Personal adversity may have defined the buildup to the third State of Origin clash in Sydney on Wednesday, but in the tradition of rugby league’s great contest the bonds within a team will determine the winner of this year’s shield.
The shock death of the father of Queensland captain Cameron Munster on the weekend, six months after the dad of coach Billy Slater also passed away, has changed the tone in the countdown to kick-off.
There has been no talk of grubs, and fewer war analogies. When an eager journalist asked the Maroons coach whether he would “run a few missiles” at Blues’ marauder Payne Haas, who is managing a back injury and has trained only lightly in the lead-up, Slater gave him a withering look. “That hasn’t been a tactic, no,” the coach said.
Instead of the pantomime of Origin, this has been a week of persistent sincerity. The buildup is unusual even for Blues coach Laurie Daley – who has coached 17 Origins and played in another 23 – and he was struggling to comprehend what Munster must be going through. “I’ve never been through this, three days out from a game, [it’s] foreign territory to me,” Daley said. “I don’t know how he’s feeling, I hope he’s OK, but I’m sure people will be around to support him.”
Slater is trusting Munster, even if he doesn’t know just how effective his captain will be when he runs out on to Accor Stadium. Though he hasn’t sought to benefit from the tragedy, Slater has been open in his belief that the rest of the Queensland side will lift due to the emotional turmoil.
In Munster’s absence – including for important preparation in recent days – Slater has praised his players for training well, and the other leaders stepping up, including returning veteran Josh Papalii. “At the end of the day, their skip is going to need them on Wednesday night,” Slater said.
Daley too needs his players to lift. The Blues were clearly the better side in game one, and had chances to claim the shield in the latter stages in Perth. But their one undisciplined half has kept the series alive.
The Blues coach said he is confident for game three given the “calibre” of his players and the “hunger” they have to succeed. “All those things bundled in gives you confidence,” he said. “But as we know, we can’t miss the jump like we did in game two.”
Daley pointed out in game one there was 58 minutes of the ball being in play across the full 80, while in the second match that dropped to 52 minutes. Some of that can be put down to more try-scoring in the latter match, but errors from both sides also slowed down play.
The coach said he wants his team to ensure there are fewer stoppages on Wednesday. “Everyone wants to see a ball-in-play style of game,” Daley said. “But we’re going to be disciplined, and we’re going to be better at holding the ball as well.”
Daley’s return to the job this year came seven years after the conclusion of his last stint. Despite a losing record during a period of Maroons dominance, his tenure was fondly remembered for the 2014 series, when his side broke a run of eight Queensland series victories. Yet he is still looking for his first victory as coach in a decider.
“It’s not about me, it’s about the team,” he said. “I know everyone wants to take that angle, but it’s about what we do tomorrow night, it’s not about what I’ve done in the past.”
This is the first decider at Homebush since 2019, when a last-minute James Tedesco try won the shield for the Blues. But that was only the second NSW victory across five deciders at the Olympic Stadium, a record that undermines the assumed benefit of home crowd support.
So too does last year’s game three at Queensland’s Lang Park home, which was evenly poised midway through the second half before Bradman Best and Mitchell Moses scored the tries to win the shield for the travelling Blues.
NSW captain Isaah Yeo said he will tap into this experience, and his four premierships with Penrith, in the most anticipated game of rugby league this year. “I feel like you can lean on past things, or you might have more of an understanding what the focus points need to be in those big moments,” he said.
Yeo and his teammates have had to look at themselves closely after being swamped by Queensland early in game two. Four tries in 25 first-half minutes and a 10-2 penalty count in favour of the Maroons, including the first nine, proved too much of a deficit to make up despite a late NSW rally.
“I’ve definitely had conversations about where we think we went wrong,” Yeo said, admitting he partly blames himself for not being able to prevent the Maroons getting on a roll in that first half. “If things are going wrong, then you try to right the ship.”
