‘Most definitely’: Daley says he’s still right man to lead Blues despite stunning loss

Laurie Daley’s second coaching stint in the State of Origin arena has gone much like the first.

The only difference is that this time, at least on paper, he was in charge of the superior roster. There is no shame in losing to a team containing Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk. But one with Gehamat Shibasaki?

The truth is NSW were never in it in Wednesday night’s series decider. Playing on their home ground, a dry track was expected to accentuate their threats. But it yielded no advantage in their 24-12 loss. The only time the locals had anything to cheer about in the entire first half, one in which Queensland completed all 21 of their sets, was when Ashley Klein awarded them a penalty.

This may not have been a flawless Origin performance, but it is as good as it gets. It wasn’t until the 69th minute that the Maroons first dropped the Steeden. Queensland, beautiful one game, almost perfect the next.

The contest was effectively over at half-time. By then Queensland had opened up a 20-0 lead, and this time it was always going to be an insurmountable one. It was a scoreline that accurately reflected the gulf between the teams.

“We got off to a bad start again,” Daley said. “In Origin, you give away those sorts of starts, it’s hard to come back from. I’m very proud of how the boys fought, it just wasn’t our night.”

Tom Dearden and the Maroons celebrate their Orgin series win.Credit: Getty Images

We should have seen it coming, given it had all the elements of yet another Maroons ambush. A warhorse, in the form of Josh Papali’i, heeded an SOS to come out of retirement. Shibasaki, on a train-and-trial deal until recently, was the obligatory bolter. And the bookmakers again did their part, giving them the underdog status that has become their birthright.

And that’s before we even mention Cameron Munster. His presence alone, so soon after the passing of his father, provided his side the narrative they had been seeking. How they embraced it. While a quartet of key Blues – Nathan Cleary, Brian To’o, Payne Haas and Hudson Young – were carrying injuries, Munster was nursing a broken heart.

And yet, the skipper kicked, schemed and chased the game.

“That’s as courageous and brave as I’ve ever seen,” Slater said of Munster. “I lost my dad in January, I know what it’s like, how it feels. Dads are our heroes. I don’t know how he did it.

“I know he wanted to [play], his dad would’ve wanted him to. That would be one proud dad sitting up there watching his boy tonight.”

Munster added: “It was an easy decision for me [to play]. Queensland means everything to me, obviously I was born there and I love the Maroon. To be able to captain this team and try to send out Papi [Papali’i] out as a winner in his last game, in foreign territory, is something I will hold dearly to my heart.”

Importantly, Munster didn’t do it all himself. His halves partner, Tom Dearden, was the best player on ground. He scored two tries and saved countless more. All in just his second game since being handed the prized No.7 jersey.

Shibasaki was supposedly the weak link, but his performance was as inspired as his selection. The opening try was the result of him finding the time and space required to put Xavier Coates over. This was his Adam Mogg moment.

Another controversial selection, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow in the No.1 jersey, also proved a masterstroke. Chosen ahead of Broncos poster boy Reece Walsh, he proved dangerous in broken play and a rock in defence on his try line. In a rare moment of broken-field action, “The Hammer” kept moving when the Blues had given up on the play, giving Dearden a saloon passage to glory. Later, when the Blues began the second half with purpose, he produced two try-savers in the one set.

Everyone in maroon was playing above themselves. Valentine Holmes, whose goal-kicking ensured his side kept going up in increments of six, produced a bell-ringer in defence. Nobody has previously stopped Brian To’o from close range, and yet Dearden somehow managed it. But nothing would have hurt the Blues more than watching Harry Grant burrowing over just before the break, a case of his desire to score stronger than that of the defence to stop him.

“I’ve been so proud of this group a number of times over the past four years, but I don’t know if I’ve been more proud than tonight,” Slater said.

“There’s been a lot of hurdles to overcome.”

Xavier Coates opens the scoring for Queernsland.Credit: Getty Images

It was wave after wave of Maroon and the Blues could do nothing to stop it. Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai have produced so many magnificent moments on this very stage, but just couldn’t get their game together.

Not that their forwards gave them much to play off. This was another occasion where Daley’s loyalty was not rewarded. He stuck with Stefano Utoikamanu and Max King, at a time when Terrell May and Keaon Koloamatangi were making compelling cases. Would they have made a difference? We’ll never know. But it only adds to the belief that the series was won before a ball was kicked, at the selection table.

After overseeing another heartbreaking series loss, is Daley still the man to coach the Blues?

“Most definitely,” Daley replied, taking umbrage at the question.

What gave him confidence that was the case?

“I think what we’ve been building,” Daley said. “While I was disappointed with the result, the players have had a really good campaign, we just didn’t nail the moments.

“We have to make sure that we’re better at that.”

It will be remembered as a boilover, the Blues again unable to finish what they started. But can it really be a boilover when it keeps happening?

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