Queensland must enjoy the glory, but we’re not there yet, writes Darren Lockyer
Queensland’s brave outfit produced a memorable, fighting win in the Origin opener, but experience tells me that everything should be done to make sure complacency doesn’t set it, writes Darren Lockyer.
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It was a classic Origin win. A Queensland type of win. A triumph built on mateship, courage and the desire of a Queensland team that simply wanted it more in the clutch moments.
But the message now is we can’t relent.
Queensland’s 17 combatants last Wednesday night were superb – but the job isn’t done yet.
Internal complacency, rather than external pressures or challenges, is Queensland’s biggest enemy as the Maroons look to reclaim the shield in Origin’s historic trip to Perth for Game Two on June 23.
From personal experience, when we have won the first game of the series, only to lose the second, complacency was at the core of failure.
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As a player, in your head, you take comfort in knowing there’s a second chance. The other team knows there is no second chance, so their desperation intensifies.
The differential in performance can be only 5 per cent. The loser looks to find another inch and the victor is happy to give away that inch and – at State of Origin level – that’s a mile of difference.
Kevin Walters’ troops deserve to celebrate a magnificent performance and their optimism will be high, but it’s critical the guys get their feet back on the ground quickly.
All the good groundwork in laying a 1-0 platform will be quickly erased if they aren’t willing to pay the price again in Origin II.
Our campaign can all come crashing down if Queensland don’t maintain the discipline and preparation needed to finish the Blues off in the west.
The 18-14 victory before 52,000 screaming Queenslanders was a wonderful tribute to the playing group’s character – and vindication for the coaching of Walters and the composition of this Maroons team.
There were two key factors the coach and selectors wanted to achieve.
We wanted good decision-makers under pressure in the playmaking positions and Daly Cherry-Evans, at halfback, was very good in that department. His calmness, judicious kicking and match awareness has given this Queensland team control and direction.
The other consideration was getting the bench right. The interchange has never been more vital in the Origin arena.
We wanted the right mix of youth, experience and impact so that when fatigue set in, our bench could lift the tempo and put some pressure on NSW.
Dylan Napa gave us the hard-headed toughness, while Joe Ofahengaue and David Fifita were superb in their Origin debuts.
Our utility, Moses Mbye, didn’t see a lot of minutes, but one brave tackle he made late in the game typified what it meant for him to be a part of the team.
In the playmaking spine, Queensland have discovered a new Fab Four.
In the space of two years, we’ve lost Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk, Billy Slater and Cameron Smith, yet now we see a new package in Kalyn Ponga, Cherry-Evans, Cameron Munster and Ben Hunt.
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As a spine, they were magnificent. This is now their window to put their stamp on the Origin arena.
Munster’s running game is his strength and when he made that big break in the first half, dummying across the field then slicing through, it evoked images of Wally Lewis in 1989 when he scored that famous try at the SCG.
Hunt’s 48 tackles were a tribute to his courage and adaptability. It was fitting that when Nathan Cleary surged for the tryline in the final minute, Hunt was among the men to stop him.
We weren’t sure if he could play the full 80. Hunt has answered that question.
Then there’s Ponga. What a talent.
Today’s game is certainly more professional, which helps players mature faster physically, tactically and mentally, but very few players I’ve seen possess Ponga’s mix of talent and toughness.
His two bullet-passes for tries to Corey Oates and Dane Gagai were an overt example of his gifts, but I was equally impressed with the manner in which he put his body on the line.
His last-line desperation to halt a flying Latrell Mitchell is one reason why Ponga has the natural leadership to one day captain Queensland.
But one performance doesn’t win an Origin crown. It’s time to go for the jugular.
Originally published as Queensland must enjoy the glory, but we’re not there yet, writes Darren Lockyer
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