Origin 2020: Brad Fittler talks NSW’s devastating loss, selection calls and a 2021 comeback
NSW coach Brad Fittler explains how the Blues lost the unlosable State of Origin series loss and how they plan to win in 2021.
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In the early hours after the reality of NSW handing over the State of Origin shield to Queensland had begun to sink in, Blues coach Brad Fittler used breathing exercises to calm down.
Stressed, tormented, gutted and with a million questions racing through his mind, Fittler did what he had asked his players to do in the frantic final moments that define last Wednesday night’s State of Origin decider.
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“I didn’t get to bed until about 6am on Thursday so that was a tough day,’’ Fittler said.
“I was just constantly thinking about it.
“I’ve been thinking about our training sessions and my mind has been going over the lot.
“I practice what we teach the players, which is a bit of breathing to relax yourself.
“I’ve been trying to do everything to slow down a bit.’’
The post-mortem into how NSW lost the ‘unlosable’ series to Queensland 20-14 in the decider last Wednesday night has begun.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Fittler has declared: “It’s on me to get it right so we’re not here again, I can accept that. I need to make sure this never happens again.
“You just need to learn. You never stop learning.”
NO PLAN B
What is grating on Fittler is that when the Blues were closing on the Maroons in the last five minutes of the decider, everything they had planned for went haywire.
The Blues went into the game knowing the Maroons defensive line would rush their attack with an in-your-face intent, as they had done in Origin I in Adelaide.
NSW had a Plan B to combat the Queenslanders — or so Fittler thought.
“To be in that situation again, you’d like to have the players definitely know what to do,’’ Fittler said.
“We spoke about things to do and we couldn’t achieve it on the field under pressure. The Plan B stuff we practised, but maybe we didn’t practice it enough.
“I’m talking about ways to get around them being up in your face and things that you can nearly guarantee are going to happen.
“You’re constantly weighing up why we got ourselves in that position.
“Was it because we couldn’t get to our plan, is it because of certain players, is it because of what they were doing, is it because of the referee, you just try and come up with a reason that you can now go do something about.
“At the end of the day it’s about applying pressure, finding a way to win and finding the people to win.
“Our next job is going to be to pick a team for 2021.”
UNHAPPY PAPPY
Overlooking Clive Churchill medallist Ryan Papenhuyzen from the decider has proven to be contentious.
When the Blues lost fullback and captain James Tedesco to concussion in the 20th minute of Origin III, Fittler only had Isaah Yeo — a noted middle or edge forward — on his bench to use as a fix-it after Clint Gutherson moved from centre to fullback.
Fittler had told the media in the lead-up to the decider that he was toying with picking either Cam McInnes or Papenhuyzen on his bench, before he eventually stuck with the same 17 from Origin II.
“It was going to be Papenhuyzen,’’ Fittler admits now. Isn’t that nasty in hindsight.
“We (coaching staff) debated including him up until Monday.
“I had asked everyone to go and have a think about it, see how they train, not make a decision until we needed to.
“But ultimately I came up with the decision.
“I went and told Pappy and he understood because we’d won by 30 (in Origin II).
“You put 30 on in an Origin and so I didn’t think points were going to be a problem (in Origin III).
“But then ‘Teddy’ (Tedesco) goes down and points become a problem.
“I will say, I thought Isaah Yeo did a great job in attack.’’
CORDNER AND MURRAY
Fittler is still dejected by the unavailability of two players after Origin I in Adelaide; Dally M forward Cameron Murray and inspirational captain Boyd Cordner.
In his most elaborate insight into the decision by Cordner to leave camp after another worrying head knock, Fittler described his meeting with the Blues skipper in Wyong the day after Origin I as “brutal”.
“It was just so hard,’’ Fittler said.
“It was hard to watch because he’s a warrior in his position.
“We sat there together and he came up with the decision. It was a brutal 15 minutes in Wyong. We had no intention of playing him again, but I didn’t have to say anything.
“He just wants to please people and not let anyone down — that’s his only mindset.
“I’ve been with him since he was 16 years-old. I think it was a good bit of respect for each other and he’s respectful for the game.
“Not everyone has those qualities.’’
Of Murray’s series-ending hamstring injury, Fittler said the Rabbitohs lock-forward was “irreplaceable”.
“Losing Cam Murray was a killer,’’ Fittler said.
“I was gutted. I couldn’t believe it. I saw it all happen and then he got up and he was in all sorts.
“I knew that would be costly.
“There’s not many players like him. There’s not many Cam Murrays.’’
SIXES AND SEVENS
Fittler axed five-eighth Luke Keary after Origin I for Cody Walker in games one and two.
Much to the chagrin of some of the game’s best judges, Fittler resisted when he had the chance to pick Dally M winner Jack Wighton, who boasts a greater physical presence, at five-eighth.
“Jack Wighton was put to five-eighth (in 2019) mainly through circumstance,’’ Fittler said from Lismore where he and NSW advisor Greg Alexander spent Friday speaking to high school students about their road safety campaign called the Knock-On Effect.
“He spent most of his juniors as a winger, centre, like most backs. Whether he looks like a five-eighth next year, we’ll just have to wait and see.
“This year, Luke Keary and Cody Walker stood out this year as five-eighths.
“If you need to come down a short side and nail a four on three (overlap), you’re going to go with Cody Walker.
“If you're going to say, ‘I want someone to show and go’, you go Luke Keary.
“But if you want someone to barge over from 10-metres out, you’d say Jack Wighton, so it’s all relative.”
As for the Origin future of halfback Nathan Cleary, Fittler made his position clear.
“He’s part of the future,’’ Fittler said.
“Maybe one day a halfback comes through that can do all what Nathan does and sets up more tries than he does and then he’ll be under pressure.
“At the moment, I just don’t see many other halfbacks around. Jarome Luai did a great job this year, Adam Reynolds had a good year, but they’re not playing at the level Nathan is.”
THE MISSION
Fittler will undergo a complete review of the 2020 series in the coming weeks and reaffirmed his desire to remain in charge of the Blues beyond his contract which is due to expire next year.
“I want to be here for years to come. I love it,’’ Fittler said.
“There’s a really good group there at the moment.
“A lot of these boys were pretty new to it as well.
“I know that everyone is speaking about the Queensland team, but there’s not many blokes here who have more than two years of Origin experience.
“I’ve got no doubt they will learn a lot — I will too.”
FREDDY REJECTS ‘HILARIOUS’ PAPENHUYZEN CALL
– Nick Campton
Brad Fittler has defended his decision not to select Ryan Papenhuyzen and gone into bat for halfback Nathan Cleary as the Blues coach looks to rebound from his first series defeat.
Fittler has come under fire in some quarters for not selecting Papenhuyzen as a bench utility, a decision which backfired when skipper James Tedesco was concussed in the opening quarter of Wednesday’s 20-14 loss at Suncorp Stadium.
Cleary has also come underfire after the Blues let the chance for a third straight series win slip through their fingers – and given the Queensland talent coming through, such a chance may not come along again for some time.
“To not take the team that played so well in Game II would have been a brave call,” Fittler said.
“We picked a good squad, they enjoyed each other’s company and they worked hard – at the end of the day, Cameron Munster was the difference. He was outstanding.
“But we were on their tryline at the end of the game, and it says a lot about the nature of the boys. It wasn’t a great ending, but I can live with their effort.”
For the second match in a row, Fittler went with four forwards on the bench.
It meant game time was hard to come by, with fiery forward Nathan Brown playing just 12 minutes.
It’s been suggested Papenhuyzen could have come on as a middle forward, as he has in the past for Melbourne, but Fittler believes the weight of Maroons possession would have rendered the Melbourne fullback ineffective in that role.
“Up until five minutes to go they had 60 per cent of the ball, so Paps would have been defending (the whole time),” Fittler said.
“I can’t imagine it would have been easy for him to go in and defend our line for 30 something play the balls in our twenty.
“Everyone can see why there’s excitement around him. But to put him in at lock forward is hilarious, he would have been gassed, he would have been there for five minutes.”
It might be a while before the Blues have another chance at three straight series wins – Queensland have blooded the likes of A.J Brimson, Xavier Coates, Harry Grant and Tino Fa’asuamaleuai and will welcome back Kalyn Ponga and David Fifita in 2021.
Other stars, like Josh Papalii and man of the series Cameron Munster, are still in their prime years.
Blaming the Blues halves for a New South Wales loss happens so regularly you could set your watch to it and Fittler rubbished suggestions Cleary was at fault for the Blues missing out on equalling their longest ever streak of series wins.
“I think you’d be a pretty tough judge to criticise last night’s effort. I don’t think that conversation should be had after last night,” Fittler said.
“He’s tough, he’s getting there, he stayed in the game and kept punching right to the end.
“Teddy went down and he’s a big part of what we do, and a lot had to be created. I thought he was pretty good.
“He’s in New South Wales, he’s very interesting and whether it’s criticising or praising him I’m sure it attracts interest. He’s learning to live with that.”
MORE ORIGIN NEWS
State of Origin 2020: How Maroons stunned NSW and won the series, Matty Johns
‘It’s heartbreaking’: QLD Origin legend Carl Webb opens up on shock battle with MND
NRL 2020: Storm move to lock down Harry Grant after dream State of Origin debut
The triumph of the so-called “worst Queensland team ever” could well give Origin a major shot in the arm, with the 2021 series is already shaping as a blockbuster.
Not only have Queensland birthed a new generation of stars, the Blues could welcome back skipper Boyd Cordner and South Sydney’s Latrell Mitchell, as well as some star rookies of their own in Papenhuyzen and Brisbane’s Kotoni Staggs.
Fittler said the Blues never underestimated the Maroons, but Blues may not have to bear the curse of such heavy favouritism for some time to come.
‘The worst Queensland team ever’ and all that talk, it never came from us or our camp,” Fittler said.
“If you look individually at all their players they’re all good players who were in good form.”
Originally published as Origin 2020: Brad Fittler talks NSW’s devastating loss, selection calls and a 2021 comeback
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