State of Origin 2021: Maroons captain Daly Cherry-Evans says his side has a duty to Queensland
The Maroons have been torn apart but Daly Cherry-Evans won’t accept another capitulation in Origin III — and there’s history on the line.
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Besieged Queensland skipper Daly Cherry-Evans insists the strife-torn Maroons have not raised the white flag as they fight to avoid becoming the worst team in State of Origin’s 41-year history on Wednesday night.
The final game of this year’s Origin series may be a dead-rubber but Cherry-Evans has assured Queensland fans Maroons players will not be dead ducks when they run out for Game Three at Gold Coast’s Cbus Super Stadium.
Amid a raft of injuries, the Ronaldo Mulitalo eligibility saga and the Jai Arrow Covid scandal, the Maroons have every incentive to deny the red-hot Blues their first 3-0 series rout in 21 years in Origin III.
Maroons coach Paul Green’s class of 2021 are trailing 76-6 after two games and they will statistically become the worst outfit in Origin’s four-decades existence if Queensland fail to save face with victory on the Gold Coast.
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The Maroons of 2000 are currently the Biggest Losers in Origin history, suffering a 62-point margin humiliation in their 3-0 Blue Rinse, including a 56-16 loss in Game Three at Sydney‘s Stadium Australia.
Cherry-Evans accepts the Origin shield is heading south of the Tweed, but he won’t accept a third consecutive capitulation after Queensland’s 50-6 and 26-0 disasters in the opening two games.
“A win would be massive for us,” Cherry-Evans said.
“We have been beaten convincingly, which is the hardest part to understand out of the whole series, but we do get one more chance to salvage some pride and get some respect back.
“The damage is done but you can’t tell me an Origin game doesn’t mean something to the players playing and the people watching at home.
“We want to do all Queenslanders proud.”
There is a view the Maroons are a broken team. That their culture is shot; that Queensland have given up any hope of shutting down NSW‘s rampant backline trio of James Tedesco, Tom Trbojevic and Latrell Mitchell, who have seven tries, four line breaks and three try assists between them in this series.
But Cherry-Evans, who plays his 16th Origin game on Wednesday night, believes Maroons players have a duty to the Queensland people.
“Every Origin game you get to play is a massive occasion, we want to show to the Queensland fans that are watching us how much it means,” he said.
“As much as people want to talk about turmoil within our camp, one thing I can always speak of is the loyalty of the Queensland fans.
“We have had a rough series but not for one second have I felt the fans and the state of Queensland haven’t been behind us.
“So we need to reward that loyalty with a good game tomorrow night.
“The hardest part to comprehend is how big the scorelines have been. That isn’t a reflection of the effort we have put into training and on game day.
“They have put the scoreboard pressure on us throughout, we have never been ahead at any point of the series.
“We can‘t change what’s happened (in the first two games), but we can show how grateful we are to be playing for Queensland.”
Under fire DCE digs heals in over Origin future
- Travis Meyn
Maroons skipper Daly Cherry-Evans will not step down as Queensland captain and says he isn’t finished as an Origin and Test player as he fights to avoid a 3-nil series whitewash.
Cherry-Evans is facing one of the toughest tests of his career when the Maroons head to Newcastle on Wednesday night for the Origin dead-rubber.
A loss to the red-hot NSW Blues will consign Queensland to its first 3-nil series defeat since 2000 and thrust the spotlight on the make-up of the Maroons.
Cherry-Evans, 32, took on the Queensland captaincy in 2019 following the retirement of Greg Inglis and celebrated his first series win as skipper last year.
But a 3-nil series loss, and the emergence of Roosters halfback sensation Sam Walker, could trigger change in Camp Maroon and put Cherry-Evans’ position in jeopardy.
Cherry-Evans said he was aware of criticism surrounding his Origin future but declared he wasn’t finished as a representative player.
“I’ve made of it what it is, it’s people’s opinions and they’re entitled to have them,” he said.
“Whether people want to read into it too much or not is up to them. For me it’s never been about that.
“I’ll certainly use it as a bit of motivation to try and play better, but the reason I play the game is because I love it and I want to continue to play for Queensland for as long as possible.
“We all know results have a lot to do with that so a win this week would be great for not just me but a lot of people.
“I don’t choose the team but hopefully (I’m not done). I don’t see myself retiring from rep footy or any footy any time soon.
“I get that everyone is talking about it but I don’t choose if I’m captain or not.
“I’d like to think the role I play in this camp, I lead with my actions and try to help keep the boys as close as possible during the week. It’s all about connection. We’ve still got a lot of work to do and I feel like I can help with that.
“I understand people want to talk about that stuff but I can’t control it so there’s no point in me worrying about it. The only thing I can do is the part I love – playing footy.”
In Cherry-Evans’ defence, you couldn’t question his effort this series and he has been far from Queensland’s worst player.
He was a shattered man after the Maroons’ 50-6 Game One loss - Queensland’s worst ever Origin defeat - and tried his heart out in the 26-0 Game Two shutout at Suncorp Stadium, making 26 tackles.
However another defeat would heap the pressure on Cherry-Evans and he is intent on ensuring Queensland can salvage a 2-1 series.
“These things only get talked about when you’re losing,” he said.
“Last year the Blues were under all sorts of pressure. You guys were talking about their leadership setup. This year it’s our turn.
“It comes with the territory. Hopefully I can play well on Wednesday night and put some of this talk at bay.
“We’re aware of it and all extremely proud to play for Queensland so we don’t want to be involved in a whitewash. Losing footy games is hard enough, let alone losing a series 3-nil.”
Cherry-Evans’ combination with five-eighth Cameron Munster has looked clunky and the Maroons haven’t been aided by their struggles at fullback and hooker, with Kalyn Ponga and Ben Hunt to form another new-look spine.
The Maroons are intent on fixing their attacking deficiencies this week and Cherry-Evans is confident of Queensland regaining some pride on Wednesday night.
“We have to refine a few things with our game plan,” he said.
“If you’re letting in plenty of points and not scoring many you’ve got to change a few things.
“We’ve got a new fullback and hooker so we will have to make a few adjustments to make sure those boys are comfortable in the team.
“Once we nut out what we want to do in terms of game plans, we’re going to alter a few things.”
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