By now you’ve heard all the stats. Only twice before had NSW gone north of the border and won a State of Origin decider in the rabid confines of Suncorp Stadium, a maroon fortress so haunted by the failures of Blues teams past that I’m pretty sure they based Harrenhal in Game of Thrones off its spectral and ethereal aura.
Nerd metaphors aside, the build-up to this decider was one of the strangest I can recall in recent memory. Every metric and common-sense approach would seem to steer towards the Blues being strong chances of upending their hoodoo, and yet bookies still factored in that “Queensland spirit” and Suncorp vibe by instilling the Maroons as extremely narrow favourites.
Despite all the empirical evidence that pointed to a NSW victory with their performance in Game 2 and some puzzling Queensland selections, you still couldn’t shake the feeling that none of that really mattered because even when the deck is stacked in your favour, Suncorp is still a place where Blues sides go to die.
Step up Mitchell Moses and Jarome Luai.
Throughout the week you would’ve been regaled with tales of the litany of Blues halves before that have tried and failed to conquer the furnace in Brisbane with all the marbles on the line, from Nathan Cleary to Cody Walker to James Maloney to Mitchell Pearce to Trent Hodkinson to Todd Carney to Jamie Soward, a long line of halves to try and crumble under the weight of 52,000 screaming Queenslanders since that famous night in 2005 where Braith Anasta and Andrew Johns etched themselves into Origin folklore, becoming just the second NSW halves pairing to win the decider in Suncorp, following Laurie Daley and Ricky Stuart eleven years prior.
For this odd couple of maligned stars to come together in that moment is a perfect summary of what State of Origin is all about. While we espouse the fabled, yet admittedly somewhat cringeworthy “mate vs. mate” moniker to drum up the rivalry and the brutality of Origin footy, it’s often overlooked that the flip side of that is enemies coming together, and there’s no better example of Luai and Moses.
Luai, the confident, brash showman out of Penrith, his swagger causing divide in his public opinion, even needling Parramatta fans by calling himself their ‘daddy’ after the 2022 Grand Final, a player who has matured this year with Nathan Cleary injured, his game expanding to encompass the traits of a dominant playmaker, the security of a long-term deal and starring role at the Tigers next year.
Moses, the engine of everything good Parramatta does, another who isn’t beloved by the casual fan for his ‘antics’ on the field (news flash, everyone yells at refs), so often the bridesmaid of rep footy because of those ahead of him but a star in his own right, shadowed by some of the great halves of his generation at clubland, rarely afforded the opportunity to showcase on the biggest stage.
It’s not lost on me that after years of anguish when NSW’s halves have gone missing in the big moments, the two biggest plays of the game were made by the NSW six and seven.
Luai, collecting a spilled offload from Connor Watson before standing up Jeremiah Nanai and speeding past the Cowboys backrower before drawing and passing to Bradman Best, showed remarkable poise and control in that moment. No one would have blamed him for taking the tackle, given the proximity of Dane Gagai to Best and the fact that Luai had to slow down to allow the centre time to get in the play before dishing a pinpoint pass. It showed real craft in a time where the game was crying out for a moment of gamebreaking quality.
One of the criticisms of Luai’s game is he can get a bit sideways happy at times, and even though he was largely good in the first two Origins, there were times where he allowed himself to skip instead of straighten too often, so it was good to see him size up Nanai and take him on down the outside.
As for Moses, brilliant awareness from him to notice Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow’s slowness in retreating from marker, skipping back on the inside, aided by a poor defensive effort from Harry Grant before stepping Reece Walsh for the cherry on top.
Both moments were examples of the Blues halves taking the game on, but with their own strengths, Luai with his footwork and Moses with his power running.
It was beginning to feel like a bit of a same old story for the Blues, with Queensland turning away chance after chance on their own line. The Blues took a while to adjust to the speed of the defensive line, with Queensland’s edge defence jamming effectively in the first half and cutting down the time for Luai and Moses.
Eventually though, the Blues dominance in the middle of the field began to wear the Maroons thin, and while Queensland held up admirably for as long as they did, when the Blues got over the advantage line, the Maroons edges didn’t have the time to rush as effectively, and that’s when the space began to open.
It’s still a credit to the Blues for maintaining that poise though, because no one would’ve been surprised had this morning’s back pages sung of another Queensland triumph in the face of insurmountable adversity, the Blues repeatedly slamming their heads against the maroon brick wall before one fatal cut to the cartoid artery would ensure the shield stayed north.
Before I leave though, I did want to touch on this odd concept of Origin militantism that I’ve noticed around the Blues. I understand supporting ‘your guys’, I do, but to me, it’s absolutely odd behaviour to use the state’s most famous win in two decades to immediately lash down the legacy of those before, rather than uplift those in the moment.
Mitchell Moses is a star player, everyone knows this, the conversation should be around how he helped turn this series around and played a pivotal role, dominating in a man of the match performance in Melbourne before icing the cake in the decider.
Instead, it’s given an opportunity for those to criticise Nathan Cleary and Nicho Hynes for their failures in Origin in the past. I find it a truly miserable way to live when you use a famous victory to laugh at the past instead of celebrating the present.
As for Reece Robson and Jake Trbojevic, two selections that were fairly questioned prior to Game 1, sure. I would’ve personally picked Api Koroisau over Robson, but the selection of the Cowboys skipper was hardly offensive. Besides, once the series unfolded and the gameplan began to show itself and take shape, Robson’s bigger body in defence and willingness to not overplay his hand from dummy half proved a real benefit to the side and to the play of the halves, even if he maybe didn’t have his greatest attacking game in the decider.
As for Trbojevic, yeah ok it was a head scratcher, especially given his form at Manly and the bevy of options New South Wales have in the middle. Was he a glorified cheerleader and certified good bloke in camp? Yes, unquestionably. Did he offer anything on the field? Not at all. In fact, he barely ticked over a full game’s allocation of minutes over the series. But you know what he is? An Origin winning captain, so who cares about any of that right now.
Having a whinge over one or two selections or moments in a decider victory is certified loser behaviour. Enjoy the win.
I feel like a Tooheys.