Latrell Mitchell and Tom Trbojevic destroyed Queensland in Townsville

Latrell Mitchell and Tom Trbojevic destroyed Queensland in Townsville as NSW began exacting revenge for last year’s series defeat.

Playing out of position, Latrell Mitchell showed why he is one of the game’s superstars

NSW coach Brad Fittler was criticised after losing the unlosable series last year. On Wednesday night in Townsville, he pulled off a coaching masterstroke as the Blues flew out of the blocks to take the early lead in the State of Origin series.

Tom Trbojevic, the form player in the NRL over the past month, was named in the centres for the Blues, but he was everywhere at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.

He tormented Queensland through the middle. He isolated his direct opponent Kurt Capewell on the edge. At one point, he was standing outside his fellow centre Latrell Mitchell on the opposite side of the field.

The Maroons didn’t know what to do. Every time he touched the ball, he threatened to create havoc. On more than one occasion, he did just that.

Trbojevic was basically given a licence to do what he wanted. Smart coaching. The NSW centre is on another planet at the moment and you didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to realise the Blues would be best served by getting the ball in his hands.

The plan was simple. Still, Fittler and his coaching brains trust came up with a brilliant concept and Trbojevic put it into effect.

Remarkably, the Blues’ best players in Townsville were their two centres. Mitchell had warned on game eve that he couldn’t wait to return to Origin.

He wasted no time making an impact. When Trbojevic scored the opening try for NSW, it came after Mitchell had darted out of dummy half and streaked down field.

On the next tackle, the ball finished in Trbojevic’s hands and he did the rest. Mitchell didn’t just make an impact with the ball.

When Queensland threatened to hit back for the second time on the stroke of halftime, Mitchell came up with a tackle to jolt the ball from Dane Gagai’s grasp.

The South Sydney fullback was axed from Origin two years ago and at one point, there was talk he would never return. What a loss that would have been, not just for NSW but for the series.

Mitchell is regarded as one of the game’s superstar and on Wednesday night we saw why. At times, he did what he wanted. Queensland had no answer.

Fittingly, the pair combined for a pair of tries early in the second half that sunk another dagger into the Maroons. The first came when the ball went wide and Trbojevic put a deft kick through for Mitchell and he did the rest.

The Blues had one hand back on the shield and they rubbed salt into the wounds when Trbojevic and Mitchell combined again, this time after Jarome Luai had sliced through Queensland.

Luai raced away, Mitchell loomed in support and Trbojevic was given a saloon passage to score under the posts. Trbojevic hurled the ball skywards as he crossed for his second try of the night.

Mitchell got a second try of his own with 20 minutes remaining when Xavier Coates dropped a simple bomb and Mitchell swooped, picking up the scraps and going over in the tackle of Valentine Holmes.

“It just came naturally,” captain James Tedesco said. “Look at our backline. Tommy and Latrell are two of the best fullbacks and they are in the centres.”