)

Barry Gomersall
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
29,412
Wally Lewis

Tuesday, June 21, 1983
New South Wales 10 (Steve Ella, Neil Hunt tries; Michael Cronin goal)
Queensland 6 (Mal Meninga try; Mal Meninga goal)
John Gocher
Sydney Cricket Ground (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Cricket_Ground)
21,620
Peter Sterling

Tuesday, June 28, 1983
Queensland 43 (Mitch Brennan 2, Greg Conescu, Bryan Niebling, Gene Miles, Steve Stacey, Dave Brown tries; Mal Meninga 6, Colin Scott goals; Wally Lewis field goal)
New South Wales 22 (Chris Anderson 3, Steve Mortimer tries; Michael Cronin 3 goals)
Robin Whitfield
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
26,084
Wally Lewis

Tuesday, May 29, 1984
Queensland 29 (Kerry Boustead 3, Gene Miles, Wally Lewis, Paul Vautin tries; Mal Meninga 2 goals; Wally Lewis field goal)
New South Wales 12 (Noel Cleal try; Ross Conlon 4 goals)
Kevin Roberts
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
33,662
Wally Lewis

Tuesday, June 19, 1984
Queensland 14 (Greg Dowling, Gene Miles tries; Mal Meninga 3 goals)
New South Wales 2 (Ross Conlon goal)
Barry Gomersall
Sydney Cricket Ground (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Cricket_Ground)
29,088
Wally Lewis

Tuesday, July 17, 1984
New South Wales 22 (Brian Johnston 2, Noel Cleal tries; Ross Conlon 5 goals)
Queensland 12 (Kerry Boustead, Bob Lindner tries; Mal Meninga 2 goals)
Kevin Roberts
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
16,559
Steve Mortimer

Tuesday, May 28, 1985
New South Wales 18 (Michael O' Connor 2 tries; Michael O'Connor 5 goals))
Queensland 2 (Mal Meninga goal)
Kevin Roberts
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
33,011
Peter Wynn

Tuesday, June 11, 1985
New South Wales 21 (Ben Elias, Brett Kenny, Steve Mortimer tries; Michael O'Connor 4 goals; Michael O'Connor field goal)
Queensland 14 (Ian French, Bob Lindner tries; Mal Meninga 3 goals)
Barry Gomersall
Sydney Cricket Ground (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Cricket_Ground)
39,068
Wally Lewis

Tuesday, July 23, 1985
Queensland 20 (Dale Shearer 2, Ian French, John Ribot tries; Mal Meninga 2 goals)
New South Wales 6 (Steve Ella try; Michael O'Connor goal)
Barry Gomersall
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
18,825
Wally Fullerton-Smith

Tuesday, May 27, 1986
New South Wales 22 (Andrew Farrar, Garry Jack, Chris Mortimer, Royce Simmons tries; Michael O'Connor 3 goals)
Queensland 16 (Greg Dowling, Gene Miles tries; Mal Meninga 4 goals)
Kevin Roberts
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
33,066
Royce Simmons

Tuesday, June 10, 1986
New South Wales 24 (Noel Cleal, Wayne Pearce, Andrew Farrar Brett Kenny, Michel O'Connor tries; Michel O'Connor 2 goals)
Queensland 20 (Dale Shearer, Ian French, Les Kiss, Bob Lindner tries; Mal Meninga 2 goals)
Barry Gomersall
Sydney Cricket Ground (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Cricket_Ground)
40,707
Peter Sterling

Tuesday, July 1, 1986
New South Wales 18 (Wayne Pearce, Peter Tunks, Michael O'Connor tries; Michael O'Connor 3 goals)
Queensland 16 (Gary Belcher, Greg Conescu, Les Kiss, Dale Shearer tries)
Kevin Roberts
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
21,097
Brett Kenny

Tuesday, June 2, 1987
New South Wales 20 (Michael O'Connor 2, Les Davidson, Mark McGaw tries; Michael O'Connor 2 goals)
Queensland 16 (Dale Shearer, Tony Currie, Greg Dowling tries; Gary Belcher, Peter Jackson goals)
Mick Stone
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
33,411
Les Davidson

Tuesday, June 16, 1987
Queensland 12 (Dale Shearer, Greg Dowling, Colin Scott tries)
New South Wales 6 (Andrew Farrar try; Michael O'Connor goal)
Barry Gomersall
Sydney Cricket Ground (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Cricket_Ground)
42,048
Peter Sterling

Wednesday, July 15, 1987
Queensland 10 (Dale Shearer, Bob Lindner tries; Dale Shearer goal)
New South Wales 8 (David Boyle try; Michael O'Connor 2 goals)
Barry Gomersall
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
32,602
Allan Langer

Tuesday, May 17, 1988
Queensland 26 (Allan Langer 2, Gary Belcher, Peter Jackson, Alan McIndoe tries; Gary Belcher 3 goals)
New South Wales 18 (Mark McGaw, Andrew Ettingshausen, Michael O'Connor tries; Michael O'Connor 3 goals)
Barry Gomersall
Sydney Football Stadium (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Football_Stadium)
26,441
Allan Langer

Tuesday, May 31, 1988
Queensland 16 (Sam Backo, Allan Langer tries; Gary Belcher 4 goals)
New South Wales 6 (Michael O'Connor try; Michael O'Connor goal)
Mick Stone
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
31,817
Sam Backo

Tuesday, June 21, 1988
Queensland 38 (Sam Backo 2, Gary Belcher, Brett French, Joe Kilroy, Allan Langer, Wally Lewis tries; Gary Belcher 5 goals)
New South Wales 22 (Wayne Pearce, John Ferguson, Steve Hanson, Michael O'Connor tries; Michael O'Connor 3 goals)
Greg McCallum
Sydney Football Stadium (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Football_Stadium)
16,910
Sam Backo

Tuesday, May 23, 1989
Queensland 36 (Mal Meninga 2, Michael Hancock 2, Allan Langer, Alan McIndoe, Bob Lindner tries; Mal Meninga 4 goals)
New South Wales 6 (Andrew Ettingshausen try; Laurie Daley goal)
Mick Stone
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
33,088
Martin Bella

Wednesday, June 14, 1989
Queensland 16 (Kerrod Walters, Wally Lewis, Michael Hancock tries; Mal Meninga, Gary Belcher goals)
New South Wales 12 (Laurie Daley, Chris Johns tries; Greg Alexander 2 goals)
David Manson
Sydney Football Stadium (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Football_Stadium)
40,000
Wally Lewis

Wednesday, June 28, 1989
Queensland 36 (Dale Shearer 2, Gary Belcher, Tony Currie, Kerrod Walters, Michael Hancock, Alan McIndoe tries; Dale Shearer 4 goals)
New South Wales 16 (David Trewhella, Bruce McGuire, Des Hasler tries; Michael O'Connor 2 goals)
Greg McCallum
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
33,260
Kerrod Walters

Wednesday, May 9, 1990
New South Wales 8 (Mark McGaw try; Michael O'Connor 2 goals)
Queensland 0
David Manson
Sydney Football Stadium (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Football_Stadium)
41,235
Ben Elias

Wednesday, May 30, 1990
New South Wales 12 (Ricky Stuart, Brad Mackay tries; Rod Wishart 2 goals)
Queensland 6 (Les Kiss try; Mal Meninga goal)
Greg McCallum
Olympic Park, Melbourne (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Park,_Melbourne)
25,800
Ricky Stuart

Wednesday, June 13, 1990
Queensland 14 (Peter Jackson, Gary Belcher tries; Gary Belcher 2, Wally Lewis goals)
New South Wales 10 (Mark McGaw, Glenn Lazarus tries; Rod Wishart goal)
David Manson
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
31,416
Bob Linder

Wednesday, May 8, 1991
Queensland 6 (Mal Meninga try; Mal Meninga goal)
New South Wales 4 (Laurie Daley try)
Bill Harrigan
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
32,400
Wally Lewis

Wednesday, May 29, 1991
New South Wales 14 (Mark McGaw, Chris Johns tries; Michael O'Connor 3 goals)
Queensland 12 (Dale Shearer, Willie Carne tries; Mal Meninga 2 goals)
David Manson
Sydney Football Stadium (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Football_Stadium)
41,520
Steve Walters

Wednesday, June 12, 1991
Queensland 14 (Dale Shearer, Paul Hauff, Michael Hancock tries; Mal Meninga goal)
New South Wales 12 (Chris Johns, Michael O'Connor, Des Hasler tries)
Bill Harrigan
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
33,226
Martin Bella

Wednesday, May 6, 1992
New South Wales 14 (Bradley Clyde, Craig Salvatori tries; Rod Wishart 3 goals)
Queensland 6 (Allan Langer try; Mal Meninga goal)
David Manson
Sydney Football Stadium (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Football_Stadium)
40,039
Ben Elias

Wednesday, May 20, 1992
Queensland 5 (Billy Moore try; Allan Langer field goal)
New South Wales 4 (Rod Wishart 2 goals)
Bill Harrigan
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
31,500
Bob Linder

Wednesday, June 3, 1992
New South Wales 16 (Andrew Ettingshausen, Ricky Stuart, John Cartwright tries; Tim Brasher 2 goals)
Queensland 4 (Mal Meninga 2 goals)
Eddie Ward
Sydney Football Stadium (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Football_Stadium)
41,878
Ricky Stuart

Monday, May 3, 1993
New South Wales 14 (Ricky Stuart, Rod Wishart tries; Rod Wishart 3 goals)
Queensland 10 (Willie Carne, Bob Linder tries; Mal Meninga goal)
Greg McCallum
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
33,000
Ricky Stuart

Monday, May 17, 1993
New South Wales 16 (Laurie Daley, Brad Mackay, Rod Wishart tries; Rod Wishart 2 goals)
Queensland 12 (Mal Meninga, Kevin Walters tries; Dale Shearer, Adrian Brunker goals)
Eddie Ward
Sydney Football Stadium (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Football_Stadium)
41,895
Tim Brasher

Monday, May 31, 1993
Queensland 24 (Willie Carne 2, Bob Linder, Steve Walters tries; Mal Meninga 2, Julian O'Neill 2 goals)
New South Wales 12 (Andrew Ettingshausen, Paul Harragon tries; Rod Wishart 2 goals)
Greg McCallum
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
31,500
Dale Shearer

Monday, May 23, 1994
Queensland 16 (Julian O'Neill, Willie Carne, Mark Coyne tries; Mal Meninga 2 goals)
New South Wales 12 (Paul Harragon, Brad Mackay tries; Rod Wishart, Graham Mackay goals)
Bill Harrigan
Sydney Football Stadium (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Football_Stadium)
41,859
Willie Carne

Wednesday, June 8, 1994
New South Wales 14 (Glenn Lazarus, Paul McGregor tries; Tim Brasher 3 goals)
Queensland 0
Graham Annesley
Melbourne Cricket Ground (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne_Cricket_Ground)
87,161
Paul Harragon

Monday, June 20, 1994
New South Wales 27 (Brett Mullins, Bradley Clyde, Laurie Daley, Brad Fittler tries; Tim Brasher 4 goals; Ben Elias 2, Brad Fittler field goals)
Queensland 12 (Steve Renouf, Andrew Gee tries Julian O'Neill 2 goals)
Bill Harrigan
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
40,665
Ben Elias

Monday, May 15, 1995
Queensland 2 (Wayne Bartrim goal)
New South Wales 0
Eddie Ward
Sydney Football Stadium (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Football_Stadium)
39,841
Gary Larson

Wednesday, May 31, 1995
Queensland 20 (Brett Dallas, Mark Coyne, Adrian Lam tries; Wayne Bartrim 4 goals)
New South Wales 12 (Brett Rodwell, Jim Serdaris tries; Rod Wishart 2 goals)
Eddie Ward
Melbourne Cricket Ground (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne_Cricket_Ground)
52,994
Jason Smith

Monday, June 12, 1995
Queensland 24 (Brett Dallas,Jason Smith, Ben Ikin, Billy Moore tries; Wayne Bartrim 4 goals)
New South Wales 16 (Tim Brasher, Adam Muir, Rod Wishart tries; Rod Wishart 2 goals)
David Manson
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
40,189
Adrian Lam

Monday, May 20, 1996
New South Wales 14 (Andrew Ettingshausen, Steve Menzies tries; Andrew Johns 3 Goals)
Queensland 6 (Allan Langer try; Wayne Bartrim goal)
David Manson
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
39,348
Geoff Toovey

Monday, June 3, 1996
New South Wales 18 (Brett Mullins 2, Rod Wishart tries; Andrew Johns 3 goals)
Queensland 6 (Steve Renouf try; Julian O'Neill goal)
David Manson
Sydney Football Stadium (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Football_Stadium)
41,955
Andrew Johns

Monday, June 17, 1996
New South Wales 15 (Andrew Ettingshausen, Brett Mullins tries; Andrew Johns 2, Rod Wishart goals; Brad Fittler field goal)
Queensland 14 (Brett Dallas, Mark Coyne tries; Willie Carne 3 goals)
David Manson
Sydney Football Stadium (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Football_Stadium)
38,217
Steve Menzies

Wednesday, May 28, 1997
New South Wales 8 (Paul McGregor try; Andrew Johns, Rod Wishart goals)
Queensland 6 (Adrian Lam try; Wayne Bartrim goal)
Kelvin Jeffes
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
28,222
Geoff Toovey

Wednesday, June 11, 1997
New South Wales 15 (Jim Dymock, Ken McGuinness, Nik Kosef tries; John Simon goal; John Simon field goal)
Queensland 14 (Brett Dallas, Robbie O'Davis, Matt Sing tries; Julian O'Neill goal)
David Manson
Melbourne Cricket Ground (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne_Cricket_Ground)
25,105
Paul McGregor

Wednesday, June 25, 1997
Queensland 18 (Ben Ikin, Julian O'Neill, Mark Coyne tries; Julian O'Neill 3 goals)
New South Wales 12 (Andrew Johns, Jamie Ainscough tries; John Simon, Andrew Johns goals)
Eddie Ward
Sydney Football Stadium (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Football_Stadium)
33,241
Gary Larson

Friday, May 22, 1998
Queensland 24 (Steve Price, Tonie Carroll, Allan Langer, Kevin Walters tries; Darren Lockyer 4 goals)
New South Wales 23 (Laurie Daley, Tim Brasher, Steve Menzies, Rod Wishart, Brad Fittler tries; Andrew Johns goal; Andrew Johns field goal)
Bill Harrigan
Sydney Football Stadium (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Football_Stadium)
36,070
Allan Langer

Friday, June 5, 1998
New South Wales 26 (Paul McGregor 2, Tim Brasher, Adam MacDougall, Brad Fittler tries; Andrew Johns 3 goals)
Queensland 10 (Wendell Sailor, Matt Sing tries; Darren Lockyer goal)
Bill Harrigan
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
40,447
Rodney Howe

Friday, June 19, 1998
Queensland 19 (Ben Ikin, Kevin Walters, Allan Langer tries; Darren Lockyer 2, Robbie O'Davis goals; Jason Smith field goal)
New South Wales 4 (Ken McGuinness try)
Bill Harrigan
Sydney Football Stadium (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Football_Stadium)
38,952
Shane Webcke

Wednesday, May 26, 1999
Queensland 9 (Mat Rogers 4 goals; Mat Rogers field goal)
New South Wales 8 (Anthony Mundine try; Ryan Girdler 2 goals)
Bill Harrigan
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
38,093
Jason Hetherington

Wednesday, June 9, 1999
New South Wales 12 (Laurie Daley, Robbie Ross tries; Ryan Girdler 2 goals)
Queensland 8 (Mat Rogers try; Mat Rogers 2 goals)
Steve Clark
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
88,336
Laurie Daley

Wednesday, June 23, 1999
Queensland 10 (Paul Green, Darren Lockyer tries; Darren Lockyer goal) drew
New South Wales 10 (Matt Geyer 2 tries; Ryan Girdler goal)
Steve Clark
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
39,371
Wendell Sailor

Wednesday, May 10, 2000
New South Wales 20 (Adam MacDougall 2, David Peachey, Ryan Girdler tries; Ryan Girdler 2 goals)
Queensland 16 (Adrian Lam 2, Mat Rogers tries; Mat Rogers, Darren Lockyer goals)
Bill Harrigan
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
61,511
Adam Macdougall

Wednesday, May 24, 2000
New South Wales 28 (Scott Hill, David Furner, Shaun Timmins, Ryan Girdler, Brad Fittler tries; Ryan Girdler 4 goals)
Queensland 10 (Gorden Tallis try; Mat Rogers 3 goals)
Bill Harrigan
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
38,796
Tim Brasher

Wednesday, June 7, 2000
New South Wales 56 (Ryan Girdler 3, Matt Gidley 2, Adam MacDougall, Andrew Johns, Adam Muir, Bryan Fletcher tries; Ryan Girdler 10 goals)
Queensland 16 (Mat Rogers, Gorden Tallis, David Smith tries; Mat Rogers 2 goals)
Bill Harrigan
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
58,767
Ryan Girdler

Sunday, May 6, 2001
Queensland 34 (Carl Webb, John Buttigieg, John Doyle, Darren Lockyer, Darren Smith, Chris Walker tries; Darren Lockyer 5 goals)
New South Wales 16 (Matt Gidley, Trent Barrett, Brad Fittler tries; Michael De Vere 2 goals)
Bill Harrigan
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
38,909
Gorden Tallis

Sunday, June 10, 2001
New South Wales 26 (Brad Fittler 2, Jamie Ainscough, Trent Barrett, Luke Ricketson tries; Ryan Girdler 3 goals)
Queensland 8 (Chris Walker try; Darren Lockyer 2 goals)
Bill Harrigan
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
70,249
Trent Barrett

Sunday, July 1, 2001
Queensland 40 (Chris Walker 2, Darren Lockyer 2, Paul Bowman 2, Dane Carlaw, Allan Langer tries; Darren Lockyer 4 goals)
New South Wales 14 (Ryan Girdler 2 tries; Ryan Girdler 3 goals)
Bill Harrigan
Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensland_Sport_and_Athletics_Centre)
49,441
Darren Lockyer

Wednesday, May 22, 2002
New South Wales 32 (Brett Hodgson, Jamie Lyon, Timana Tahu, Matt Gidley, Andrew Johns tries; Andrew Johns 4, Brett Hodgson goals; Andrew Johns, Trent Barrett field goals)
Queensland 4 (Lote Tuqiri try)
Bill Harrigan
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
55,421
Andrew Johns

Wednesday, June 5, 2002
Queensland 26 (Lote Tuqiri 3, Dane Carlaw, Gorden Tallis tries; Lote Tuqiri 3 goals)
New South Wales 18 (Braith Anasta, Shaun Timmins, Luke Ricketson tries Andrew Johns 3 goals)
Bill Harrigan
Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensland_Sport_and_Athletics_Centre)
47,989
Chris McKenna

Wednesday, June 26, 2002
Queensland 18 (Dane Carlaw, Shaun Berrigan, Lote Tuqiri, Shane Webcke tries; Lote Tuqiri goal) drew
New South Wales 18 (Jason Moodie 2, Steve Menzies tries; Andrew Johns 3 goals)
Bill Harrigan
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
74,842
Allan Langer

Wednesday, June 11, 2003
New South Wales 25 (Anthony Minichiello 2, Andrew Johns, Craig Wing tries; Andrew Johns 4 goals; Andrew Johns field goal)
Queensland 12 (Gorden Tallis, Darren Lockyer tries; Darren Lockyer 2 goals)
Bill Harrigan
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
52,429
Luke Bailey

Wednesday, June 25, 2003
New South Wales 27 (Timana Tahu 2, Ben Kennedy, Matt Gidley, Anthony Minichiello tries; Andrew Johns 3 goals; Andrew Johns field goal)
Queensland 4 (Michael Crocker try)
Bill Harrigan
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
79,132
Andrew Johns

Wednesday, July 16, 2003
Queensland 36 (Matt Sing 3, Brent Tate 2, Cameron Smith, Michael Crocker tries; Josh Hannay 4 goals)
New South Wales 6 (Timana Tahu try; Andrew Johns goal)
Bill Harrigan
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
52,130
Matt Sing

Wednesday, May 26, 2004
New South Wales 9 (Shaun Timmins try; Craig Fitzgibbon 2 goals; Shaun Timmins field goal)
Queensland 8 (Brent Tate, Scott Prince tries)
Sean Hampstead
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
68,344
Shaun Timmons

Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Queensland 22 (Billy Slater 2, Dane Carlaw, Willie Tonga tries; Cameron Smith 2, Scott Prince goals)
New South Wales 18 (Timana Tahu 2, Luke Rooney tries; Craig Fitzgibbon 3 goals)
Sean Hampstead
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
52,478
Billy Slater

Wednesday, July 7, 2004
New South Wales 36 (Mark Gasnier 2, Luke Rooney, Trent Barrett, Anthony Minichiello, Brad Fittler tries; Craig Fitzgibbon 5, Mark Gasnier goals)
Queensland 14 (Billy Slater, Matt Bowen tries; Cameron Smith 3 goals)
Paul Simpkins
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
82,487
Craig Fitzgibbon

Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Queensland 24 (Ty Williams, Michael Crocker, Matt Bowen tries; Cameron Smith 5 goals; Darren Lockyer, Johnathan Thurston field goals)
New South Wales 20 (Ben Kennedy, Luke Rooney, Mark Gasnier, Danny Buderus tries; Craig Fitzgibbon 2 goals)
Paul Simpkins
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
52,484
Steve Price

Wednesday, June 15, 2005
New South Wales 32 (Anthony Minichiello 2, Matt Cooper, Danny Buderus, Steve Menzies tries; Andrew Johns 3, Craig Fitzgibbon 3 goals)
Queensland 22 (Petero Civoniceva, Brad Thorn, Billy Slater, Matt Bowen tries; Cameron Smith 3 goals)
Steve Clark
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
82,389
Andrew Johns

Wednesday, July 6, 2005
New South Wales 32 (Matt King 3, Braith Anasta, Mark Gasnier, Timana Tahu tries; Andrew Johns 3, Craig Fitzgibbon goals)
Queensland 10 (Johnathan Thurston, Matt Bowen tries; Cameron Smith goal)
Paul Simpkins
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
52,436
Anthony Minichiello

Wednesday, May 24, 2006
New South Wales 17 (Brett Finch, Matt King, Willie Mason tries; Brett Hodgson 2 goals; Brett Finch field goal)
Queensland 16 (Greg Inglis 2, Steve Bell tries; Johnathan Thurston 2 goals)
Sean Hampstead
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
72,773
Willie Mason

Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Queensland 30 (Adam Mogg 2, Carl Webb, Justin Hodges, Shaun Berrigan tries; Johnathan Thurston 4 goals)
New South Wales 6 (Timana Tahu try; Brett Hodgson goal)
Steve Clark
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
52,468
Darren Lockyer

Wednesday, July 5, 2006
Queensland 16 (Adam Mogg, Brent Tate, Darren Lockyer tries; Clinton Schifcofske 2 goals)
New South Wales 14 (Eric Grothe, Jr. 2, Matt King tries; Brett Hodgson goal)
Steve Clark
Docklands Stadium (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docklands_Stadium)
54,833
Brent Tate

Wednesday, 23 May, 2007
Queensland 25 (Greg Inglis 2, Darren Lockyer, Steve Price tries; Johnathan Thurston 4 goals; Johnathan Thurston field goal)
New South Wales 18 (Matt Cooper, Jarryd Hayne, Nathan Hindmarsh tries; Jamie Lyon 3 goals)
Paul Simpkins
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
52,498
Johnathan Thurston

Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Queensland 10 (Greg Inglis, Steve Bell tries; Johnathan Thurston goal)
New South Wales 6 (Brett Stewart try; Jamie Lyon goal)
Shayne Hayne
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
76,924
Cameron Smith

Wednesday, July 4, 2007
New South Wales 18 (Jarryd Hayne, Matt King, Hazem El Masri tries; Hazem El Masri 3 goals)
Queensland 4 (Justin Hodges try)
Paul Simpkins
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
52,469
Greg Bird

Wednesday, May 21, 2008
New South Wales 18 (Anthony Quinn 2, Brett Stewart, Anthony Laffranchi tries; Craig Fitzggibbon goal)
Queesnland 10 (Brent Tate, Israel Folau tries; Johnathan Thurston goal)
Tony Archer
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
67,620
Greg Bird

Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Queensland 30 (Darius Boyd 2, Ben Hannant, Israel Folau tries; Johnathan Thurston 7 goals)
New South Wales 0
Tony Archer
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
52,476
Greg Inglis

Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Queensland 16 (Israel Folau 2, Billy Slater tries; Johnathan Thurston 2 goals)
New South Wales 10 (Matt Cooper try; Craig Fitzgibbon 3 goals)
Tony Archer
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
78,751
Israel Folau

Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Queensland 28 (Greg Inglis 2, Billy Slater, Johnathan Thurston, Darius Boyd tries; Johnathan Thurston 4 goals)
New South Wales 18 (Ben Creagh, Craig Wing, Jarryd Hayne tries; Kurt Gidley 3 goals)
Tony Archer and Shayne Hayne
Docklands Stadium (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docklands_Stadium)
50,967
Johnathan Thurston

Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Queensland 24 (Greg Inglis, Israel Folau, Darren Lockyer, Cameron Smith tries; Johnathan Thurston 4 goals)
New South Wales 14 (Jarryd Hayne 2, David Williams tries; Kurt Gidley goal)
Tony Archer and Shayne Hayne
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
80,459
Sam Thaiday

Wednesday, July 15, 2009
New South Wales 28 (Ben Creagh 2, David Williams, Josh Morris tries; Michael Ennis 3, Kurt Gidley 3 goals)
Queensland 16 (Dallas Johnson, Justin Hodges, Billy Slater tries; Johnathan Thurston 2 goals)
Tony Archer and Shayne Hayne
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
52,439
Anthony Watmough

Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Queensland 28 (Billy Slater, Darius Boyd, Greg Inglis, Darren Lockyer, Sam Thaiday tries; Johnathan Thurston 4 goals)
New South Wales 24 (Jarryd Hayne, Anthony Watmough, Ben Creagh, Jamal Idris tries; Jamie Lyon 4 goals)
Tony Archer and Shayne Hayne
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
68,753
Johnathan Thurston

Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Queensland 34 (Israel Folau 2, Darius Boyd, Greg Inglis, Willie Tonga, Cooper Cronk tries; Johnathan Thurston 5 goals)
New South Wales 6 (Brett White try; Michael Ennis goal)
Tony Archer and Shayne Hayne
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
52,452
Darren Lockyer

Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Queensland 23 (Darius Boyd, Billy Slater, Willie Tonga, Nate Myles tries; Johnathan Thurston 3 goals; Darren Lockyer field goal)
New South Wales 18 (Kurt Gidley, Paul Gallen, Greg Bird tries; Michael Gordon 3 goals)
Tony Archer and Shayne Hayne
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
61,259
Billy Slater

Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Queensland 16 (Johnathan Thurston, Jharal Yow Yeh, Billy Slater tries; Johnathan Thurston 2 goals)
New South Wales 12 (Mitchell Pearce, Michael Jennings tries; Jamie Soward 2 goals)
Tony Archer and Jared Maxwell
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
52,144
Cameron Smith

Wednesday, June 15, 2011
New South Wales 18 (Luke Lewis, Will Hopoate, Anthony Minichiello tries; Jamie Soward 3 goals)
Queensland 8 (Cameron Smith try; Johnathan Thurston 2 goals)
Ben Cummins and Shayne Hayne
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
81,965
Paul Gallen

Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Queensland 34 (Greg Inglis 2, Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Sam Thaiday, Jharal Yow Yeh tries; Johnathan Thurston 4, Cameron Smith goals)
New South Wales 24 (Greg Bird, Jarryd Hayne, Anthony Minichiello, Akulia Uate tries; Jamie Soward 4 goals)
Tony Archer and Shayne Hayne
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
52,498
Cameron Smith

Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Queensland 18 (Darius Boyd 2, Greg Inglis tries; Johnathan Thurston 3 goals)
New South Wales 10 (Akulia Uate, Michael Jennings tries; Todd Carney goal)
Ben Cummins and Matt Cecchin
Docklands Stadium (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docklands_Stadium)
56,021
Nate Myles

Wednesday, June 13, 2012
New South Wales 16 (Brett Stewart 2, Josh Morris tries; Todd Carney 2 goals)
Queensland 12 (Ben Hannant, Greg Inglis tries; Johnathan Thurston 2 goals)
Tony Archer and Ben Cummins
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
83,110
Greg Bird

Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Queensland 21 (Darius Boyd, Justin Hodges, Johnathan Thurston tries; Johnathan Thurston 4 goals; Cooper Cronk field goal)
New South Wales 20 (Brett Morris, Josh Morris, Brett Stewart tries; Todd Carney 4 goals)
Ben Cummins and Tony Archer
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
52,437
Johnathan Thurston

Wednesday, June 5, 2013
New South Wales 14 (Jarryd Hayne, Michael Jennings tries; James Maloney 3 goals)
Queensland 6 (Darius Boyd try; Cameron Smith goal)
Shayne Hayne and Ashley Klein
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
80,380
Luke Lewis

Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Queensland 26 (Darius Boyd 2, Greg Inglis, Sam Thaiday tries; Johnathan Thurston 5 goals)
New South Wales 6 (Brett Morris try; James Maloney goal)
[[Shayne Hayne and Ashley Klein
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
51,690
Cameron Smith

Wednesday, July 17 2013
Queensland 12 (Johnathan Thurston, Justin Hodges tries; Johnathan Thurston 2 goals)
New South Wales 10 (James McManus, Trent Merrin tries; James Maloney goal)
Shanye Hayne and Ben Cummins
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
83,813
Brent Tate

Wednesday, May 28, 2014
New South Wales 12 (Brett Morris, Jarryd Hayne tries; Trent Hodkinson 2 goals)
Queensland 8 (Darius Boyd 2 tries)
Shayne Hayne and Ben Cummins
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
52,111
Jarryd Hayne

Wednesday, June 18, 2014
New South Wales 6 (Trent Hodkinson try; Trent Hodkinson goal)
Queensland 4 (Johnathan Thurston 2 goals)
Shayne Hayne and Ben Cummins
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
83,421
Paul Gallen

Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Queensland 32 (Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Darius Boyd, Aidan Guerra, Cooper Cronk tries; Johnathan Thurston 6 goals)
New South Wales 8 (Josh Dugan try; Trent Hodkinson 2 goals)
Ben Cummins and Gerard Sutton
Lang Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park)
50,155
Corey Parker

Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Queensland 11 (Cooper Cronk, Will Chambers tries; Johnathan Thurston goal; Cooper Cronk field goal)
New South Wales 10 (Josh Morris, Beau Scott tries; Trent Hodkinson goal)
Gerard Sutton and Ben Cummins
Stadium Australia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia)
80,122
Cameron Smith

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

New South Wales 26 (Michael Jennings, Josh Morris, Aaron Woods, Josh Dugan tries; Trent Hodkinson 5 goals)
Queensland 18 (Matt Scott, Greg Inglis, Matt Gillett tries; Johnathan Thurston 3 goals)

Gerard Sutton and Ben Cummins
Melbourne Cricket Ground (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne_Cricket_Ground)
91,513
Michael Jennings

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Origin_results_and_statistics

Look at the crowd statistics
Looks like the MCG will continue to stage State of Origin matches, and why not ??
It has been estimated that of the 90000 at the MCG for last nights game...
60000 were from Melbourne, and up to 30000 from interstate
Looking at the crowd from the TV, only the bottom tier of the Stadium were NSW Blues supporters
The rest looked like a sea of Maroon !

AHLUNGOR

18-06-2015, 04:34 PM

I wonder if we can pick Jesse Bromwick and Martin Taupau for our forwards ??...................haha

harmony

18-06-2015, 04:52 PM

Forget who won and who lost last night
The fair and open 10 metres that was enforced by the referees made for a great spectacle
This journalist is pretty well spot on !

http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/state-of-origin/state-of-origin-2015-referees-control-of-game-two-created-best-spectacle-in-years/story-fn31yxah-1227403690985 (http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/state-of-origin/state-of-origin-2015-referees-control-of-game-two-created-best-spectacle-in-years/story-fn31yxah-1227403690985)

The tension, the drama, the buzz, Origin at the MCG had it all and we’ve got the whistleblowers to thank most for it!

There’s plenty to digest in another special Origin editions of Highs, Lows and Big Blows.

Let the boys play, Sir!

Brilliant stuff!
With a few early penalties a legitimate 10 metre gap was established by the men in white and we were treated to the most open, free running Origin in years

With 91,513 crammed into the MCG, the whistleblowers ensured they were treated to 34 of the game’s truly elite playing actual footy.
Huzzah!

That’s how you sell to the masses.
With the fleetest of feet possessed by Michael Jennings, the V8 engine under Greg Inglis’s hood, and the sight of Aaron Woods trucking it up with more than a few feet between the play-the-ball and the defensive line.

This is rugby league, the game that’s been redefining controversy since 1908.
And on a rather grand stage the whistleblowers were on the money, and as a result it lived up to its other moniker — ‘the greatest game of all.’

Pencil David Klemmer into every Blues team sheet for the next decade. Ditto Aaron Woods
Based on Klemmer’s bravado at the MCG you readily accept he’s the youngest bloke on the field.

But with the performance to back it up the Blues upstart is batting well beyond his 21 years, and with 92 bruising metres from the bench he will be tormenting the Maroons for a good while yet.

As for Woods, well what more can you possibly say that the 24-year-old himself hasn’t?
Still labelled an Origin pretender by the Maroon-clad media despite playing the house down at ANZ Stadium a few weeks ago, the 24-year-old threw off the attempted tackle of Matt Scott and threw it right back in

Care for a facial massage?

All the pre-game talk was about the biff, and all we got was a couple of AFL-style melees, proof once and for all Origin is a changed beast.
Billy Slater and James Tamou — yep that’s the former jockey squaring off against a bloke who stands 194cm and 113 kilos — got us started with a couple of handbags to the face in the 20th minute.

harmony

19-06-2015, 04:36 PM

Brother Ahlungor, at the start of the 2015 series, looked to the NRL club table for information
The table below is the NRL club table following Origin Game 2

1.
Broncos
13
10
0
3
1
297
214
83
5 - 1
5-2
22
$6.00 (http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=51965463&iu=/7414/TEL.NRL)

2.
Cowboys
13
10
0
3
1
288
255
33
5 - 2
5-1
22
$4.50 (http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=51965463&iu=/7414/TEL.NRL)

3.
Dragons
12
8
0
4
2
212
155
57
5 - 1
3-3
20
$15.00 (http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=51965463&iu=/7414/TEL.NRL)

4.
Storm
13
8
0
5
1
246
188
58
4 - 2
4-3
18
$11.00 (http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=51965463&iu=/7414/TEL.NRL)

5.
Roosters
13
7
0
6
1
279
176
103
4 - 2
3-4
16
$4.50 (http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=51965463&iu=/7414/TEL.NRL)

I can see Broncos and Cowboys still at the top of the ladder
The Cowboys with Jonathan Thurston have won 10 games in a row
I also see the Melbourne Storm falling a few places down the ranking
How does this augur for the Queensland team of champions
Are the Maroons just a team of champions now, and no longer a champion team
This is the question.

The fall of the Storm down the ladder probably means not much
The Storm are still a proud 4th, out of the total of 16 teams

But I cant help but think, the Storm key players, who are the Maroons key players, are starting to get more battle weary

Billy Slater, may well not play in Origin 3, 2015
Cooper Cronk, may well not play in Origin 3, 2015

Actually, the NRL table is not that helpful in determining who is going to win this Origin series, 2015
More important is which players are in the key positions for each team, for NSW/Queensland, for the deciding match in July 2015
In addition, which player from which side, will bring the X factor into play for the decider ?

Mitchell Pearce has the taste of victory in his nostrils, and I expect his confidence to be even higher for Game 3

Queensland are the underdogs, with a lot of their players under injury clouds

harmony

19-06-2015, 04:47 PM

These are the key players for the NSW Blues for Origin 3

Mitchell Pearce

http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2009/04/25/1225703/806604-mitchell-pearce.jpg

Brett Hodkinson

http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2014/12/20/1227162/984130-f8cb9c66-81d0-11e4-b831-c0d40ce25a2e.jpg

Aaron Woods, 24 years old

http://originonline.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Aaron-Woods-State-Origin-II-NSW-v-QLD-ZqmZcfflo97l.jpg

Michael Jennings (Man of the Match, Game 2, 2015)

http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2015/06/17/1227402/955751-cb8ef2b2-14dc-11e5-a6ca-59bc38ef7c6f.jpg

Josh Dugan, NSW fullback

http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2014/01/08/1226797/579732-6abbf30a-7824-11e3-ad16-5b01da53a32e.jpg

David Klemmer, the 21 year old X factor

David Klemmer is 21 years old
He is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs of the National Rugby League.
Klemmer is an Australian national and New South Wales representative prop
Extremely passionate, and physically intimidating
He eats ageing Queensland veterans for dinner, if he finds them on the football field
In other words, Klemmer is the ultimate predator

http://cnet4.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2014/12/02/a69c9cbf-4402-449e-a77e-e5ef2aa15eb0/resize/1170x878/3cbb2fcd215bbfcec0d382d394dd0a57/hobbit-lotr-desolation-orc.jpg

And this is the man under pressure, with a lot of likely changes and rearragements of key personnel required for Game 3:

Mal Meninga, Queensland coach, and a true legend of the game
(Did you ever see him play, he really should be a Rugby League immortal)

http://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Mal+Meninga+Queensland+Maroons+Training+Session+H1 DDcZcORl0l.jpg

May the best team be victorious in 2015 !

harmony

19-06-2015, 04:59 PM

I dont write these newspaper articles
Maybe its just that the portents really do favour a NSW series victory in 2015 ...
Journalist Adrian Proszenko describes the increasing confidence of the NSW halfback ...

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/state-of-origin/state-of-origin-nsw-blues-fiveeighth-mitchell-pearce-says-he-finally-feels-like-he-belongs-20150618-ghr0e2.html

NSW Blues five-eighth Mitchell Pearce says he finally feels like he belongs

http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/r/1/x/1/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.ghr0e2.png/1434639287195.jpg

http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/q/o/9/k/image.gallery.galleryLandscape.620x414.ghqazl.png/1434543273500.jpg

Mitchell Pearce, in his second incarnation as a State of Origin player, finally feels like he belongs in the arena.
By his own admission, the Roosters playmaker wasn't ready for the demands of interstate football when handed the Blues No.7 jersey as a teenager.
However, Pearce feels those experiences have shaped him into the player he is today, the one who combined with Trent Hodkinson to outplay their more fancied Maroons counterparts in Origin II to set up a decider at Suncorp Stadium.

"When I said that [I wasn't initially ready for Origin] it wasn't meant to be an outlandish comment," Pearce explained
"I sort of thought I was pretty young mentally at that time, I probably didn't handle it great. Any opportunity you get in life, you learn from it, it makes you more experienced and better"
"I feel like I'm starting to get a groove and understand Origin and feel really comfortable in it. I'm happy with that."

After Pearce and Hodkinson orchestrated an upset victory at the MCG, the blowtorch is now likely to be turned onto Manly's $10 million man, Daly Cherry-Evans.

That the focus isn't on Pearce, as has been the case for the majority of his 13 matches in sky blue, is testament to the fact his past two performances have been his best
"Yeah, I was really happy with it," he said of his performance in Melbourne
"We had plenty of opportunities there and the stuff we iced was really good, but there were a lot of legs tackles that could have turned into try opportunities"
"I thought our attack as a whole was really good, especially to fight our way back when they went in front. It took about 10 or 15 minutes to get the arm wrestle back, we did really well. We didn't really shrink ourselves with our footy, which was great."

Pearce, who described Hodkinson as having a "good filter" to block out pressure and criticism, spoke of his gratitude after being a chance to resurrect his Origin career
"I've been working very hard and I'm very privileged to be in this side," he said
"They trusted me in bringing me back after winning the series last year. [It] was a big game for me
I didn't want it to slip away. It was a big game, personally and as a team I was happy to go to a decider and keep the dream alive."

Pearce and Hodkinson were criticised for not icing the opening encounter, but didn't make the same mistake in the rematch. With the game on the line, the pair ensured the Blues didn't go into their shells.

"What you were talking about, lessons from the past – that was something that was in my mind and I think Hodko was thinking the same when the game got to that level," he said.

"It was a missed opportunity in game one but it was a learning curve, I think that put us in good stead for that 10-15 minutes to go, it was a bit of a trigger to evolve and I thought we did that really well."

harmony

03-07-2015, 04:31 PM

harmony

03-07-2015, 04:36 PM

AHLUNGOR

03-07-2015, 07:01 PM

Time to bring back the sporting passion back to AUS99
Forget the tennis. Just a pack of white panted pansies.
Lets get real.
State of Origin 3, 2015
What are your thoughts ?

NSW to win back to back series, and start a new Blue domination ?
Or Queensland to reassert Maroon supremacy ?

Brother Canetoad. You have been silent on this match.
A bit worried ?
Mate, if Cooper Cronk is missing again, Im backing Blues more than ever

I've never been to Lang Park, Suncorp Stadium, but I hear the seats are right next to the action. Maybe I need to go up there one day (tickets sold out for Game 3 2015)

Yeap, I think Cooper Cronk is the key! If he pays game III, Queensland will win. Simple as that !

No need to look back when the Maroons won 8 series in a row , just in the last five matches, in 2014, Cronk was injured early in Game I, NSW won, Cronk missed game II, NSW won, Cronk back in game III, NSW got smashed !

This year, Cronk played in game I and won the game for the Maroons!

He missed game II and NSW.......

Now he is back in game III . Watch out Blues !!

AHLUNGOR

03-07-2015, 07:09 PM

Next Wednesday is probably the biggest night in national sports for Australia in a long time , apart from the Origin decider in Suncorp, it's also the first test of the Ashes in Cardiff!

If Cook won the toss, I'm gonna be watching Mitchell Starc thundering down and tried to bowl Cook in the first over !

If Clarkey won the toss, watch out for David Warner hit the first ball from jimmy Anderson to the boundary !!

And at the same time Suncorp has kicked off !

I need two LCD TV in my lounge room next Wednesday night !!

Go the Aussies!!

Go Queenslanders !!

Mr Bastard

03-07-2015, 07:15 PM

Cronks a pansie lol

Grain of salt fellas

Lets show some NSW passion

We have shown these QLD's too much respect in the past

A major reason we lost 8 in a row

In many of those series we were the better team, on many an occasion a series decided by less than 8 points after three matches, probably less, (off the top of my head that is, the more pedantic or well educated on trivial matters or those for a thirst for one-upmanship or spite feel free to shoot me down)

Beaten by a team whom had no respect for either the rules or their opposition

We, yes we, US BLUES should all stand up and give it to this great QLD team who thrive on the grub mentality

We had game one in the bag and let ourselves be beaten by a lesser team? this yr....

QLD's please post in the QLD section

GO THE BLUES

harmony

04-07-2015, 12:09 AM

And in further breaking news, Rugby Union resigns Israel Folau, and postpones the codes bankruptcy for another 3 years

Without Israel Folau, Rugby Union have no high profile people with national profile

harmony

04-07-2015, 12:12 AM

Mr Bastard:
"feel free to shoot me down"

No way, I think the only Qld on this thread is Brother A (and he's a friendly Qlder)
We are all in the trench, on the same side, Brother Bastard

Shoulder to shoulder. Against a common enemy

Privately and publicly, I am hoping Cooper Cronk is a late minute pullout due to an injury recurrence
I wish no ill to the guy
I just want whats best for the NSW Blues

MAY THE BEST TEAM WIN !!

harmony

04-07-2015, 12:14 AM

http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2011/06/24/1226081/595019-paul-gallen.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CIaTIMPW8AAo58E.jpg

Paul Gallen, NSW team captain
Tough guys rarely are prettyboys
This guy is the ideal leader
Tough. Uncompromising. And built like a brick sh*thouse
The kind of captain, that if you were playing alongside him, it would give you a lift
Respect brother

http://cdn0.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/paul-gallen-nate-myles-fight.jpg

http://images.tvnz.co.nz/tvnz_images/rugby_league_news/2013/06/paul_gallen_of_the_blues_punches_nate_myles_Master .jpg

I despise violence
So what was Gallen thinking ?
A friendly facial massage for his opponent ?

AHLUNGOR

09-07-2015, 11:07 AM

Mark my words
This man will go down as an Origin legend, by the end of his career, barring injury
He ain't pretty, but you don't choose a wrecking ball by its good looks

Billy Slater was intimidated by this mans courage and fire
"Show some respect" said Mr Slater

Unfortunately for QLD, this man earns respect, rather than gives respect to his opponents

http://www.bulldogs.com.au/team/profiles/david-klemmer/_jcr_content/image.scale.thumbnail.400.400.jpg

http://www.nrl.com/Portals/NRL/images/39/39505_20_2.jpg

http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2015/03/19/1227269/563376-039013e6-cd05-11e4-a716-dcac481e1bbe.jpg

David Clemmer, the hard man of the NSW Blues
Get out of the way

This is just for you brother Harmony, no doubt you have been cheering for the Blues Brothers last night !!

Remember this ? the "Blue Wall" on the front page of the Daily Telegraph yesterday, but unfortunately, the "wall" had come down like the one in East Berlin ............lol

From this:

http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2015/07/07/1227432/797742-df7dc5c8-2468-11e5-8007-4f423a94e2b3.jpg

But in reality, to this !!

http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2015/07/08/1227434/333316-5687e6f0-2570-11e5-a1dc-713890f6a5ce.jpg

http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2015/07/09/1227434/422701-ratings.jpg

AHLUNGOR

09-07-2015, 11:08 AM

AHLUNGOR

09-07-2015, 11:18 AM

MAY THE BEST TEAM WIN !!

You got that one right !!

http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/8/5/7/8/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gi855o.png/1436360473789.jpg

Mr Bastard

09-07-2015, 06:38 PM

Way too good the QLD"S, cant win without the footy......I went to bed at half time, sleeping was much more enjoyable at the time I thought, we had no chance of coming back after the amount of energy and posession the Toads had in that first half, I watched the second half before work this morning without the emotion attached.

WAY TO GOOD

kingwally

09-07-2015, 07:45 PM

26145As another Queenslander I love it...by far the best team last night.

Mr Bastard

09-07-2015, 09:08 PM

The beauty of Klemmer is that he is young and has plenty of time to redeem the medias hype, not his own, thank fuk origon is over, for this yr LOL

The NRL season proper starts weekend after this one, when all teams play each week for a run at the finals, ORIGON, WHATS ORIGON

As I said before WAY TOO GOOD

harmony

11-07-2015, 07:36 PM

Sorry bro
I have been busy in the last week

I watched the whole game, just to see how an Origin team should play - with determination, passive, resolve, hunger and pure ruthlessness
It was an older mature Queensland team, that stepped up when it mattered
Queensland showed they were very hungry, and wanted to see off Justin Hodges as a winner
NSW had no such spirit, and played very very very poorly
I have no problems in saying NSW played like they didn't want to be there
Very poor
Queensland got on a roll early, and had huge momentum, and were ruthlessly effective with their possession, and ball security
NSW was annihilated, crushed and broken.
The main lesson learnt was that NSW do not have an Origin quality lineup as it currently stands.
And this is a very important lesson to learn from before the 2016 lineup is selected next year !

And again, when Cooper Cronk plays, and has a good team around him, QUEENSLAND WILL ALWAYS BE FAVOURITES

All credit goes to Queensland, a totally ruthless performance - how Origin should be played !
Jonathan Thurston - HE NEEDS TO BE DECLARED THE NEXT IMMORTAL
He just grabs a game by the scruff of the neck, and shakes it totally
Playmaker and top goal scorer in Origin

However !
Please do not say this is the best Origin team in history
An Origin team is determined not only by the quality of its players, BUT also by the quality of the opposition
NSW lacks a true quality player, the calibre of the greats such as Laurie Daley, Brad Fittler or Glen Lazarus
As a result, the NSW Blues were made to look second rate

I heard a radio commentator stating that Pearce should never again be selected for Origin
He and a few of his NSW teammates were turnstiles instead of defence, in other words, they were incompetent in defence last Wednesday night

We must change the core of this NSW team
They were rubbish

Cheers Brother Canetoad !

harmony

11-07-2015, 07:57 PM

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/set-of-six-will-mitchell-pearce-handle-the-state-of-origin-fallout-20150710-gi9l2i.html

Set of six: Will Mitchell Pearce handle the State of Origin fallout?

How will Mitchell Pearce respond to this recent Origin loss ?
Roosters coach Trent Robinson is confident there will be no Origin hangover for his three NSW players including Pearce.
There has been plenty of talk surrounding Pearce's Origin future, which is ridiculous considering the next series is a year away.
The last time Pearce – who is yet to play in a winning Origin series - played for NSW was in 2013, when he went on to lead the Roosters to premiership success
He will need to find form against the Panthers to ease his mind.

http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/9/x/q/4/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gi9l2i.png/1436523747585.jpg

harmony

11-07-2015, 08:00 PM

http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/state-of-origin/state-of-origin-iii-will-hopoate-mitchell-pearce-nsw-pack-to-face-the-music-nsw-report-card/story-fn31yxah-1227434425849

Will Hopoate, Mitchell Pearce, NSW Pack to face the music
NSW State Of Origin Report Card
LAURIE Daley always gives his players the benefit of the doubt but after a performance like that, there’s bound to be Origin careers ended.
No doubt in the harsh, cold light of day there will be individuals singled out but any death warrants handed out have been signed, sealed and delivered by the side’s poor discipline.
As the error count and the penalties mounted up, the Queensland points followed, so which individuals were most at fault?

FORWARDS

This is where the navel gazing must begin with the much celebrated young NSW pack given a lesson by their older counterparts.
When the Maroons started to get on top it was poor discipline from the Blues big men that allowed it.
Beau Scott tips Cameron Smith up after he kicks the ball from deep within his own half. Penalty. Points.
Trent Merrin (with the help of Trent Hodkinson) picks Corey Parker up and dumps him on his head. Penalty. Try.
Aaron Woods lingers offside in the ruck with his arms up as the home side struggles to get out of their own end. Penalty. Try.
After that the Maroons were in charge and NSW were forced to play catch up football.

Never mind running metres, the Blues had just 30 per cent of possession and once you’re on the end of that kind of hiding no amount of courage runs are going to turn the tide.
Still, Paul Gallen managed 143 running metres — the most in the match from a forward — from 18 runs, to go with 38 tackles. Incredible numbers!
Of the others, Woods had an average game, while Mick Ennis, James Tamou and Beau Scott all had nightmares
Ryan Hoffman’s calf injury ended his night early.

Mark: 2/10

HALVES

Undeniably, Mitchell Pearce will get hung out to dry over the coming weeks and Pearce has probably played his last Origin game now.
However, one thing that shouldn’t be glossed over is that for all his flaws, Pearce was one of the few players who could look at himself in the mirror at the end of the game and say he had a dig.
Pearce missed a whopping six tackles, double the second worst offender on the field Trent Merrin, which in anyone’s language is unacceptable.
But he also chased down Johnathan Thurston over 80 metres when it would have been far easier to walk back behind halfway with his hands on his hips. By that stage of the game the jig was well and truly up.
After that effort he must have been bone tired but the much maligned playmaker made two more tackles in the set only to watch two teammates allow Aidan Guerra to split them on the try line.
It wasn’t Pearce’s night and it hasn’t been his era but let’s not be too quick to string him up on the cross.

Trent Hodkinson started the game looking in the best form he’s been in for quite some time.
When the game was in the balance he sat two of Queensland’s big forwards on their backside in big tackles. Sadly, tackles aren’t meant to be the headline plays for a halfback and when it came to sparking the Blues attack, he just didn’t get enough opportunities.

Mark: 3/10

BACKS

If Pearce is half expecting to be dropped for 2016, Will Hopoate will want to be sure he’s got some good snaps of the Big Banana because he must be at long odds to be back in Blues camp next year.
Hopoate’s side of the field was peppered all night. He missed more tackles (two) than he made (one) and his misreads in defence allowed Will Chambers, Greg Inglis and Darius Boyd to have a field day in attack.
He tried his best to make amends with runs out of dummy half, but even in an area of strength for the winger, he was relatively ineffective, with 26 metres from seven runs.
Try as they might, Michael Jennings and Josh Dugan couldn’t spark NSW.
Josh Morris was quiet and his brother Brett was uncharacteristically off his game, dropping a high ball that he’d normally eat for breakfast.
Josh Dugan battled manfully, at one stage snatching a try out of the arms of a charging Inglis before playing on hurt, but for once his dynamic return game was completely blanketed by the Maroons and he was unable to be the fulcrum for a NSW momentum swing.

Michael Jennings was again the standout in a backline that got played off the park, primarily because they were starved of quality ball, scoring a scavenger’s try after pouncing on a shocking Matt Gillet pass, and once again breaking triple figures for running metres.

Mark: 3/10

BENCH

While most of the Blues reputations were battered, David Klemmer still managed to make a nuisance of himself in trying conditions.
When you’re playing in a side so convincingly beaten it’s never going to be possible to look like the Incredible Hulk as he did at the MCG, but the youngest man on the field still managed to bust a tackle, make a linebreak and run eight times for 71 metres to go with 19 tackles.

He made a couple of errors but he still outshone Tamou and he could well find himself in the starting side for game one next year.
David Klemmer tried hard but couldn’t quite have the same intimidating effect as game two
Merrin made 22 tackles but also missed three and didn’t really spark the side when they desperately needed one.
Josh Jackson was practically anonymous.

Boyd Cordner was impressive. He ran hard and almost punched through a dominant defensive unit a couple of times. He was also one of the few in sky blue who tackled with the same intent as the home side.

He made 25 tackles and racked up 37 metres from just five runs, stiffening up the left edge after replacing the injured Hoffman.

Mark: 4/10

COACH

In the press conference Paul Gallen said NSW’s game three preparation had been so perfect he was struggling to find something to draw on to motivate the players by game day.
Sometimes you can’t see performances like these coming.
No doubt Laurie Daley was shocked and blindsided by the abject display hoops trotted out and he will be scratching his head for days in the post-mortem.
When you have a really good win like the Blues did at the MCG they would have been mad not to follow the same script.

Did they put too much effort into playing ducks and drakes with Michael Ennis and Robbie Farah after making the call to bring Ennis into the side relatively early in the camp?
It’s possible that the circus around the No.9 jersey played its part as a distraction but outside that it’s hard to fault Daley’s tactics.
Put this one down to the footy gods throwing lightning bolts and move on.

Mark: 3/10

harmony

11-07-2015, 08:25 PM

Paul Gallen did himself proud, as usual, so my respect for him is justified ...
See the article above...

Paul Gallen managed 143 running metres — the most in the match from a forward — from 18 runs, to go with 38 tackles.
Incredible numbers!
And that is with rib fractures, needing pain killing needles just to play the game !

http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2015/07/08/1227434/312094-c56f5d0a-256b-11e5-b9c8-881f1ce24d70.jpg

Respect
Gallen was probably the only NSW player who can hold his head high after the record Origin loss

Queensland...
Congratulations
To the victors go the spoils

NSW...
Back to the drawing board. That was just not Origin standard play.

AHLUNGOR

11-07-2015, 11:55 PM

I have already said plenty about the Wednesday night game but I just like to borrow a couple of lines from Gus Gould:

An origin player and an origin play !

Try Sam Thaiday on the second half when the Maroons had 40 points on the board : there was a loose ball on the ground, the nearest Blues player was waiting for the whistle but Sam sprinted 5 metres and dived on the ball and gained possession !

5 minutes later, same thing happened and good old Sam dived on the loose ball again !

Fast forward to tonight's game against the Dogs, on the 79th minute, the big stronge centre Tim Lafai crushed over certain to score but somehow Big old Sam holder him up in goal and saved a certain try. Even if the Dogs had scored , the Broncos was up by 8 points at the time so they had no chance winning with less than a minute on the clock !

So on Sam Thaiday, after what he did on Wednesday and then backed up tonight and on the 79th minute to come up with that play, that's an origin player and what I just described above were origin plays !!

There are some players in the Blues squad who are origin players but quite obviously on Wednesday night not many of them had put in the Origin play !

May be except Paul Gallen !

Perhaps the Blues need to recall Greg Bird, Luke Lewis, Anthony Watmouth or Glen Steward next year ?

harmony

12-07-2015, 06:31 PM

Brother A
The radio commentator I referred to in a post above stated that "Mitchell Pearce" does not have a scoring bone in his body
In other words, Mitchell Pearce cant consistently set up and score tries

I have expressed my doubts about him in the past, and tried to be encouraging too, in this thread

But due to the lack of depth in the halfback / five eight position, we may not have a more superior choice

So...
I have a solution...
Bring back Andrew Johns from retirement - after all, he is an IMMORTAL !!!

http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2011/11/27/1226207/165976-andrew-johns.jpg

http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2014/09/30/1227075/523243-869ee2e6-486f-11e4-b47a-41c1793173a7.jpg

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2005/06/15/andrewjohns_wideweb__430x383.jpg

http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2012/09/26/1226482/115142-andrew-johns.jpg

http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2014/05/21/1226926/044569-c3327516-e0b3-11e3-9096-801fbb4e8d9b.jpg

http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2013/07/24/1226684/136336-e2a1a946-f282-11e2-a3eb-1b92af6dfea8.jpg

"Get me back on the field. Im old, but Im an immortal of the game !"

Oneonone

12-07-2015, 06:37 PM

harmony

12-07-2015, 06:46 PM

"Another performance like that one and State or Origin will become a non event."

Interesting call brother !
To see NSW be consistently beaten by Queensland would be very demoralising
I do remember a time when NSW consistently did beat Queensland

But I dont think Origin will ever be a nonevent. There is just too much history soaked into the event

And Queensland have really laid the foundation for what constitutes a ruthless competitive spirit

The way they played last night, no Rugby League team in history could have beaten them - hows that for an outlandish comment !

uglyphil

12-07-2015, 08:08 PM

I do remember a time when NSW consistently did beat Queensland

Eh?

The most games that NSW have been able to win in a row is three. I wouldn't call that consistent.

Honestly I have no idea what happened on Wed night. After two very close and tight contests that blowout was simply unexpected. It was a shame to end the series in that manner, but hey in the end...

My team won :shout:

uglyphil

12-07-2015, 08:09 PM

AHLUNGOR

15-07-2015, 11:45 AM

I support all Australian teams and all NSW Teams etc.

I the team I support looses and they tried their best then fair enough I can accept that.

NSW were hopeless to loose is one thing to not put in is unacceptable

Another performance like that one and State or Origin will become a non event.

Haha, brother OOO,

The Origin will Never become a non event as long as Queensland keeps winning !!

On this occasion I will again draw on the wisdom from Gus Gould: Origin is all about Queensland !!

In the earlier years, the Maroons had dominated NSW simply because they wanted it more ! Then came Steve Mortimer, Peter Stirrling and Co the the tide started to get even and become a very tight contests. But whenever NSW started to dominate over a period (the longest - yes, it was only three series in a row !!) and the talk of Origin is dead, the Maroons hit back big times !

The worst trashing of the Maroons by NSW was 56-16 back in game 3 in 2000 ! NSW won it 3-0 that time and the outlook was indeed very dark for the Maroons supporters, I am so glad that the scar was finally amended and replaced by a new record of 46 points belting over the Blues, the recovery is now finally completed!!

And I can still remember the next series in 2001 was probably the best of all times where 138 points were scored over three games and the Maroons had successfully redeemed itself thanks to master strokes by Wayne Bennett in bringing back Alfie !!

The series were drawn in 2002 so the Maroons retained the Shield, then in 2003, 2004, 2005 (Andrew Johns' dominant year !) the Blues won three in row and the talk of Origin is dead suddenly found it's voice again !!

In 2006 it was even stevens until the game 3 decider, if it wasn't that pass and Darren Lockyer scored the match winner ! NSW would have created history and won 4 in a row, and perhaps Origin would be dead. But no, that was the beginning of a Maroon Dynasty which is NEVER gonna be repeated !! 8 series win in a row, followed by 9 out of 10 and a record breaking trashing !!

No, Origin will never become a non event when the Maroons keep winning !!

Just my 9 cents................haha

Cheers

:smile:

AHLUNGOR

15-07-2015, 02:45 PM

Any thoughts of an all Queensland Grand Final between the Broncos and the Cowboys ??

harmony

15-07-2015, 06:02 PM

An all Queensland final ? Very possible Brother Canetoad
But an all Queensland final would be a snoozefest, south of the border

Seriously for one minute though...
I would be happy for North Queensland to get into a Grand Final
Lets be honest, they have been the perennial chokers in the last 5-10 years, come finals time
But I truly think Jonathan Thurston deserves another opportunity in the GF
As I have said before, I have nothing but praise for the guy, he should be the next Rugby League Immortal
An Immortal as long as he can help orchestrate one more win against the Kiwis before he retires - he and Cooper Cronk

The other likely GF contenders, of course are the Roosters, and Rabbits, once the real action starts in the finals series
The Warriors, always the most hot and cold team in the competition, are showing signs they are "on" this year, and are the dark horses in 2015

No to an all Queensland final - which would be history in the making
Yes to a Queensland NRL team vs a NSW NRL team in the GF - with the NSW team winning and making up for the Origin series loss this year

harmony

22-07-2015, 09:42 AM

One of the stories of the 2015 NRL season will be if North Queensland can finally bury the chokers tag, and get into (and possibly win) the 2015 Grand Final

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/cowboys-officials-remain-dumbfounded-at-north-queenslands-run-of-bad-finals-luck/story-fniabn55-1227065259171
(http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/cowboys-officials-remain-dumbfounded-at-north-queenslands-run-of-bad-finals-luck/story-fniabn55-1227065259171)
Cowboys officials remain dumbfounded at North Queensland’s run of bad finals luck

http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2014/09/20/1227065/259089-70e48cfa-4043-11e4-aebd-241de91fbb64.jpg

NORTH Queensland officials remain dumbfounded at the stunning run of bad finals luck that has crushed their premiership dreams but not their resilient spirit.

The Cowboys outright refused to blame any referee mistakes for their heartbreaking 31-30 semi-final loss to the Sydney Roosters, instead conceding they must shoulder the responsibility after trailing 30-0 after as many minutes.

But the pure theatre and drama of the way North Queensland have exited the finals the past three years left those close to the club in tears and lost for words.

“We don’t know what to say, we’re speechless about how it continues to pan out,” director of football Peter Parr said.
“We’re not sure we deserve it, and that’s without being critical of anyone or anything.
“We like to think we’re a well-run footy club with good people involved, we don’t ask for too much, maybe we’d just love to have a dash of luck at some stage.
“End of the day if you’re going to be down 30-0 everything is going to have to go perfect to win the game from then on. It went really good but it did not go perfect.”

The Cowboys arrived back in Townsville to a heroes’ welcome, their loyal local fans proud of the gallant fightback to go within a whisker of the greatest comeback in 106 years of rugby league.

Parr praised the spirit and character of the players and insisted they would respond next year by threatening for the premiership once more.
“I’m so proud of them. They are a terrific group of young blokes and they deserve better at the moment. They keep having a crack, their turn will come I have no doubt,” Parr said.
“What they did to get back into that football game I don’t think anyone will ever forget.
“We will keep coming back, there is no risk about that.

“It is a resilient group of men. This is a resilient club. We will go by the adage it is not how many times you get knocked down, it is how many times you get up.
“We will go with that and we will keep getting up off the canvas and keep having a crack.
“If anyone thinks the cowboys are going to go away they are sadly mistaken.
“A lot of these blokes have been together for four years, we’ve made the finals the last four years and the thing that impresses me most about them is their character.
“They are good men. You get good people you are always a chance and they are a wonderful group of young men.
“We have no intention of disappearing or going away, we will be back next year and doing everything we can to go a couple of weeks further.”

CEO Peter Jourdain said the Cowboys would be a greater threat next year now the squad gets a chance for a full preseason under Green.
“I think the difference this year is we do have a new coach, it was always going to take some time for the team to buy into his structures and have belief in those,” Jourdain said.
“At the start of the season we started slower than otherwise, he didn’t get the full squad back until February so not a lot of time to work on that stuff.

“I think to me it shows there is a lot more promise there.
“If we start next year like we finished we will give ourselves a better chance of being in the top four which is probably where you have to be to win the comp.”

Good luck to the North Queensland Cowboys. They deserve success
And have a matchwinner and future immortal in Jonathan Thurston

Just a shame they are based north of the border !

AHLUNGOR

22-07-2015, 09:55 AM

The Cowboys have never been on a better position to claim it's maiden nrl premiership !

Sitting second on the ladder with 7 rounds to go, not too tough of a run home, should finish the regular season first or second to the Broncos and a chance of two home finals . I think the Cowboys of 2015 is capable of its own destiny !! Same with the Broncos !

Go Queenslanders !!

kingwally

22-07-2015, 07:22 PM

AHLUNGOR

23-07-2015, 01:43 PM

I am with you Ahlungor....happy with either the Cows or Broncos winning!

There is a big article in the Telegraph today stating that an all Queensland Grand Final will benefit the NSW economy to the tune of $50 millions.

You win some, you lose some !!

It will be a good windfall for me for sure, to keep all my NRL bets alive.............haha

Go Queenslanders !!

:shout::shout::shout:

kingwally

23-07-2015, 07:08 PM

There is a big article in the Telegraph today stating that an all Queensland Grand Final will benefit the NSW economy to the tune of $50 millions.

You win some, you lose some !!

It will be a good windfall for me for sure, to keep all my NRL bets alive.............haha

Go Queenslanders !!

:shout::shout::shout:

And if it is an Queensland Grand Final, I will probably have 5 or 6 mates from various places in Queensland staying at my place and contributing a lot of $$ to the economies of Snow Lotus, CBD Posh, Silver Fox etc.

harmony

24-07-2015, 10:03 AM

There is a big article in the Telegraph today stating that an all Queensland Grand Final will benefit the NSW economy to the tune of $50 millions.

Great point Brother A

NSW wins regardless !!

Actually it would be good for the game, if we see two Queensland teams in the Grand Final
Something new and interesting

And Broncos coach Wayne Bennett can again attempt to win yet another premiership !
Haha, there's no stopping the great man

And boy did he have a devastatingly sad year in 2014, so 2015 may well make up for that !!