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How we helped inspire 2025 Maroons miracle: The Courier-Mail’s secret ‘giant-killers’ dossier revealed

At 8.57am Monday The Courier-Mail was contacted to help Maroons coach Billy Slater construct his final secret motivation pitch. It worked. Inside Queensland’s “giant-killers” dossier.

Queensland celebrates one its most famous victories after being inspired by The Courier-Mail’s secret dossier.
Queensland celebrates one its most famous victories after being inspired by The Courier-Mail’s secret dossier.

Coach Billy Slater went to a secret source – The Courier-Mail library – to stir emotive eight-year-old memories that convinced the Maroons they could pull off Mission Improbable.

The Maroons’ epic 24-12 State of Origin win in Sydney may have been a throwback to the iconic “spirit of 95’’ but behind the scenes it was Queensland’s 2-1 victory in the 2017 series that Slater chose as a key inspirational blueprint for the epic comeback.

It can be revealed this masthead’s role in providing motivational fodder for the Maroons started with an 8.57am phone call from the Queensland camp on Monday when Slater was gathering information for his final team address.

Slater contacted The Courier-Mail editor Chris Jones and the sports team who, being proud Queenslanders, swung into action with assistance from Mary Ann Reyes and Geoff Wilson to deliver what the coach wanted.

Page one of the dossier.
Page one of the dossier.
Page two of the dossier.
Page two of the dossier.

In a clever ploy designed to prove you can lose the first game at home and still win the series, Slater asked The Courier-Mail to provide headlines from Sydney’s Daily Telegraph of the 2017 Origin series which followed an almost identical path to this year’s series with Queensland thumped in the first game 28-4 in Brisbane then winning the next two games.

Slater left the presentation, which included a video package of some of Queensland’s most inspiring moments, until after the captain’s run in Sydney to maximise its impact.

Slater specifically spoke about the inspiring 2017 series when he was omitted for the first game by coach Kevin Walters but recalled amid a raft of changes for game two.

In an amazing coincidence, the Maroons won the second game in 2017 by two points - the same result as this year - then triumphed in the last one 22-6, a score similar to last night’s 24-12.

Queensland Rugby League boss Ben Ikin said: “Sometimes in Origin you just have to find something extra and it is almost always an emotional thing that comes from the past. A lot of Queensland coaches have used this formula and it was great to see it work again.’’

Page three of the dossier.
Page three of the dossier.
Page four of the dossier.
Page four of the dossier.

“It started from when Arthur Beetson came back and played the first game for Queensland in 1980,” winger Valentine Holmes said of the video.

“In 1995 they were the Neville Nobodies and they won the series 3-0. In 2006 they started the dynasty and they told Darren Lockyer and Petero (Civoniceva) they were getting too old.

“Then it went onto 2017, JT’s last game, game two, which was my debut, he kicked us home to put it to a decider back home.

“It was almost like a passing of the baton to Munster. He came on in game three (in 2017) and killed it. In 2020 they said we were the worst Queensland team ever.

Billy’s Braveheart celebrate the extraordinary win. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Billy’s Braveheart celebrate the extraordinary win. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“It was just a nice highlight reel of adversity we come through and we still come out the other end.’’

A focus of the newspaper clippings Slater had requested was the huge publicity given to Andrew Fifita in 2017 after his rampaging effort in the first match which was followed by far less conspicuous efforts in the remainder of the series as Queensland changed their game plan for him.

Rookie centre Robert Toia said: “The video was just showing us that we can do it, we’ve been in this position before.

“It was motivational. It’s not unusual for Queenslanders to be doubted and with our backs against the wall.”

Maroons prop Tino Fa’asuamaleaui said Queensland thrived on being written off.

“We spoke about most years that they’ve ruled us out,” he said.

“2017 was a big one but most years they’ve given us no hope and they did the same again this year.’’

Originally published as How we helped inspire 2025 Maroons miracle: The Courier-Mail’s secret ‘giant-killers’ dossier revealed

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/state-of-origin/how-we-helped-inspire-2025-maroons-miracle-the-couriermails-secret-giantkillers-dossier-revealed/news-story/00eb9a0a208f09033ed26b62518dc629