Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

'It's very hard to do as you can see': Why NSW Blues are up against it in Origin III

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

NSW will head out onto Suncorp Stadium for Wednesday night’s State of Origin decider with everything against them.

ADVERTISEMENT

With 52,000 Queensland fans cheering on the home team, the Blues face an almighty battle and record despite the absence of COVID-affected Maroons playmaker Cameron Munster.

NSW sides have won just two of 12 in series-deciding games in Queensland.

It’s why former Blues great Andrew Johns recently described winning game three in Brisbane as the hardest challenge any New South Welshman could face.

Johns achieved the feat in 2005 and the only other side to have done so was the 1994 Blues team.

NSW were visited by the heroes of those years this week and have been given constant reminders throughout this series by the fact Danny Buderus (2005) and Paul McGregor and Paul Sironen (1994) form part of coach Brad Fittler’s backroom staff.

“There was a lot of pressure,” Sironen told AAP.

“It’s very hard to do as you can see in the last sort of 25 to 30 years it hasn’t been done very often.

“We had the core of a very good side and we had won the previous two series under Phil Gould.

“I think we all knew the role we had to play.

“It’s a huge challenge for this group of men but I’ve got every confidence they can do it.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Related

The similarities between 1994 and 2022 are striking.

NSW had lost at home to open the series and they had to go to a neutral venue to get level in game two.

“We thought we had game one under control and as Queenslanders can do they scored late on,” Sironen said.

“It was dour in Melbourne and then we rained on Mal Meninga’s parade in Brisbane for his final Origin game.”

Fittler’s side broke the mould in 2021 when they clinched the series in the opening two games with all three contests being played in Queensland.

ADVERTISEMENT

Their success included a 26-0 drubbing of the Maroons at Suncorp for game two – the first time Queensland had ever been held to nil north of the Tweed – from which Sironen said they should take confidence.

“Our record hasn’t been great prior to last year,” he added. “But it would be nice to go up to Lang Park and hold the shield up there.”

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

N
Nickers 22 minutes ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

I thought we made a lot of progress against that type of defence by the WC last year. Lots of direct running and punching holes rather than using width. Against that type of defence I think you have to be looking to kick on first phase when you have front foot ball which we did relatively successfully. We are playing a lot of rugby behind the gain line at the moment. They are looking for those little interchanges for soft shoulders and fast ball or off loads but it regularly turns into them battering away with slow ball and going backwards, then putting in a very rushed kick under huge pressure.


JB brought that dimension when he first moved into 12 a couple of years ago but he's definitely not been at his best this year. I don't know if it is because he is being asked to play a narrow role, or carrying a niggle or two, but he does not look confident to me. He had that clean break on the weekend and stood there like he was a prop who found himself in open space and didn't know what to do with the ball. He is still a good first phase ball carrier though, they use him a lot off the line out to set up fast clean ball, but I don't think anyone is particularly clear on what they are supposed to do at that point. He was used really successfully as a second playmaker last year but I don't think he's been at that role once this year. He is a triple threat player but playing a very 1 dimensional role at the moment. He and Reiko have been absolutely rock solid on defence which is why I don't think there will be too much experimentation or changes there.

41 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING ‘It’s about his career’: Why NRL star Payne Haas could jump codes ‘It’s about his career’: Why NRL star Payne Haas could jump codes
Search