Game 2 Origin match thread.

Roberts... wow. He has been garbage both games this year, absolute garbage in defence and only slightly better in attack. He has been NSW worst player IMO.

Hey ryno, remember when I smoked you with the Latrell Mitchell argument.. the guy is the best centre in the game after GI. And he does it without the elbows and shit that chambers niggles with all game. Absolutely unstoppable close to the line.

It was a real team performance last night, no genuine standouts, some genuine fuck ups from nsw that would have cost them in the past playing against smith and co. Was great to see them rally back.

QLD... will be interesting to see how the non-loyalty policy goes again after this game. One of the greatest myths known to the game of rugby league. Then again, because game 3 means nothing, hunt might play well.
Slater made such a difference, if he didnt have to defend in the line you could nearly pick him at halfback and play ponga at fullback. Was odd seeing kev bring ponga on so early and give him so many minutes, his attack got better as the game went on though and he nearly won QLD the game when he made that break. His comments after the game were brilliant lol.

If you think that those 2 "penalty try" situations were the same you have no idea mate.
They gave it because Cornder was denied a chance at getting the ball and was a realistic chance of getting there first. No one even close to him if he isnt taken out. Cordner was 10000% going to get to that ball - if he fucks up the grounding - irrelevant, he was denied the chance to do it so you have to assume he would have done it.

Up the other end, there were 2 NSW players back that were likely to get to the ball before the runner. They weren't even close. Correct calls on both ends.

You would think that barring injury, the side will stay like that for quite some time. The only realistic change will prob be made next season is Aitken for Roberts - and RCG back in for Prior. I had doubts over maloney, but without Smith, Thurston and Cronk - QLD have pretty much lost the ability to really exploit his shithouse defence.

The forward passes - yep, I too would like to see consistency with it - so many forward passes get let go. The argument of staying in front of the ball is so dumb IMO, makes no bloody sense what so ever. Its time to let the video ref rule on forward passes because the touch judges certainly arent.

DCE is the logical choice for halfback, but they wont pick him - once again defying their amazing loyalty policy. Ash Taylor is the future 7 for QLD so kev needs to bring him in and get him started.

It also wouldnt shock me if slater retires from rep footy after last night considering the dead rubber coming up.

You say behind GI. I'd say the only better centre than Mitchell is Gagai

Why do people constantly use the meaningless phrase "100%" when talking about penalty tries?

Can you be 100% certain a try would be scored? No
Does it matter? No

The Rules wrote:
Penalty try (d) the Referee may award a penalty try if, in his
opinion, a try would have been scored but for the
unfair play of the defending team. A penalty try is
awarded between the goal posts irrespective of
where the offence occurred.

In the first case, Cordner was clearly going to get to the ball first
In the second case, Trbojevic was clearly going to get to the ball first.

Milchcow wrote:
Why do people constantly use the meaningless phrase "100%" when talking about penalty tries?

Can you be 100% certain a try would be scored? No
Does it matter? No



In the first case, Cordner was clearly going to get to the ball first
In the second case, Trbojevic was clearly going to get to the ball first.

100% agree

Queensland's attack was rubbish last night, same as game 1 really. The loss of Smith, Cronk and JT was always going to be too much and I expected the series loss. Once again Ben Hunt proving he's not a big game player, another rubbish performance.

Ultimately QLD just weren't good enough and didn't have the personnel and combinations to execute in attack.

Pains me to say it but congrat's NSWelshman.

Not because I'm a sore loser (I am but that's beside the point).....mainly because I feel this was a series that we let get away.

Unlike others, I don't think we were clearly the better team in Game 1, we had moments of dominance but it wasn't like last night.
Last night I think the better team didn't win and that was mainly our own doing.

I've been a big BHunt supporter over the years but he was clunky at best and.......it's pretty obvious what his worst was.
Only change for mine is BHunt out - Ash Taylor in.

As for the ref's, I didn't think they had too bad a game in general play.

My personal thoughts about the penalty try moments are that neither of the chances were a penalty try.
Unlike Roberts professional foul, BHunts clearly wasn't a professional foul.
I also think it was accidental interference rather than intentional, as he stepped into Cordner's path before the ball had been kicked and before Cordner took his dive. Scrum to NSW for mine.

I also think the dangerous throw was a rough call on Chambers, when Frizell did the same thing a couple of times earlier in the game and JDB's tackle on BHunt (which he dropped the ball) was also similarly 'dangerous'.

Other than that, can't complain too much and good for NSW to have a token series now and then to keep them interested and hopefully to get Gus sacked from all future commentary.

Unreal to wrap it up last night, was worried early but we kept producing just enough at the right times to get the job done

Qld had won 11 of the last 12 series, I reckon atleast 5 of them were just like last night but in reverse. They had plenty of chances but we just did enough to get the job done. Feels so different to 2014. I think talk of a blue dynasty is pre-mature from the media given how close both games were but the way the game played out certainly feels like the end of QLD dynasty

I can’t see any controversy with the penalty try calls. Cordner was gonna have to collect a nice bouncing ball and put it down with Qld players no where near him. If you argue you can’t be 100% sure of that, then just argue to get rid of penalty try rule for ever.

In the later one, ttrbo is clearly getting to the ball first, Roberts really could have screwed us by doing what he did. Hunt didn’t actually cost qld anything there but Roberts brain fart could have lost us the series if it wasn’t for a great 10 minutes of defense (and some pretty ordinary attack from the qld playmakers, of which only 1 seems to get any blame. I thought nsw were wrong for making Pearce a scape goat?)

All the blow up online about Goulds bias commentry haha you should have heard the triple m team, Girdler and Salior were cheering and blowing up in the background the whole time. I listened to the first half (watched the second) and it was hilarious.

leaguegod wrote:Unreal to wrap it up last night, was worried early but we kept producing just enough at the right times to get the job done

Qld had won 11 of the last 12 series, I reckon atleast 5 of them were just like last night but in reverse. They had plenty of chances but we just did enough to get the job done. Feels so different to 2014. I think talk of a blue dynasty is pre-mature from the media given how close both games were but the way the game played out certainly feels like the end of QLD dynasty

I can’t see any controversy with the penalty try calls. Cordner was gonna have to collect a nice bouncing ball and put it down with Qld players no where near him. If you argue you can’t be 100% sure of that, then just argue to get rid of penalty try rule for ever.

In the later one, ttrbo is clearly getting to the ball first, Roberts really could have screwed us by doing what he did. Hunt didn’t actually cost qld anything there but Roberts brain fart could have lost us the series if it wasn’t for a great 10 minutes  of defense (and some pretty ordinary attack from the qld playmakers, of which only 1 seems to get any blame. I thought nsw were wrong for making Pearce a scape goat?)

Was a must win I felt for NSW (and obviously QLD) as I reckon (despite being a new team) the demons of past losses (along with the media) would have done just enough to help QLD win Game 3.

Our criticism of Hunt, relates largely to the chances we had and that you mentioned.
If Smith, Cronk or JT were there, I think we win easily.
If Taylor is there, I think the decision making is better and the result may have differed.

Hunt has all the potential to be a gun but I'd love him to go back to playing what is in front of him, rather than the Dragons style of rolling out set plays.

I don't think there is significant controversy with the penalty try call's.
As I said above, I would have personally ruled differently but I can totally understand why they made the call as they did - it didn't cost us the win/series.

the whole 'no QLDer within cooee' was exaggerated a bit because every-one in contention for the ball stopped playing once Cordner hit the deck, bar Chambers who had his back turned already, it went deep into the in-goal and i have doubts Cordner would've scored that if Slater actually had to get on his bike, probably a moot point anyway, given how we've been responding poorly in defence to conceding penalties on our line all series, the Blues most likely score in a 13v12 situation anyway.

i think the bigger mistep was ignoring the ref's call for benefit of the doubt for Gagai's first attempt, went up as try and i didnt see enough there to say Gagai was definately out before the ball was grounded.

Shanbon wrote:All the blow up online about Goulds bias commentry haha you should have heard the triple m team, Girdler and Salior were cheering and blowing up in the background the whole time. I listened to the first half (watched the second) and it was hilarious.

Mate there's bias that people from both sides of the border can handle (ala Johns, Fatty, Girds and Sailor).

And then there's Gus' smug, arrogant and infuriating bias.

Completely different levels and last night I personally had to switch the sound off it was that bad.

surmo13 wrote:

i think the bigger mistep was ignoring the ref's call for benefit of the doubt for Gagai's first attempt, went up as try and i didnt see enough there to say Gagai was definately out before the ball was grounded.

There’s a very good reason for that.



How that is enough evidence to overturn an on field decision is beyond me. Clearly a stripe of green between Gagai and the white line... and not in an after party kind of way.

ryno_ wrote:

There’s a very good reason for that.



How that is enough evidence to overturn an on field decision is beyond me. Clearly a stripe of green between Gagai and the white line... and not in an after party kind of way.

Surely you are not suggesting having a former NSW representative as a video ref, is some sort of conflict of interest....

One of the problems with Gould is not so much his bias, but the fact that he needs to repeat every point he makes multiple times (the other options are trying to come up with something new to say, or remaining silent for 5 seconds, neither of which are ideal for Gus)

Just makes it that much more noticeable when he says something annoying (eg repeating 'That's a penalty try' 25 times in about 1 minute last night.

Well done NSW. I thought other than the kicking game we were the better team, but when taking the kicking game into account both teams were about the same which is how it turned out. One of those games which on another night the bounce of the ball might have gone another way and the result could have been different. Or the same. Who knows. I think the teams are pretty evenly matched at the moment and it bodes well for some good series the next few years. Both these teams will probably be pretty similar next year and should be better again.

I was surprised how well Ponga played. I thought it was at least a year early for him to be honest.

I was spitting about the Gagai decision. I thought the penalty try and sin bin rules were exactly correct personally. I think Cordner went down far to easy like a soccer player, but there is no doubt there was contact so I'm happy with the call. QLD should have attacked Inglis vs Peachey after Roberts got sinbinned. Perhaps that was the plan except for Hunt kicking early.

Agreed milch,

Fatty is bias but he says what he thinks once and moves on. It’s unrealistic to expect completely unbias commentry when it comes to origin but we can do without gus being so over the top.

I’m pretty sure that pic is the same one confirmed to be photo shopped on twitter last night lol

Ponga was unreal, easily the most impressive debutant of the series for mine. I thought Munster would be your long term fullback but it’s ponga, I’m a bigger believe then I was 24 hours ago. He is class


Cows keeping Coote over him may end up their reverse JT move

Dip wrote:

I was spitting about the Gagai decision. I thought the penalty try and sin bin rules were exactly correct personally.

That'll do me as a summary.

Didn't even get to watch the game, but saw the salient details. Congrats to NSW! Let's see if my 3-0 prediction comes good.