Maroons coach coy ahead of Origin decider
Billy Slater did everything but say Tom Dearden will start at fiveeighth for Queensland in the State of Origin decider.
But it’s how the coach manages his forward pack that looms larger ahead of tonight’s clash with NSW in Brisbane, where his says his props will take personally what happened in game two.
The rookie mentor was unusually coy yesterday ahead of the Maroons’ captain’s run, unwilling to reveal his run-on side any earlier than obliged to, an hour before tonight’s kickoff.
Training activity this week suggests playmaker Dearden will start at five-eighth in his debut though, with Ben
Hunt able to offer assistance if necessary.
‘‘I can’t confirm right now ... [but] our players are very clear in their roles, I’ll say that,’’ Slater offered, before revealing that Dearden will wear the No 6. ‘‘He’ll play five-eighth when he’s out there, it’s just whether he starts or not.’’
Changes to the starting pack are also a consideration, with Maroons centre Valentine Holmes revealing last week they ‘‘had a plan’’ to better utilise veteran Josh Papalii in his 23rd Origin. Papalii has been used sparingly so far in the series, absorbing the first 15 minutes and then only returning for the final exchanges. That worked in the upset Origin
I win in Sydney as bench forward Pat Carrigan ran riot in the middle stages of the contest.
But it backfired in the 44-12 game 2 loss in Perth, Slater not altering Papalii’s role even after Felise Kaufusi was sinbinned just prior to halftime.
Kaufusi (personal reasons) won’t play in Brisbane, Tom Gilbert added to the bench for a debut and Jeremiah Nanai to start in the backrow and Lindsay Collins named to start ahead of Carrigan.
Slater said those moves already gave him ‘‘options‘‘, but he didn’t think strategic changes were needed after the Perth effort.
‘‘We’ve got a great mix of middle forwards [but] I don’t think so; we started the game really well, were leading by four points two minutes from halftime,’’ he said.
‘‘We’re comfortable with where we’re at.’’
Slater admitted the nerves as a coach had hit differently than when he played ahead of ‘‘the biggest occasion of their career’’.
‘‘Yeah the pressure’s there, of course it is in a big game, big series, it means a lot.’’