Peter Sterling confirms NSW backtracked on a huge Origin plan; Matthew Johns attacks ‘stunning’ move

NRL legend Peter Sterling has confirmed NSW backtracked on a massive shake-up before a devastating Origin series loss.

NSW's Fifita backflip cost them dearly.

NSW legend Peter Sterling has confirmed the Blues backtracked on a gamechanging tactic at the eleventh hour before their damning Game 3 loss to Queensland.

Earlier in the week, a rumour surfaced that NSW coach Laurie Daley pulled the plug on a plan to shake-up the forward pack.

The move would have seen Bulldogs star David Klemmer start at prop as the Sharks enforcer took the bench. Reports claimed Fifita would come onto the field within 20 minutes into the first half.

Daley’s secret forward pack manouver reportedly put the wind up Fifita, with the towering forward protesting his shift to the interchange bench.

Sterling couldn’t confirm Fifita’s blow-up to Daley, but assured fans the move to start with Klemmer was axed shortly before the decider at Suncorp.

“I cannot comment on if there was a blow-up or not. I wasn’t privy to the conversation Laurie had with Andrew Fifita,” the Channel Nine commentator told Triple M’s Dead Set Legends Monday.

“I rang Laurie on the way to the airport on Tuesday evening (before the game) just to ask about Andrew and he said it wasn’t going to happen and that we was going to go back and start with the same side that ran out for the first two matches.

“I don’t know about any blow-up. I don’t know what the reaction was but I can confirm the plan had been they were going to start with Klemmer (followed by) Andrew coming on after about 20 or 25 minutes.”

David Klemmer was meant to take Fifita’s role as the run-on prop

Andrew Fifita reportedly kicked up a fuss.

Daley’s move to start with Fifita backfired spectacularly. The 28-year-old butchered his chance at making another game-changing impact like he did in the first game at Suncorp as the Blues dropped to a 22-6 defeat.

Daily Telegraph NRL expert Paul Kent admitted he wouldn’t have Fifita back for next year’s Origin series after his poor performance in the last two games.

“I wouldn’t have him in my Origin side. There was a time where he started to convince me that he was starting to turn it around, but I think over this series he was ineffective in games two and three,” Kent told Triple M radio over the weekend.

“And as good as he was in game one, when the heat is on and they can counteract you that easily, I think that’s a problem.

“He should’ve started off the bench in game three — that was the best chance to get a result out of him and they didn’t do that.”

‘STUNNING’ BACKFLIP SLAMMED

NSW's Andrew Fifita had a stinker in Game 3.

Former NSW star Matthew Johns has been firing off in all directions after his state’s monumental series loss.

The Fifita-Klemmer bombshell had the former star in a state, claiming NSW’s last second backflip was symbolic of their continuous Origin horror show.

“If Fifita doesn’t want to swallow it, you say, ‘See you later’. It’s stunning and it’s symbolic of what’s wrong with NSW,” Johns said on Fox Sports’ NRL 360 on Monday night.

“Gus (Phil Gould) used to say, ‘I’ll tell you about Origin football, it’s about putting your hand over a naked flame and the opposition’s doing the same thing, and the one who takes their hand off loses’.

“And I said to Chief (Paul Harragon), ‘What would you do?’ And he replied: ‘Rather than let the boys down, I’d chop my right hand off’.

“Queensland historically have gone for that sort of player ... we’re obsessed with body types and (the Maroons) just look between the ears and under the shirt.”