Winger Nathan Merritt concedes three tries in unhappy debut for NSW
THERE were plenty of holes in the Suncorp Stadium surface last night. Sadly none were big enough for Nathan Merritt to take refuge in.
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THERE were plenty of holes in the Suncorp Stadium surface last night.
Sadly for Blues debutant Nathan Merritt, none were big enough to take refuge from the ruthless Origin onslaught reserved especially for him.
While Blues pivot James Maloney was tormented in defence during Queensland's first-half onslaught, Merritt's pain grew worse with every tick of the clock as he conceded two tries by rushing up and another under the high ball.
After waiting so long for his Origin debut, it was an initiation worthy of only the cruellest boarding houses.
Merritt's woes started in the 17th minute, when he raced infield to jam Greg Inglis.
Accustomed to previous NSW wingers making the same fatal mistake over the years, Maroons maestro Johnathan Thurston exploited the resulting hole to send Darius Boyd across untouched.
The same sorry sequence transpired eight minutes after half-time, except this time Thurston found Boyd with a longer ball because Merritt rushed a greater distance to stop the perceived threat of Inglis.
Then came the moment that illustrates Origin's disdain for club ties.
In the 56th minute, Inglis leapt above his Rabbitohs teammate to claim a try that sealed the result.
He celebrated with a primal roar that would have chilled Merritt's bones as he writhed on the grass.
Whether Merritt gets the chance to atone will be a test of coach Laurie Daley's faith, particularly given the fact Jarryd Hayne is expected back for the decider and Josh Dugan was one of NSW's best.
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Daley last night refused to blame Merritt for leaving Boyd unmarked, instead taking responsibility for the game plan to pressure Inglis.
"It was not Nathan's fault," Daley said. "That was more me."
Inglis also pleaded with NSW to keep faith in Merritt.
"He did his job as well as he could," Inglis said. "I've got no doubt he will be back for game three.
"It's a tough outing making your debut up at Suncorp and I wish him all the best."
On the opposite side Sam Thaiday, who relished the return to his most effective role as a left-edge cannon ball, demolished Maloney.
On a night when NSW's halves took a major step back from their impressive combination in Sydney three weeks ago, the tiny pivot was exposed twice in the first two minutes. On both occasions Thaiday possessed a head of steam to match his voluminous mane.
The first saw NSW marched back to their line after Maloney conceded a penalty for stripping.
The second saw the Blues slumped behind their line after Thaiday blasted through Maloney to post the opening try.
It was a red-hot welcome to Origin football, cauldron-style.
And it got worse.
Even when Maloney did manage to quell Thaiday with a superb grass-cutting tackle in the eighth minute, NSW were still punished two points for not standing square at marker.
More telling, however, was what the pen pushers can't measure.
Like the complete ineffectiveness of NSW's kicking game.
When kicks weren't finding Billy Slater or Darius Boyd's chest, they sailed out on the full or into the backs of Maroon defenders.
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