Queensland State of Origin news: Maroons hatch plan to muzzle Latrell Mitchell
Queensland have come up with the blueprint to silence Latrell Mitchell and prevent the NSW centre returning as a Suncorp Stadium destroyer.
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Queensland stars have hatched a plan to muzzle Latrell Mitchell and prevent the Blues superstar returning as a Suncorp Stadium destroyer in Origin II.
NSW hierarchy are confident careful management of the calf injury that ruled Mitchell out of the series opener will enable the South Sydney ace to take his place in the Blues centres in the return Origin bout at Suncorp next Wednesday night.
The Maroons have not forgotten the seek-and-destroy mission Mitchell and NSW centre cohort Tom Trbojevic launched in the 2021 Origin series.
The duo ripped Queensland apart to wrap up the series in the opening two games, headlined by Mitchell running riot in NSW’s 26-0 drubbing of the Maroons in a sky-blue Suncorp massacre.
Now Mitchell and Trbojevic have been reunited as the injury-hit Blues attempt to save the series at Suncorp, with Maroons skipper Daly Cherry-Evans acutely aware of the centre alliance that tormented Queensland two years ago.
“They (Mitchell and Trbojevic) were the two main figures of that series,” said Cherry-Evans, who plays with ‘Turbo’ at Manly and toured with Mitchell in Australia’s World Cup winning side last November.
“You could have given either of them the Wally Lewis Medal (as player of the series).
“Our side has turned over a lot since then player-wise and also with the game plan and style of footy we want to play.
“I do believe it is a different arena so I think the goalposts have changed in that regard.
“I am not taking anything away from the quality Tom and Latrell will bring, but I feel that where we are as a side from that 2021 series is a distant memory.
“Tom has played some really good games for Manly recently so it has been great to get that front-row seat.
“It is the same as Latrell ... we need to show them respect but we show them respect by handling them as a side.”
Data supplied by Fox Sports Lab demonstrates how damaging Mitchell and Trbojevic were as they handed the Maroons one of their worst ever series losses in 2021.
In the three-game series, Mitchell and Trbojevic scored a combined 40 points against Queensland. Latrell posted 17 tackle busts to complement Turbo’s 10, while they scored four tries each and terrorised the Maroons with a collective 42 possessions per game.
They averaged a total of 294 metres and added six line breaks, underscoring the potential damage if Queensland gives Mitchell and Trbojevic too much latitude at Suncorp.
Maroons centre Valentine Holmes will mark up against Mitchell and says Queensland will be rushing up to cut down his space.
“We’ll talk about him and try to get our right edge up in his face to shut him down,” Holmes said.
“He has great confidence in himself, especially coming into good ball in attack.
“Everyone wants to score and have that glory time.
“Latrell shines when he gets it.”
Speaking before Origin I, Maroons forward Arrow, who plays with Mitchell at the Rabbitohs, challenged Queensland to fight fire with fire.
“You have to definitely take Latrell on,” he said.
“The best thing to do with Latrell in the centres is take time away from him.
“I have no doubt their plan will be to give him early ball and get the ball in his hands.
“Latrell is a powerful runner of the ball and he is a big, strong boy. No doubt our right side is doing a lot of video on him and we look forward to the contact with him and taking him on and taking the challenge on.
“I think just take time away from him, get up in his face and hopefully force errors.”
DCE’s brutal Origin reality check for Moses
Maroons skipper Daly Cherry-Evans has turned up the heat on Mitchell Moses, saying his NSW halfback rival must go to a “new level” and warning NRL form “doesn’t cut it” in State of Origin.
Moses has been charged with saving the series for the Blues with the Parramatta playmaker replacing injured NSW halfback Nathan Cleary for Origin II at Suncorp Stadium next Wednesday night.
Cherry-Evans turned Moses’ one and only Origin game into a nightmare in 2021, with the veteran halfback piloting Queensland to a 20-18 victory on the Gold Coast to deny the Blues a 3-0 sweep.
Now Queensland are ready to torment Moses again and break another NSW playmaker.
Moses is unproven as a big-match performer after the Eels were flogged by Penrith in last year’s NRL grand final and he faces the biggest test of his career beating the Maroons in front of 50,000 rabid Queensland fans at Suncorp.
While Moses has produced some outstanding performances over the past three years for the Eels, Cherry-Evans - a 20-game Origin stalwart - says great club form counts for nothing in the Origin cauldron.
“It’s a huge step up for him - it’s not the same,” Cherry-Evans said of Moses’ Origin challenge.
“We all know it (NRL form) is not the same and that’s what makes Origin so good.
“For sure, it’s a step up.
“I know for me, how I play at club level doesn’t cut it at Origin level.
“You need to go to a new level, so you have to be ready for that.”
Cherry-Evans can relate to the gargantuan assignment Moses faces attempting to fire as an inexperienced Origin shot-caller at Suncorp.
The Manly captain was just three games into his Origin career in 2014 when Queensland No.7 Cooper Cronk was injured in the early minutes of Game One at Suncorp and Cherry-Evans was thrown into the fray off the bench.
Then aged 25, Cherry-Evans lost two games in a row as Queensland crashed to a series defeat. He was axed by Maroons coach Mal Meninga the following year and spent three years in Origin exile.
Asked if he ever faced the same pressure test as Moses, Cherry-Evans said: “I did. I was in that position - and I wasn’t up to it.
“It was in 2014. I had to come on for Cooper Cronk when he broke his forearm.
“We lost that game at Suncorp and then we went to Sydney and we lost 6-4.
“Early in my career my head was certainly spinning at Origin level and I didn’t play good enough to hold my spot down basically.
“I learnt a lot from those early days.
“They weren’t great results for Queensland and they stayed with me for a long time.
“They certainly hardened me and I learned a lot out of it and it’s put me in good stead for now.”
Queensland are hoping the support of a heaving full house at Suncorp, combined with a ruthless kick chase, will also leave Moses’ head spinning.
Cherry-Evans said his NSW halfback rival had to brace for more high-octane kick pressure than he would confront at NRL level.
“Kick pressure is a big part of Origin and that’s one thing that is going to go up a level for sure,” Cherry-Evans said.
“He (Moses) gets another chance to come back into the Origin arena.
“Parramatta has had a difficult start to the year, but Mitch has been playing some good footy. I’m sure he will be confident in the job he can do for his state and we will do whatever he can to minimise his involvement.
“He has a really strong kicking game and he brings some off-the-cuff footy.
“He is a danger when he runs, so we will have to make sure we are on high alert when he has the ball.
“We hope Queenslanders give the Blues players a really big welcome like they always do.
“It’s really important for us as a side not to rely on the crowd.
“They are going to be a part of the atmosphere and they will ride us at times, but these next nine days are so important for us to make sure our game plan is where we need it to be and our mindset is right come game day.
“We don’t want any surprises from them (NSW).”
Bagging the Blues: Walsh’s major Game I Origin regret
Maroons sensation Reece Walsh regrets bagging the Blues and is preparing for another Origin onslaught in his Suncorp Stadium redemption quest.
Walsh is set to make his first appearance for Queensland on home turf when the Maroons look to wrap up the Origin series in Wednesday week’s second match.
After starring on debut in Queensland’s 26-18 game one win in Adelaide, Walsh unloaded on the Blues in an emotional post-match interview.
“They think they’re better than everyone down there in blue,” Walsh said in Queensland’s dressing room.
“I took the challenge on. Queensland, these boys, Billy (Slater, coach), they needed me to do my job and that’s all I had my eyes on.
“When you wear a Maroons jersey, you’ve got to go out there and represent the whole state of Queensland. You don’t want to let these boys down or past players down. I knew I had to go out there and do my job.
“Everyone thinks I’m not a tough footballer. Where I come from is a tough area, mate. I’ve got bigger brothers. It’s been tough my whole life.
“Come out here and bash me. I’m up for it. I’ll be ready to go again and I’m looking forward to it.
“Of course I (wanted to prove a point). They thought I wasn’t ready and wasn’t up to it.”
Walsh proved his critics wrong with a faultless performance in the high-pressure fullback position.
Now he wants to show he is no one-hit Origin wonder against a desperate NSW that must win in Brisbane to keep the series alive.
After Queensland’s first training session at Red Hill on Tuesday, Walsh said his emotions got the better of him in Adelaide.
“The emotions were high coming off a win,” he said.
“There was a lot of stuff said about me during the week and I probably let that get too far ahead of myself.
“At the end of the day, I love Queensland and I love putting on this jersey. I love going to battle.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for anyone that puts on a jersey, goes out there and puts their body on the line for their teammates, state and families.
“I’ll look forward to the challenges. That’s what comes with being a fullback and doing my job.
“If I didn’t like those things and didn’t want to do them, I shouldn’t be here. It’s part of my job and things I enjoy doing.”
While the Adelaide win was Walsh’s first taste of Origin, things could have been very different.
At age 18 and with only seven NRL games under his belt, Walsh was set to debut for Queensland in game two of the 2021 series, only to suffer a torn hamstring in the pre-match captain’s run at Suncorp Stadium.
Walsh was scratched from the game and the Maroons were flogged 26-0 on home turf to surrender the shield to NSW in two games, following a 50-6 game one hiding.
Walsh had to wait another two years to make his Origin debut and now can’t wait to finally run out in front of a sea of maroon.
“To get the opportunity to play for Queensland at Suncorp Stadium is going to be special and I’m really looking forward to the challenge,” he said.
“The boys always talk about Suncorp being a different beast and the feeling you get when you run out. The national anthem, the crowd, all that stuff. I’m really excited to experience that.
“I was there last year supporting the boys in the crowd and the roof was popping off.
“It definitely feels a lot more comfortable coming in into the game two camp.
“Game one was good, I felt comfortable going out there and doing my job. It’s no different this time. I’ve got to go out there and do my job for the team and whatever role that is, I’ll make sure I do it.”
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