You can never write off a champion but for all intents and purposes, the long and brilliant Queensland dynasty is dead after New South Wales slayed the Maroons at Suncorp, a 28-4 defeat that is Queensland’s worst in over a decade. In nearly every facet of the game, the Blues dominated.
The match was a defining one in State of Origin history, the game the Blues blasted the Maroons with some almighty roundhouses and took the ascendancy back. It will be a few years at the very least before Queensland gets it back.
The Queensland team of the last 11 seasons has been one of the greatest ever assembled. Their achievements have been unparalleled, their brilliance sublime. That era came to a thudding halt on Wednesday night.
Only part of it was the ageing of the champion. Much of it was the maturity of the challenger. It was the coming of age performance for the new generation of New South Wales, Boyd Cordner’s Blues. The foundation has been laid to build on. The scars obtained by veterans over the long decade no longer present.
Man of the match Andrew Fifita was a polar bear on roller skates, strong and everywhere. He was impossible to stop with the ball in hand, leading the Blues’ total domination of the middle. Not many props can add both a try and a try assist to 183 metres and double digit tackle breaks. There is no forward in the game like him. The Maroons fear no player more.
James Tedesco was close to perfect. His brilliance in attack will no doubt be what is remembered. His speed and decision-making as the half-time siren sounded broke the game open. But it was his relentless cover defence that saved at least three tries that signalled the NSW No1 jersey is his for as long as he is fit.
Cordner knows nothing short of maximum go. The laconic James Maloney is the perfect foil, calm and composed. Wade Graham has the passing game and vision to do plenty of damage at Origin level. Nathan Peats’ hearty debut will rank among the most courageous in state history.
This young core played to their advantage: they played fast and they played fearless. The Maroons wanted to play methodical, play controlled. The Blues wanted none of it, playing with the unrelenting force that transcended even Origin desire, a need to win that was akin to something like a heartbeat.
That drive was combined with an eradication of the mistakes that have so often killed Laurie Daley’s team in recent years. There were no cheap errors. No panic. Limited poor kicks. A refusal to revert to type.
Carpe diem. Seize the day. New South Wales certainly did that.
The curtain will surely be drawn on a number of Maroons careers after what can only be described as a massacre. One loss after such a sustained period of success should not necessarily see the executioner called in but if Queensland are to show any fight in the return clash at ANZ, they need younger legs with more drive and greater speed.
In a game of brutal intensity and breathtaking speed, Nate Myles was a step behind. His missed tackle allowed the Blues to open the scoring. Justin O’Neill made poor defensive read after poor defensive read to say nothing of his spill that ended the contest. Benchmen Jacob Lillyman, Sam Thaiday and Aidan Guerra were all well held.
The likes of Coen Hess, Jarrod Wallace and Ethan Lowe will all come well into reckoning for Game II. Maroons legend Billy Slater may well receive a reprieve after being overlooked for the series opener following O’Neill’s shocker and arguably Darius Boyd’s worst game in Queensland colours. Slater can break a game open and is eminently dependable, two qualities the Maroons were lacking in the second half.
It is hard to see Queensland bouncing back at ANZ. They certainly can’t with the same team. The addition of Johnathan Thurston and the forecast changes will help.
The series isn’t over yet. If Queensland still hold one advantage it is that they know how to win. Game I of the 2017 series though will be remembered as the night the Queensland dynasty ended. New South Wales no longer fear them. They ripped Queensland’s heart out and showed it to them. It was no win. It was a decimation. And it was the time a new generation came of age.
