Blues have to learn from loss
team was just one to 17. At worst, they might have picked up one injury through the series
But Billy Slater’s battling an ankle injury, and there’s of course no Darius Boyd and no Johnathan Thurston.
When you come out on to the field and you don’t see the little master in his headgear, instantly you lift.
Cooper Cronk is wonderful at executing a game plan and has a tremendous kicking game but when the big decisions are to be made in terms of creativity it will come from Cameron Smith and Thurston.
All that pressure to mastermind an assault on NSW now comes on to Smith.
But, without a doubt, some of the Blues’ big names really need to lift.
Game one man of the match Andrew Fifita was well contained in that second game.
The Maroons had a lot of line speed and energy defensively when Fifita was carrying the football, and that really limited his opportunities.
James Maloney loves the big occasion. He’s been very successful on grand final day and played well in Test matches for Australia.
He will be far more dominant in those dying stages tonight than he was at the back end of game two.
Then there’s Jarryd Hayne. He came up with a few blunders late in Sydney, and he’s one of those individuals who would’ve found the past three weeks extremely difficult waiting to turn the tables on his previous performance.
I’m really looking forward to seeing what Jarryd delivers.
They all say that Hayne is a big-game player. He needs to be a huge game player tonight.