State of Origin coaching report card: Slater’s selections exposed, Maguire wins mind games

After the coaches took the spotlight for the build-up into Origin II, PAMELA WHALEY analyses where Billy Slater and Michael Maguire’s got it right, and wrong, at the MCG.

(L-R) Origin coaches Michael Maguire of NSW and Billy Slater of Queensland.

The coaches took the spotlight for the build-up into Origin II, but how did their performances rate when it counted? PAMELA WHALEY analyses Billy Slater and Michael Maguire’s coaching efforts after Wednesday night’s Origin blockbuster at the MCG.

BILLY SLATER

Selections: C

Hindsight is a beautiful thing but a few issues were apparent even before Wednesday night’s demolition job. David Fifita is banging down the proverbial door with the Titans to get a start for Queensland, but he was overlooked again, this time for Felise Kaufusi and Kurt Capewell.

Stats don’t tell the whole story but they paint a decent picture in this case. Capewell and Kaufusi made a combined 60 metres from the bench on Wednesday night. Kaufusi played just 11 minutes. In round 16, Fifita had 183 metres, eight tackle-breaks, two offloads, a linebreak and a try-assist for the Titans - surely enough to justify selection. Slater’s reasons for the snub may have been be valid, but after Wednesday night’s result the two need to sit down and figure out a way to make it work. Oh, and not carrying an outside back on the bench after the Reece Walsh incident in game one is baffling to say the least.

Billy Slater had a night to forget at the MCG. Picture: Gregg Porteous

Tactics: D

Any sort of game plan went out the window after the Blues’ first half blitz, and even if they could get it back on track the Maroons were too gassed to execute. If the plan was to exhaust Blues guns Latrell Mitchell and Mitch Moses, that didn’t work, and they were so flat in the first half all they managed to run dead was themselves. A chance to win the shield was on the line and they blew it real bad.

Mind games: B

Michael Maguire’s ‘glass houses’ sledge appeared to ruffle his feathers, even if he didn’t say much publicly or feed into it at all. Slater has famously mastered the mental game but he was caught off guard by all the attention Madge’s comments brought his way, which put him on the defence coming into Origin II in his own city. He tried to take the high road and ironically it probably cost him some peace.

MICHAEL MAGUIRE

Selections: A-

All the changes Maguire made were logical, and all made a huge impact on the side. Mitch Moses had the best game of his first-grade career and one of the most dominant of a NSW halfback in a long time, while Latrell Mitchell, Cameron Murray and Dylan Edwards were among the best on the field. Connor Watson, although he played just 17 minutes, was a smart cover on the bench. Matt Burton was the only player who could be considered hard done by not to be in the team, but Moses’ kicking game was so extraordinary it’s hard to imagine improvement. Skipper Jake Trbojevic played the opening 25 minutes and the final nine which could again raise questions about whether his spot is warranted considering his limited minutes and impact.

NSW Blues coach Michael Maguire talks to Jarome Luai and Mitchell Moses of the Blues during game two at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Picture: Getty Images

Tactics: A+

NSW bounced in ready for a game with Latrell Mitchell and Stephen Crichton running rings around Valentine Holmes and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow. At times they looked dizzy trying to keep up. Halfback Mitch Moses was calling all the shots, and the attack was based around his kicking game which was executed to perfection behind some wicked quick line speed.

NSW were aggressive in defence too, putting Daly Cherry-Evans and Reece Walsh right off their game to give NSW a win for the history books.

Build up: A

He’s usually a pretty reserved man but Maguire’s ‘glass houses’ comment was a masterclass in distraction. It added more to his own plate, but he’s more than capable of coping with pressure. The column inches, airtime and headlines then focused on himself and Slater (who was unsuspecting collateral damage) while the players were free to bask in the resulting peace.