Brad Fittler is a man who walks to the beat of his own drum. He is a unique character, one not bound by the constraints of convention or hampered by the heavy burden of history or felled by the fear of failure. He rocked up for his Origin coaching debut in a T-shirt and wool coat. His pre-match camp included salsa dancing and a ban on mobile phones. He raises pet llamas.
That is exactly why he was the right man to usher in a new generation of Blues. After the inexorable conservatism of predecessor Laurie Daley, that ran from team selection to a play-not-to-lose game plan, Fittler’s fearlessness and freedom of thinking proved central to turning around 12 years of New South Wales misery. The future is now and it is in the hands of the man they call Freddy.
Fittler, along with advisor Greg Alexander, took a huge gamble with team selection in naming 11 debutants. They picked a team on form. They looked for speed. They prized selflessness above all. They cast aside the majority of the previous generation, not wanting the scars of defeat or the toxicity of a me-first culture to permeate the environment they knew was needed.
It was a gamble that paid the ultimate reward. The Blues won not only the series opener and now head to Sydney heavily favoured with a chance to lock down just their second series in the last 13 years, but they have uncovered the engine that will drive the state forward for many years to come.
Man-of-the-match James Tedesco scored a try, laid on another and played the major role in a third, while running for 224 metres and busting 16 tackles. He is the Blues custodian for the next decade.
Debutant Damien Cook was only a whisper behind Tedesco in terms of match impact. He darted and probed all night. His break led to the first try. He made 55 tackles to top it off. At 26, he had been passed over by club after club, making fools of all those who couldn’t see his amazing worth. Nathan Cleary – just 20 years of age – showed a maturity beyond his years. He kicked to space and never shirked the issue in defence.
Tom Trbojevic could not have been more impressive on a wing, showing a relentless will to get into the Maroons line despite Queensland lining him up all night. James Maloney showed incredible character in bouncing back from some careless and costly passes to take the game by the throat in the second half. Boyd Cordner played a role of true leadership. Tyson Frizell and Jake Trbojevic punched holes all night. Latrell Mitchell took the game on like a bull at a gate.
Generation Next is Generation Now.
It was the liberty with which they played though that was so important. No Blue had played more than nine games heading into the match yet they played like they had been on such a vast stage their entire life. Fittler empowered his team. He trusted them. He allowed them to play with a freedom unseen since the days of Andrew Johns. Passing was encouraged. Risks were to be taken. Instincts were to be trusted.
It was an inspirational coaching performance and it worked because it was genuine. The young Blues embraced the passion and understood the meaning but most tellingly, thrived with the coach’s belief. Fittler picked a football team – not a team of athletes – and football was what he demanded. He got it in spades and now sits on the precipice of history.
Queensland now face the unenviable, but far from impossible, task of heading to Sydney knowing defeat will end the series. They were soundly beaten on the scoreboard in Melbourne but can take plenty of positives into the second game.
Greg Inglis was like a wolf on the prowl in his first game as captain. The kicking game and the kick-chase was very good. So too the physicality with which the Maroons team mauled the Blues and kept Queensland in the game until the final 10 minutes.
A lack of attacking flair and creativity though will no doubt increase calls for Kalyn Ponga to be handed his debut in Sydney. Billy Slater will also return so the squeeze will be on with Anthony Milford set to miss out and one of Ben Hunt, Michael Morgan or Will Chambers – who were all disappointing – are in danger of being dropped to include the classy Knights playmaker.
Queensland need to accept that the paradigm of Origin has changed overnight. They were beaten not by themselves or by losing the arm wrestle or by not getting to the requisite level of up. They were beaten because the Blues had a team that could score points and they did. And the Maroons just didn’t have the attack to return fire.
If they are to bounce back in Game 2, they will need to go to Sydney understanding that they will need to put a big score up to beat the Blues. The game has changed. The Blues have changed. Freddy has changed New South Wales’ approach to Origin footy. If the series is to be saved by Queensland, Kevin Walters will need to counter and counter with boldness.
