State of Origin 2020: How NSW Blues Jake Trbojevic shattered Maroons confidence
Trevor ‘The Axe’ Gillmeister bashed the Blues throughout his Origin career and now NSW have finally found their own version.
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NSW has found its own version of Trevor ‘The Axe’ Gillmeister.
His name is Jake Trbojevic, the Blues and Manly Sea Eagles lock forward, who bashed the Maroons on Wednesday night with the most punishing tackles.
Anyone who said State of Origin is now lacking intensity will be having second thoughts right now.
This was Gillmeister at his most fearless.
For younger readers, the Axe was arguably the hardest hitter we’ve ever seen in Origin. He played 22 games for the Maroons and won 14 of them. NSW hated playing against him. He just bashed us every game.
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ORIGIN PLAYER RATINGS: TWO BLUES MADE A MEAL OF MAROONS
For all the razzle-dazzle from the Blues’ backline as the game progressed, the foundations were laid by Trbojevic. He kept hitting them like a sledgehammer.
Poor Xavier Coates was the first victim. He lay on the ground, winded.
He didn’t recover in the first half and spilt the football that led to the Blues’ try right on half-time.
Hits like this one not only hurt physically but destroy your confidence. They win football games.
Big Lindsay Collins also coughed up the football from a Trbojevic tackle.
His aggression was contagious among the NSW forwards.
The Queensland forwards that ran so powerfully in Adelaide were barely sighted.
This was the passion and intensity that was missing from the lacklustre Blues a week earlier.
It allowed Nathan Cleary and Cody Walker to dictate from the halves.
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Jack Wighton made up for his poor first game by brushing off Dane Gagai and Coates to score the opening try of the second half.
And that was the ball game.
We even had a stink to keep Kenty happy, not that it was anywhere near as hostile as the old days.
You can guarantee Payne Haas and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui will get time for throwing punches.
The Blues did so well to hang on in the opening 15 minutes when all the decisions were going against them.
The Maroons had almost 70 per cent of possession. They got a six-again and two penalties while NSW got nothing.
Their first try to Xavier Coates came from a Gerrard Sutton blunder when he failed to pick up Josh Addo-Carr being stripped of the football. It was too early in the game to challenge.
Surely the NRL could look at the challenge rule in these big games.
In Origin or grand finals with so much at stake, give the teams one challenge each half.
Not that NSW needed them on Wednesday night.
They were clearly the better side. Bring on Suncorp.
Originally published as State of Origin 2020: How NSW Blues Jake Trbojevic shattered Maroons confidence
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