State of Origin 2021: Merciless Blues bury hoodoo
NSW has piled on more humiliation on Queensland with arguably its most dominant win at Suncorp Stadium in Origin history.
State of Origin victories don’t come much sweeter than this. After losing the unlosable series last year, NSW got their hands back on the Origin shield on Sunday night.
They did it by holding Queensland scoreless for the first time in nearly 30 years — and the first time ever at Suncorp Stadium.
One of the remarkable series wins in Origin history arrived thanks to successive wins on enemy territory. It arrived in the most dominant fashion.
After belting Queensland in Townsville a fortnight ago, they sealed the series at Suncorp Stadium, a ground where they had enjoyed precious-little success in recent years, with a 26-0 victory.
Only one NSW player — James Tedesco — had won at the ground. Queensland had won the past four games at the Cauldron. The hoodoo had been well documented.
It was laid to rest as the Blues produced another devastating display to atone for last year’s disappointment. Tedesco led the way but he was ably supported.
If Tom Trbojevic was the star of Origin I, his centre partner Latrell Mitchell was the inspiration for victory in Origin II as he produced an outstanding first half that set up the win.
“It is pretty special. First win up here at Suncorp,” Trbojevic said. “It was a great win and nice to keep them to nil. It is a tough place to win and we have struggled to do it over the past couple of years. We didn’t want to take it to a decider — we wanted to take it here.”
The Blues withstood an early barrage from Queensland and then went to work, Mitchell the mastermind of the opening two tries as he silenced Suncorp Stadium.
The venue for the final game of the series remains in doubt due to Covid-19 restrictions. There is every chance it will be moved from Stadium Australia.
Not that it matters. The series is over and the only thing Queensland are playing for now is pride. There will be changes. Kalyn Ponga and Harry Grant should return. But the cupboard is largely bare otherwise and coach Paul Green has his hands full trying to salvage something from the series given the lopsided nature of the opening two games.
Queensland arrived at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday night after another disrupted preparation but there were no excuses for this series defeat. They were outclassed and outplayed.
Needing a win to keep the series alive, they lost Ponga before the team was picked, his replacement Reece Walsh the day before the game and then Ronaldo Mulitalo on the morning of the match after an eligibility furore.
They also lost their nerve and at times, their direction. They rarely looked in sync and they allowed the Blues to get under their skin. On a night when they needed their halves Cameron Munster and Daly Cherry-Evans to be at their best, they looked lost and rudderless.
“I can’t believe it is over. They were just too good,” said Cherry-Evans. “The scoreline reflected that. It’s such a shame. We started well. We had all the good intentions. They had all the answers.”
The Blues’ utter domination and desire was summed up by an act of desperation early in the second half from Trbojevic when Xavier Coates seemed certain to score.
Trbojevic played at Coates’ arm and dislodged the ball as the Queensland winger was airborne over the line. The Maroons just couldn’t find a way through.
At times, Queensland were calamitous as they were frustrated into error by a blue wall they couldn’t breach. The win was set up by another pulsating first half by NSW. The Maroons started strongly at Suncorp Stadium but they were on the rocks at halftime as the Blues raced in three tries to take the ascendancy into the break.
Mulitalo and Walsh walked out of the tunnel before their teammates dressed in suits. The rest of the Maroons followed. They had home ground advantage in their favour — not that it helped them in Townsville, where they were on the receiving end of a beat-down.
Suncorp Stadium was a different beast though. At least, it was supposed to be. Tedesco was the early danger for NSW, showing the ball and testing the Queensland defence. Then Nathan Cleary, a man who has never won at Suncorp in Origin, found a hole in the defence but wasted his opportunity. Warning shots were being fired by the Blues and it was no surprise when they opened the scoring in the 13th minute.
Kyle Feldt was at fault for turning the ball over, allowing Mitchell to strip it in a one-on-one tackle.
Moments later, Tedesco threw the cut-out ball and Josh Addo-Carr strolled over unopposed.
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