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GOLD Coast halfback Ash Taylor has conceded the speculation around a potential State of Origin debut affected his last performance for the Titans — rolling rugby league coverage.
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BEATTIE DEFENDS ORIGIN III TICKET PRICES
Peter Beattie has defended the price of State of Origin tickets as game three nears sold-out status.
The ARLC chairman said more than 47,000 tickets had been sold for Origin III, nearing Suncorp Stadium’s 52,500 capacity.
Beattie said the tickets were like airline tickets, when asked about the rising price of entry to Wednesday’s game three in Brisbane.
“It’s like buying airline tickets, if you get in early they’re cheaper,” he told Macquarie Sports Radio on Wednesday.
“There were $50 tickets for all three games … and $145 for family tickets. “At the end of the day these are not bad figures when you consider it’s for an international quality match.” Hours later the NRL announced a limited number of $35 standing tickets would be available for the dead rubber, where NSW are looking to take their first series clean-sweep since 2000 against the Maroons.
Wednesday’s game comes less than two weeks after a sellout crowd of 82,223 crammed ANZ Stadium for game two in Sydney, while almost 90,000 attended the opener at the MCG.
Remaining adult seating tickets for game three began at $300 on Wednesday afternoon.
– AAP
TAYLOR: ORIGIN SPECULATION GOT TO ME
Gold Coast halfback Ash Taylor has conceded the speculation around a potential State of Origin debut affected his last performance for the Titans. Taylor admitted his own effort in Gold Coast’s embarrassing 34-0 thumping to Brisbane last Sunday wasn’t good enough.
He was so critical of his display, the 23-year-old called it one of the worst of his 62-game NRL career.
Taylor shot into contention for a Queensland berth until Maroons coach Kevin Walters opted for Manly captain Daly Cherry-Evans instead for Wednesday night’s game three.
He says he will better equipped to deal with the Origin hype next year and will keep going to Titans coach Garth Brennan for advice about how to deal with the pressure.
“It was pretty tough not making the team for starters and it took a pretty hard toll on myself,” Taylor told reporters on Wednesday.
“I’ll just try and block that out next time.
“(Brennan) chats to me during the week and I think it got a bit overwhelming with all the chat that was going on and it all mounted up.
“To put a performance like that out wasn’t good enough and I’d happily admit that.”
While Taylor says the hype of Origin got to him, he isn’t willing to use a calf issue he has been dealing with as an excuse.
He is recovering from the injury complaint as best he can to ensure he plays better in the Titans’ clash with the Roosters on Sunday.
“I don’t want to make any excuses for my performance on the weekend,” Taylor said.
“It wasn’t up to standard and I know that and everyone else knows that as well.
“The best thing about it is you can come back and turn up the next week so I’m just going to rock up next week and try to play one of my best performances of the season.”
– Oliver Caffrey
Absolute gold from the men in lime green…
Safe to say a few of the English lads are excited about tomorrow's World Cup Semi-Final. 🏴 @England_RL#ItsComingHome #WeAreRaiders pic.twitter.com/WZW6p2be4j
— Canberra Raiders (@RaidersCanberra) 11 July 2018
QUEENSLAND GREAT URGES PACK TO SHOW SOME MONGREL
By Paul Malone
QUEENSLAND’S State of Origin touchstone Chris Close has urged the Maroons forwards to lift their aggression and put a dent in the Blues tonight.
“We miss that mongrel don’t we? We do need to get a bit tougher,’’ said Close, man of the match in the first two Origin matches in 1980 and 1981.
“It’s an area we have been a bit light on, in our front row. We haven’t put a dent in their team. We need to address that and get it right tomorrow night.’’
Close said at the Former Origin Greats charity lunch at Suncorp Stadium that the transitional Maroons outfit needed to grasp the cost of mistakes in Origin matches.
Queensland improved their missed-tackle count from 51 to 27 between the first and second Origin matches this year, but still missed more than NSW in both encounters.
“What they need to understand that in this arena there are no chances to get it wrong,’’ he said.
“We haven’t got to that at this stage of the campaign.
“We could have won both games. But when you make a mistake against the likes of this NSW team this year you are going to get punished.’’
Queensland coach Kevin Walters said at the FOGS lunch that Blues coach Brad Fittler had “brought a different approach” to the side with initiatives such as applying blindfolds to players’ faces at training to promote trust in the team.
“We have trouble catching the ball with our eyes open, much less blindfolded,’’ Walters quipped.
“He’s brought a different approach to NSW and they have had a great series, credit where it’s due.
“We’ve learnt a lot as a team and I’ve learnt a lot as a coach. It’s about building new combinations as quickly as we can. Our team wants to put on a performance everyone in the state can be proud of and if we can we will be in front.’’
Former NSW and Australian hooker Royce Simmons said he was picked a good year to take up former Kangaroo tour mate Gene Miles on an invitation to be his guest at the lunch.
“I think a series win in which our kids have had a taste of playing Origin will help us,’’ Simmons said.
“The reason we haven’t won much recently was that Queensland had four or five of the greatest players of all time.
“NSW didn’t win because we’ve been playing against Johnathan Thurston, one of the best halfbacks ever, Cameron Smith, no doubt the best dummy-half I’ve ever seen, and Billy Slater, the best fullback I’ve seen. Before that they had Darren Lockyer, one of the best five-eighths of all time.’’
Allan Langer will not attend the pre-game presentation of Queensland Origin captains tonight to mark the retirement from the team of Smith, 22 days before Origin I, and Billy Slater.
Langer, a Maroons assistant coach and the team’s runner, has prioritised helping the side prepare for the match.
EELS TO FINISH REVIEW BY SEASON’S END
Misfiring Parramatta hope to complete their wide-ranging review by end of the NRL season.
The club announced they would undertake a top-to-toe examination after their woeful 2018 season which has seen them win just three games to be last after 17 rounds.
The investigation is being headed by the Eels football club’s board of directors after the side fell well short of expectations this year.
In a letter to members on Wednesday, Eels chief executive Bernie Gurr said he hoped to have the review wrapped up in eight weeks.
The club will examine all aspects of their structure including governance, roster and retention, junior systems, coaching and support staff and facilities. The Eels have also brought in consultant Shane McCurry as a third party to help oversee the project.
As well as advising the Wests Tigers, McCurry has worked in the AFL where he consulted with Essendon during their football department restructure in 2015 and the overhaul of Richmond’s leadership program.
Former Melbourne Storm assistant coach Greg Bretnall and former AFL Players’ Association CEO Rob Kerr will also be consulted.
– Steve Zemek
The @NRL are expected to block the @sydneyroosters attempts to play suspended forward Victor Radley v @GCTitans. The Chooks want his one-game ban to count by sitting out tonight's U20s Origin for @NSWRL @telegraph_sport
— David Riccio (@DaveRic1) 11 July 2018
KAHU REVEALS EXTENT OF HORROR BROKEN JAW
Brisbane Broncos utility Jordan Kahu has revealed he lost up to seven kilograms while recovering from a broken jaw.
The New Zealand international missed 10 weeks after colliding with North Queensland five-eighth Te Maire Martin in round two of the NRL season. But since returning to the field, the Broncos have won four out of five games to be in the mix for a top-four spot.
Kahu has endured an injury-plagued career, playing just 87 games since debuting in 2013 and underwent three knee reconstructions in four years.
But his setbacks in getting back from a broken jaw tested his patience like nothing else.
Kahu was unable to eat solid food for six weeks, resorting to putting steak into a blender in an attempt to have protein in his smoothies.
“I lost like six or seven kilos in the first six days, which was pretty weird,” Kahu told reporters on Wednesday.
“But I knew once I was back eating I’d be able to put weight back on fast.” Kahu said having gone through the challenges of ACL surgery, he was able to cope better with this recovery taking longer than expected.
The 27-year-old’s return was delayed after colliding with a teammate in his first contact session back at training.
“I had six weeks off eating, six weeks training hard to hopefully play at the end of the six weeks and to get that little hiccup along the way was probably the toughest,” Kahu said.
“Knowing I’d miss another three or four weeks was tough but I’ve got a good support base behind me.” The Broncos host the Warriors, who have slumped to eighth in the ladder following two losses after a hot-start to the season, on Sunday.
Kahu doesn’t believe Brisbane are playing the visitors at a good time, despite the teams’ contrasting form.
“It’s a tough competition so it’s always hard to maintain your performance for a long period of time,” Kahu said.
“They started the season real well and got them in a good fit for the eight and I’m sure they’ll perform well at the end of the season.”
FITTLER’S BLUES CREATE ORIGIN TEAM SONG
It could be a lasting legacy of the new Brad Fittler era.
The NSW team have written their own team song, which they hope to belt out if they can win State of Origin III on Wednesday night.
It is understood the players came up with the lyrics on a bus trip earlier this week, based around the team slogan ‘Whatever It Takes’.
The team rehearsed the song on Tuesday night.
“I’m sure we’ll have to read off the sheets,” Blues assistant Danny Buderus said on Wednesday morning.
“It’s just great to have something the players can react to and respond to. The ‘Whatever It Takes’ slogan has been really good for us this year.
“I’m sure those words will be slipped in somewhere.”
Fittler bemoaned the awkwardness of a victorious dressing shed following their game two triumph, where the song by Imagine Dragons was played over speakers.
The ‘Whatever It Takes’ phrase has been used as motivation for their entire campaign, with the image of an injured Brett Morris tackling a Maroons player last year hung in NSWRL offices.
There were suggestions the Blues might have copied the women’s team song or taken an anthem from Jon Stevens, however players opted to create their own.
Buderus said there were two versions – one with stronger language than the other.
“We had the Premier in there for game two. We’d have the Premier edition and maybe not-the-Premier edition where there’s a few more swear words or whatever,” he said.
“It’s all (about) a bit of fun, ownership and being accountable for being part of a group.”
Buderus is confident the Blues rookies can upset the Maroons on their home turf and become just the eighth team in Origin history to claim a 3-0 series clean sweep.
“They get to run out on that fantastic stadium in front of a hostile crowd. It’s something they haven’t experienced before,” he said.
– Matt Encarnacion
The legendary Garry Jack getting in on the action.
It has been great to watch NSW players given an opportunity & develop as players, and as men under the leadership of Brad Fittler.
— Garry Jack (@jimmyjack244) 10 July 2018
Tonight they can write their names into the history of origin with a 3-0 whitewash.
It’s time. @NSWRL #UpTheBlues #Origin pic.twitter.com/u0egr1sXyY