State of Origin 2018: Queensland coach Kevin Walters emphasises the importance of winning game three
KEVIN Walters accepts the 2000 series dead rubber blowout was a warning to heed — but the Maroons coach says his players will be playing with every ounce of their Queensland pride.
Maroons
Don't miss out on the headlines from Maroons. Followed categories will be added to My News.
QUEENSLAND coach Kevin Walters has no fear of a 2000-style dead rubber blowout, saying his squad has the right attitude heading into Wednesday night’s Origin III showdown.
The last time the Maroons suffered a whitewash at the hands of NSW was 18 years ago, with the Mark Murray-coached side embarrassed in Game Three when the Blues claimed a 56-16 victory to make the most of their clean sweep.
Queensland great Gorden Tallis was part of that losing side and last week used his column in The Sunday Mail to warn this Maroons team to not make the same mistakes of the past.
And Walters said he had no fear of that occurring at Suncorp Stadium.
INSIGHT: Why DCE won’t shrink in Origin arena
BACKING: Walters names his starters for Origin III
He said while the 2000 series provides current players with a lesson, he knew they were in the right mindset from the moment he stepped into the Game Three camp last Monday.
“We’re not seeing it as a dead rubber,” he said.
“(The 2000 series) was 18 years ago. The game’s changed from there and Origin certainly has as well.
“It is a good reminder for all of our players about how important this match is, particularly at home in front of our fans.
“It’s one that we want to have them walking out of here feeling really proud about our team and their performance.
“We need to win more than anything else … we don’t want to lose the series 3-0.
“Every game’s important that you play for Queensland. When you wear that jersey, you have to wear it with pride and do the jersey justice. That’s what we’re looking for.”
Walters’ stance and belief in his team’s motivation also flies in the face of NSW playmaker James Maloney’s suggestion earlier this week that Queenslanders are “not as passionate as they think”.
The Maroons mentor refused to respond to Maloney.
“James knows about Queensland now, does he? We’ll just leave that one there,” he said.
Instead, Walters was adamant Queensland can take a lot from this game.
He said the final showdown of the 2018 series was not just about getting the win, but preparing for their future.
“It’s about building for next year and the only way to build for next year is for our players to play well and get a win,” he said.
“Some of the changes we have made to the team are with an eye on that (future). It’s a big match for our guys. We think we have the right players in the squad here.
“We have got some guys unavailable through injury but this team here, we’re very confident they can take us into next year and into the future for a successful Maroons campaign.”
‘Fatty’ reveals Maroons mantra behind famous Origin boilover
The 1995 series is regarded as the biggest upset in State of Origin history. 30 years on, former Qld coach Paul Vautin has revealed the secret to their success in the hopes it can inspire Billy Slater’s Maroons in 2025.
Maroons legend Inglis launches Origin coaching career
Greg Inglis haunted New South Wales throughout a 32-game State of Origin career. Now, the NRL and Queensland legend is officially back in Maroon after launching his coaching career.