MAROONS ICED IN MELBOURNE
Maroons pain as Origin empire comes under siege by Baby Blues
A BLUE wave cut through Queensland like a cold winter wind as NSW stormed to victory in the opening Origin clash in chilly Melbourne last night. Despite brave performances from Titans Jarrod Wallace and Jai Arrow the Maroons were outclassed by their southern rivals, with James Tedesco, Latrell Mitchell, Tom Trbojevic and Josh Addo-Carr all scoring tries for the Blues.
QUEENSLAND’S record-breaking dynasty is hanging by a thread after NSW’s posse of rookies showed nerves of steel to stun the Maroons with a 22-12 MCG masterclass last night in Origin I.
Before 87,122 fans, the Maroons got a gut-wrenching glimpse of life without champion triumvirate Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk as new Blues coach Brad Fittler’s faith in 11 debutants paid dividends.
Also missing injured fullback Billy Slater, the Maroons showed their trademark fighting spirit and were on course for one of their great triumphs when Dane Gagai gave his side a 12-8 lead in the 43rd minute.
But the Blues held their nerve, storming home with a 14-point blitz as Josh Addo-Carr and Latrell Mitchell fired to leave Queensland one defeat away from the official collapse of a famous dynasty.
The Blues will clinch just their second series win in 13 years with victory in the return bout at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium on June 24.
New Maroons skipper Greg Inglis was magnificent last night, but Queensland were left to lament a midfield mauling that saw props Dylan Napa and Jarrod Wallace blown off the park.
While Blues props Reagan Campbell-Gillard and David Klemmer charged for 232m, rivals Napa and Wallace managed just 114m between them, giving NSW the latitude to dictate terms.
The Maroons were gutsy at 12-8, but two NSW tries in the space of two minutes rocked Queensland – before Addo-Carr delivered the coup de grace 10 minutes from fulltime.
After a tumultuous build-up marred by Slater’s withdrawal and Gagai’s captain’s run injury mishap, the Maroons were entitled to start nervously in pursuit of their 12th crown in 13 years.
Instead, the Maroons started with intent, peppering NSW’s line in the opening exchanges.
Queensland’s most promising moment came inside the opening quarter when the Maroons found space for Inglis, who almost pierced a NSW right edge containing James Roberts.
The Blues, laced with 11 debutants, looked edgy early, but when they found their rhythm, their backline speed, forward grunt and dummy-half dynamism combined to trouble the Maroons.
The first 20 minutes was quintessential Origin: a midfield fight for metres tinged with nervy execution. But it was 10-minute window midway through the first half that saw the Maroons lose ruck control.
On match eve, Queensland coach Kevin Walters warned Origin games are won in the middle. His big boppers failed him, leaving the Maroons’ golden reign on the brink of collapse.
GOLD COAST’S LEGACY AT ORIGIN LEVEL CONTINUES THIS YEAR WITH PLAYERS LIKE JAI ARROW AND JARROD WALLACE LINING UP FOR QUEENSLAND. INCLUDING ONLY PLAYERS WHO WERE PLAYING HERE DURING THEIR INTERSTATE CAREERS, EMMA GREENWOOD NAMES OUR BEST 10 PLAYERS OF ALL-TIME
1. WALLY LEWIS
THE player known as “The King” is the undisputed leader in the history of Origin football. And while Lewis played just one season on the Gold Coast during his Maroons career, he still lands at No.1 on the Bulletin’s list of Origin greats. While he retired after the 1991 series, while playing club football for the Gold Coast Seagulls, Lewis was close to the peak of his powers and had a major influence on the series. As well as captaining Queensland to a win in his final match at Lang Park, his stoush with Mark Geyer in Game Two of the series is one of the great Origin moments.
2. NATE MYLES
STARTED his Origin career in 2006, as the Maroons made mass changes in a bid to turn the tide after losing three series in a row. Myles was an integral part of Queensland’s decade of dominance, playing 32 games, most of those during his time at the Titans. Arrived on the Coast in 2012 and the same year won the Wally Lewis Medal as the player of the series. Myles was also involved in an infamous Origin fight with Paul Gallen, in an incident that led to punching being almost entirely eradicated from the game.
3. GREG BIRD
MAY have made his Blues debut in 2007 while playing for Cronulla but it was while at the Titans that he made his Origin mark. After a Super League stint with Catalans, Bird returned to the NRL in 2010, linking with the Gold Coast and winning an Origin recall for Game Three that year. A fixture in Blues sides, Bird was as uncompromising as they come and a man Maroons fans loved to hate. One of the toughest forwards of his era, Bird was outstanding in the Origin arena.
In an era of Maroon dominance, Bird finally tasted series success in 2014 when the Blues broke Queensland’s nine-year winning run.
4. BOB LINDNER
LINDNER’S selection at No.4 on the Bulletin’s list of Gold Coast’s best Origin players is bound to be controversial given he played just one season on the Gold Coast. The back-rower played just 10 games for the Seagulls in his sole season on the Coast, before moving on to Western Suburbs the following season. While he played 25 games for Queensland and was player of the Kangaroos tour in 1990, Lindner played only two games of the 1989 Origin series — the period during which he was based on the Gold Coast. But the Queensland and Australian mainstay during the mid-80s and early 90s, was at the peak of his powers.
5. ASHLEY HARRISON
WHILE he made his Origin debut in 2005 from South Sydney, Harrison became a Maroons stalwart during his time on the Coast. After winning a recall in 2008, Harrison played 14 more games in for Queensland until his representative axing in
2013, his purple patch coming almost entirely during his time at the
Titans. Winning his recall in
2008, Harrison played alongside Scott Prince and against Anthony Laffranchi.
6. LUKE BAILEY
KNOWN as “Bull”, a nickname befitting the tough-as-teak front-rower who was an Origin mainstay during a dominant NSW period. An uncompromising, hardworking player, Bailey’s style fitted perfectly in the sport’s toughest arena, making his debut for the Blues in 2002, picked from St George Illawarra. Of his 15 appearances for NSW though, only four came during Bailey’s time on the Gold Coast, where he was a foundation player with the Titans. After playing all three games in the 2007 series, Bailey was dropped in 2008. And he played just one game in 2009 before his Origin run ended.
7. ANTHONY LAFFRANCHI
HIS Origin stint was short and sweet but during his four-game reign, Laffranchi was one of the form forwards in Australia.
A NSW Country player from 2006, Laffranchi had long been on the cusp of a Blues call-up. He finally got his chance in 2008 on the back of outstanding form for the Titans, who he had joined from the Wests Tigers for their inaugural campaign the previous season. After being named man of the match in the City-Country clash, Laffranchi was named to make his Origin debut and came off the bench to make a team-high 40 tackles and score the winning try for the Blues.
8. DALE SHEARER
THE classy Shearer is one of the great Maroons, writing himself into Queensland folklore in 26 games between 1984 and 1996. Shearer, a member of the indigenous team of the century, only played three years of his 15-season career on the Gold Coast though, notching 33 games for the Seagulls between 1992-94. It coincided with the later stages of his career with the Maroons and it is for this reason he sits at No.8. Shearer may have been past his absolute peak during his time on the Coast but he still managed to play for Australia until 1993 as the Kangaroos’ fullback and goal-kicker.
9. SCOTT PRINCE
PLAYING in an era of great halves made it difficult for Scott Prince to receive many chances to wear the Maroons jersey. But Prince made the most of those opportunities he was afforded and they came during his tenure on the Gold Coast. Prince played his first Origin series in 2004 while at the Wests Tigers and did not make the Queensland team again until 2008 when he played two games for the injured Darren Lockyer. Prince’s exit was bittersweet, leading his state to a 30-0 rout but breaking his arm.
10. BEN IKIN
IKIN beat out a host of representative players for the final spot, most notably, prize Titans recruit Jarryd Hayne, who played just one series during his time on the Gold Coast. Ikin also played only one series during his time on the Coast — but he was one of the most notable players in arguably the most famous Origin series of all in 1995. At 18 years and 83 days when he debuted in Game One, Ikin became the youngest Origin player in history.