Opening telling: Walters
COACH Kevin Walters believes the opening exchanges will show whether his unfancied Maroons can pull off a trademark Queensland boilover in tonight’s State of Origin series decider.
Walters was livid with his team’s start in their Origin II no-show in Perth and has been all about attitude in preparing for Game III before an expected sellout crowd at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium.
“I’m not sure who’s going to be kicking off or receiving, but we’ll see in the opening minutes,” he said yesterday.
“The work we’ve done this week, the trust, the belief in this side, it’ll be all on show here for everyone to see.”
The Maroons have been on the back foot since their Origin II 38-6 thrashing by NSW and they copped another blow yesterday when veteran secondrower Matt Gillett was ruled out after a fitness test.
That came on top of losing brilliant fullback Kalyn Ponga to a calf injury before team selection, prompting a backline reshuffle resulting in Corey Norman’s debut as playmaker.
It all adds up to NSW being the shortest-priced favourite in Origin history.
Reminded how the Maroons have often enjoyed success as underdogs, Walters was not arguing.
“Tomorrow night is about making every Queenslander proud again, that’s the objective of the 17,” he said.
“It’s all about our attitude and how we have prepared for the game.”
Along with Walters, the person under most pressure tonight is recalled Blues halfback Mitchell Pearce, so long the whipping boy through 18 games in seven previous series without lifting the shield.
NSW captain Boyd Cordner — Pearce’s former teammate at the Sydney Roosters through all those defeats — believes the 30-year-old playmaker is primed to change his Origin narrative.
“A lot of the times, a lot of that criticism can cruel players for a bit and take a while to get over,” Cordner said. “But he’s got thick skin. “He’s been through a lot. I suppose that’s made him the player he is today, and his form at the Knights has shown that. “He’s ready for this.” While Queensland is all about the kick-off, NSW is all about the end-game.
At one of its last training sessions, Pearce was asked by halves partner James Maloney, if the contest came down to a field goal, whether he wanted the shot. It could be a careerdefining moment for arguably the most maligned player in Blues history.
NSW has not won a decider since 2005, which was also the last time it claimed back-toback series triumphs.
“I asked if he wanted to kick it,” Maloney said.
“He said, ‘Either, or. I don’t mind who kicks it. If the time comes, either one of us could kick it. It’s just your part when it happens’.”