July 9, 2025 • 34 mins
Queensland secured the 2025 State of Origin series with a 24–12 Game 3 victory, driven by Cameron Munster's inspiring leadership amid personal tragedy and Tom Dearden's breakout performance, earning him the Wally Lewis Medal. Coach Billy Slater's bold decisions, including key lineup changes, proved decisive in the Maroons' triumph.
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0:00-Leather Jacket
1:30-Munster Reaction
6:00-Greatest Coaching Performance
11:45-The Big Moments
18:00-the Pressure
19:00-Ascendancy
21:00-2nd Half
26:20-QLD’s First Error
28:00-Top QLDERS
31:00-Top 3
32:30-Series Top 3
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Yeah, goodday, guys, it's Maddie John's here. Look at it.
You can tell I'm just not myself at the moment,
a little bit down, but I tell it'll cheer me up.
Hitting the follow but on our podcast with the Family
podcast and backstage so you don't miss any of the
good stuff we've got coming up. And thank you guys,
Thank you again for listening to the podcast and giving
us your support. Good on you, guys.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Why are you in a leather jacket?
Speaker 1 (00:21):
I know when it's weird when I get heavily intoxicated,
wear my leather jacket?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Why?
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Just like the feeling my skin. I've got my Jimmy
James underneath it.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Have you got your pajamas?
Speaker 1 (00:35):
One? Because it's eleven o'clock at night, so I've got
my pajamas underneath. Actually there's my pajamas.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
And ug boots.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Yeah. Oh no, I spilled something.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
You don't sleep in a leather jacket, do you?
Speaker 1 (00:47):
No? No, I wear I take the leather jacket off
as I'm about to hop into bed.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Where did you even get a leather jacket from? I
thought only bikey sort of WoT leather.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Oh hey, I'm steady on mate, yeah, okay, maybe I
am dealing speed on the.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Side, not all not saying that all bike is still speed, right.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Just the ones to drive him pack right right. They
won't be happy with that, A Cooper, Yes, before we start,
quite seriously, like Monsters, really he's really tighte mate of yours.
I can only imagine how proud you are of him tonight.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Yeah, yeah, particularly like when I saw the scenes after
the game where all the boys are hugging him. Because
Matt Monster is an emotional guy, but he never really
you never really see him cry or you know, he's
always alarican in a in a change room. Like even
when you saw the photos of him come back into
camp and he was smiling at Captain Drun and stuff
(01:46):
like that's typical months, like so much stuff could go
wrong and he's always that kind of guy. So to
see how emotionally it was after the game and all
the boys sort of hugging him and stuff, yeah, it
was pretty crazy. I was pretty emotional even watching like
I was. I was wish I was like out there
with him, just to sort of wrap your arms around him.
But yeah, like obviously everyone knows the news given from
(02:09):
our condolences to the Monster family for his old man
Stevie Boy, and of course Cameron's mum and sister deb
and Daniel and bianchor his wife and the three kids
that they've got. But Stevie Boy was he was always
in the sheds after the game, and every Saturday when
a few of us boys onever Saturday during the preseason,
(02:29):
we'd all gather at one of the boy's places and
we watched the races together and have a few beers
after a tough session. Stevie Boy'd always have the really
good mail from up in Queensland, so he'd always text
us a tip and they were all. He tipped us once.
I think it was a trot and it was one
hundred and ten dollar trotter. Yeah, one hundred and ten dollary,
actually that was a horse, and then he kept tipping it.
(02:50):
It won and he so the boys were on it,
and then he kept tipping it like months gone after.
He must have put it in his black book, Stevie,
and then it never won again. But yeah, a lot
of the boys got on it. Yeah, yeah, obviously horrible
news for money, But so I was so proud as
a mate to see how I'm a new South welshman.
But I think that was a little part of me
(03:10):
that wanted to see a really good performance from Queensland
for months to sake. You know, it would have been
it would have topped off a bad week for him
if he come off the field disappointed. But you could
see how much it meant for Queensland and like blokes
like Tommy did and stuff, how much they all elevated
themselves for months.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Oops coops man. I tear when I saw that Queensland
side behind Billy when Billy was talking to the media
leading into the game and the tragic news had just hit.
As a new South Wales fan, I went, I get
a feeling that I know it's coming.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Even pregame, like those people that don't know you see
you see the boys, the Queensland boys were getting their
left arm taped with black tape. So when somebody who
means something to the club or someone in the playing group,
everybody shows their respect by taping that tape on their foreum.
So you take them out with you, take that sort
of memory out with you, and you could see when
you're sitting across from a boat like camera masters, the
(04:12):
captain of the club, everybody in a team, loves money
like everybody. He's so good for morale and everybody has
a good relationship with him. And given his stature in
the game, how important he's in the NRL. When you're
sitting across from a bloake and you're putting the armband on,
he's got it there. He's emotional. He showed up on
State of Origin Decider after you know, three days after
his old man passing, like you just knew that they
(04:35):
were going to go out, and they those players knew
that they were going to give. They're all out in
the field for Monsterlike.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
You look at some of the blokes in that side
who got such high emotional threshold. Tina saw him before
the game, stretching out man his stone faced Tom did Man,
if you want to win a game with emotion and
guards and termination, he's the first picked. But then you
got Josh Papali and that all those blokes like you know,
(05:03):
like had. When you see those blokes, you know that
that type of player will lift for their mate. Oh yeah,
that would actually in their mind. Game mate, I'm not
going to come off this field. I'm not going to
let that bloke. I'm not going to let his weak
get worse.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Yeah, and particularly like all the blokes that you know,
and they're all and you saw it throughout the whole game.
They're all effort, like some of the efforts on the
field that night. And Billy Slater used to say this
at Melbourne, efforts and attitude, Like you can tell the
attitude or someone by how much effort they're putting. And
that's efforts in defense, efforts in you know, chasing something
(05:40):
that even if someone's going to score or try, you're
chasing back, so you make the goalkick a little bit
harder for him. So I have to kick it from
the corner post that those little shit all of that
stuff Queensland did tonight. They were everywhere and that come
off the back of their emotion for money, Coop.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
I'll say this off the top before we sort of
talk through the game and how it unfolded. I don't
think this is hyperbole to say this, like fad he
beat us in ninety five to three nil. Unbelievable coaching performance.
Gus has coached some incredible performances for New South Wales.
I reckon this is could be the greatest as far
(06:17):
as series concern. The greatest coaching performance from Slater given
the fact think about the things he's done through the series.
Dropped his captain. Yeah, like that's that's like, that's a
that as far as a coach, that's a career defining
decision to do that. Then all of a sudden, you know,
(06:37):
like he brings the team in, different team into Game two,
they win Game two, May fight a week and he
drops him for Josh Papale because he thinks I need
something to beat him in the decider. And all of
a sudden, you know, like the injury with Kael and
Liz Frank, Well, Reese is going to go in because
they've got no depth in the center. Because you've got
(06:58):
to move. If you're gonna you're gonna put Hammered to fullback,
you've got to find another center. They haven't got one yet.
He goes, Now, hamm is in better form. I'm going
to put hammer to fullback, even though leases one of
his favorites, And we're going to bring in Shubasaki, who
is one of the biggest Boulters outside of ben Iken
(07:18):
in Origin history. As far as selection twenty eighteen, made
his taboo forty five NRL games since then, Stinton Japanese
rugby stayed at no club for more than five six
seven games, only a couple of games at certain clubs,
and he picks him and he's outstanding. It just shows
you Billy's preparation and for him to sit there and
(07:40):
he's sitter at it home and his horse stud and
just go through and watch and recognizing something in Shuba
Saki and says, I'm going to select that bloke. And
on the other side of the field you got Robert
Toyer another one who's on the same level as far
as shock selections, but they get it done.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
He comes from learned from a boat, like Craig Bellamy right,
who has always had an eye for He's got his
own he's got traits that he likes and traits that
he notices. And like general public probably don't, they look
at a bloke and they go, he's shit. You know,
he belongs in reserve grade. He belongs in that. But
a lot of people were saying about Gammutt three years ago.
But there's certain there's certain attitudes and attributes in players
(08:22):
where you see and you know that a certain coach
can get the best out of him. Billy's like that.
Like Billy. Billy rewards effort and really sees little things
in people's attitude where he knows is I can get
the best out of that player and coops.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
When you talk to Billy, he sums up. I think
the philosophy on ragby league. When it comes to ragby league,
the subtle he's makes such a massive difference. It separates
the very good from the great. And Billy's got an
amazing sense of the subtle. It ain't about the bricks,
it's the mortar. You can do a little play. And
(08:57):
remember working with Slater, you know when we do stuff
up the road here and him and Monster and Cooper
and so on, and you'd have a play and then
he go, yeah, that's good. But if I get Smithy
to jump out there and I just do that second
half later and you go, fuck, that's genius.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Yeah, that's like that's that's Klimmer. And it's not just Rubbily,
it's coaching in general. Likes it's leadership in general. When
he used to show up the year or two after
he'd retired, he'd come for once a week and we'd
be practicing the shape and we just couldn't get it
right and he would break it down, sit there with
us as as like backs and halves, and say this
is this is what each person's focus needs to be.
(09:42):
The half you need to focus this and this is
why you focus like that because it'll get you doing this.
The back rower, if you're hitting this hole, this is
where you need to be hitting it and the timing
of it. And this is why he's very good at
explaining and making you understand why your role is so
important in certain play and in the team.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
He's very good at it. Isn't amazing for both them.
So a brilliant individual that knows the not only the subtleties,
but that holistic thing to the team.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
I think that's what made him so good because he
had he had the ability where his his natural ability
was amazing as a player, but then he also understood
the game on a level that probably other people in
the NRL who had his ability couldn't like for example,
Brett Stewart Bretts Snake, who I've been coached by Manly,
he doesn't. He doesn't understand the game on Billy's level,
(10:33):
but his natural ability is unbelievable. Where they were the
two best players in the world at one stage, the
two best fullbacks going at it. But Billy's IQ of
the game, and it comes from obviously Craig Bellamy who
we had and the players around.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Him, but he's he's got. That's the edge that he
has on other players. No wonder they've dominated for so long.
It's hard not to got you got you got Billy
Cameron Smith, your Billy Slater and he got blaceed like Cooper,
who were real students of the game, surrounded by such
amazing natural abuilding.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Oh yeah, we look at that twenty seventeen when they
had Greg Englis. I mean they rather the salary gap,
but they had Greg Engliss Israel Phlau Like you've got
these unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Twenty sevente inside. That's one of the best sides of
the modern era, alongside that Penris side. Yeah, you know,
like Penris art the standouts of the modern era, but
that side was an incredible side. Let's run through how
the game unfolded, and it's really funny. In the opening Extrangers.
One of the things we've said a lot of the
times Coops is we had to get you South Wales
(11:34):
had to get early ball to our centers, and early
on the game they did that. They went bambam main
threw the no not a high risk movement, Bamba main
to Stephen Crichton, who made thirty meters. Right, Okay, that's
the way we do it. Then all of a sudden,
the next set after that, we go bamba mean to
Stephen Crichton again, he makes another break. But I'll tell
(11:55):
you what, Coops. So we're dominating in those early exchanges,
and I'm going, man, we're yardis, we're in position for
attacking kicks consistently. Here, what happens, seismic shift, even that
early in the game happens. Crichton throws the ball inside,
Nathan takes the ball, gets caught on the fifth tackle.
(12:16):
Jerome Lewo takes the ball, Coop, and he kicks and
doesn't hit high enough. It's too long, seven tackle set.
And I'm telling you early in the game, only that
early in the game everything changes. Yea. They march down
field and they draw a penalty and they lead to nil. Now,
(12:37):
when you're a red hot favorite in the game, people go,
it's two mill it's nothing. That just puts a tiny
little pressure on you.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Yeah, yeah, ah. And here's the thing, that like people
might not know for a week and a half in camp,
they're hearing from Lowie, they're hearing from all their coaching
staff New South Wales we need to get off to
the better start. We need to get the first points
on the board. So from you know, it's only two points,
like you said, but the mentality that they've had all
week you said Wales is we're coming out firing and
(13:07):
we want to score first. We want to get first
points on the board. And when that happens, instantly in
their head they go, there's our first job that we
haven't ticked. And going back to that moment you just said,
the seven tackle in a big game like set like
in New South Wales state of origin, but even NRL
in general, the difference between a level like NRL and
then going into state of origin is in NRL you
(13:29):
can kick a seven tackle set and the team they
might not be good enough to make you pay for
it straight away, or you know, they might make an
error coming out of their own and you don't see
the instant consequence. But at a level when you're playing
against the best everybody one to seventeen, yeah, it's the
best players in the world. One arrow can be costly
for the next twenty minutes.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Well, a two coup. The pressure built because in the
next sort of period in the game, what actually starts
to happen is we start to try to push the
ball towards the edge, but again we start advancing the
bo too far into the line, and Shuver, Psyche and
Toyer start to that. They defend us outside in and
they're rushing outside in and they're pre emptying that. But
(14:09):
of course we'll get a little bit of pressure, and
you can see that we're just that little bit rattled.
We've lost a little bit of composure. We keep doing
it and we're taking the ball and it's producing errors.
Sub Psarchi and Toyo were outstanding defense. But what happens
not long from then, there's a, as I said, huge
momentum shift and we get tom Didan gets the ball
(14:31):
and broke and play and it's funny with Tommy. Tommy's
not known for his sleight of hand in his playmaking,
but he gets the ball in double pumps and he
hits Ruben Cotter. Cotty goes through the hole and he's
got a hammer on his inside and actually he was
fantastic ruben Kotter, but he blows a two on one.
(14:51):
He's just got to pull him away simple to on
one and Hammer scores, but he sort of blows that.
He crampsy space and doesn't score. But coins Lyn get
a penalty. And now at that point where they kicked before,
they've gone two nils. This time, I think we're going
to make four nil. No, they can smell blood in
the water. They can look at New South Wales straight
away and go mate, they're off their game. Let's make
(15:11):
them pay. And the whole series coop and sometimes I
thought that they should have went the other side, particularly
in Game one, but Billy's had this infatuation for a
couple of series A going at Lomax, go at Lomax,
go at Lomax all the time. And that set they
go at Lomax, Lomax comes, goes outside in missus the tackle,
(15:32):
they score on the court. Yeah golden and val kicks
it from the sideline. Valentine Holmes has he had the
best performance I've seen from him for years and years.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
He had a strong series.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Made, he knocked it from the sideline, then made this
bloke he's on.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, like you said with Lomax, like they've
always had that. He's always been known not for his defense.
But the golden rule for people on the edge is
when you come out of the line and jam as
a winger, as a half, as a center, whoever it is,
it whenever you come outside of the line, you have
to stop the ball. You have to either you got
to either knock the ball down and stop it or
you need to make the tackle. And he completely missed
(16:08):
whoever the left center was there?
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Yeah, Valentine Holmes, Yeah, yeah it was. I think it
was Shuba Sarki completely missed.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Shiv of Sarki was good.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Okay, next thing happens, Coop. It's like who's our bloke? Right?
If you think in New South Wales and you go right,
who's our intimidator? Which your groom me as Liam Martin? Yeah,
like he's with him of pain? Ass Yeah, but I
reckon Liam Martin. Pain is incredible. Going for pain is
like a machine.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Just got the mangrel in his game.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
Martin is the bloke who's led the charge as far
as physicality. We get a penalty right and you should
see this. We'll go back and watch it. Who gets
the tap and he runs forward. Kirk Capele hits him.
Coop and Mate, I've never seen Liam Martin rattled like
that because Liam Martin's probably been hit that hard four
but he's never been hurt like that. Leam. Martin's a
(17:02):
sort of bloke that if you shot him in the leg,
he wouldn't show his hurt. But Kate will hits him
that hard and then Mate, you can see he's hurt.
I wouldn't be surprised, Coop he got strapped up. I
reckon he might have a broken wrist or broken a forum.
Even for me, that tipified their greater physicality.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
Yeah, yeah, well even another example of that was you
talk about before Origin was picked. We go jeez, New
South Wales, we talked about it at the start of
the year. New South Wales has so many back rollers
in comparison to Queensland, Angus Crichton and Liah Martin, and
they're the two probably most damaging ball runners in the NRL,
those two. You see that Kate will flogged Liah Martin
(17:40):
and then on the other side, Angus Crichton gets it
early and Valentine Holmes comes out and absolutely irons him out.
You never see Angus Crichton get pumped like that.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
Mate, doing that last series he was bullying.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
Yeah, yeah, I haven't seen him get flogged like that
in at least three years.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
And from their coop what happens like from there? I
mean we're kneel down and then the pressure really starts
and I tear how it manifested itself. And on our
football you watch our attack from there, our attack starts
to be so bunched. Now Queensland what they want to do.
They want to compress and they want to rush us,
and we just compliment that because we're tight, we're taking
(18:20):
the ball too far in the line and Toya and
Shibasaki is saying, mate, this is money for jam and
they just start gyming us outside in And what happens
next is Queensland pushed the ball to the edge, Robert
Toy gets the ball, the trails about it throw him
over and Robert Toyer this is again symbolic of a
performance from New South Wales. It was so lazy. As
(18:43):
he's going over the sideline, all the New South Wales
blokes on the inside start walking. Toya throws the ball
on the inside, Hammer picks it up. No one there
runs down inside board, did did under the post? Fourteen nil?
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Yeah, it was. It was a real show in the effort,
the desperation. I'm going to I'm going to merge the
other try into this conversation as well. About five minutes,
six minutes later, Harry Grant scores his try where he
gets out not actually a whole heap doing and manages
to score from dummy half. But when you watch that try,
if you watch it back, similar to that the example
you just said with Robert Toya throwing it back in
(19:19):
the lack of desperation from New South Wales because there
was about four blokes around Harry. Harry actually it wasn't
like he got down scored straight away. He was upright
fighting off blokes for about five or six seconds and
then managed to score. Like they'll be watching that back
and it was. It was a real show of a
lack of effort from the boys in there.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Jack made a point because we come up with an error.
I think we had they get a repeat set and
then we dropped it out. And I'm sitting with Jack
on the couch and I'm stuffing Dorito's in my mouth
and Jack goes mate they're going to score here. He said,
look at New South Wales, they are wobbling on the ropes.
It was a it was a boxing match, honestly, the
(19:59):
refereence step into the standing a count. New South Wales
was just out on their feet. Queens Land at that point,
leading into halftime and just doing whatever they want with us.
And as I'm not going to say it was a
soft try because it was out me and Harry scored,
but it was an unusual, unusually soft try. There I
say it again, but no other way to describe it.
(20:21):
At Origin and he just went bo scored twenty nil.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
You could like it was Harry just wanted it more.
And you get that if it was one on one
and he was tackling and someone was trying to tackle
one on one, you go, oh, that's all right. But
there was when I watched I watched it back, there's
about three or four blokes around it. There was two
or three blokes with their hands on Harry and he
still managed to get spin out of a couple tackles
and then get it down like it was very unusual
(20:48):
for an Origin level.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Yeah and Coop, So in halftime we're twenty nil down
and the standouts in the first half I thought were Toyo, Shubsaki,
val Home and particularly Tom didn't right as we come
out of halftime, coup. It's funny how how precious starts
(21:10):
once again manifest itself. We're twenty zero down, but what
starts to happen coop is they continue to fend outside in.
Queensland have worked their lesson in game two. They got
ahead and they played nervous and they led us back
in the game. There's no doubt Bully. The thing otherwise,
the belief, the thing that eliminates nerves and apprehension is aggression.
(21:33):
The moment that you in a game when you're going
we'll protect the leader and feel a little bit nervous,
just override it with aggression and it'll remove. And they
just continue. They actually up their aggression. They defend us
outside in and because we are behind, we start trying
to throw the absolute pass. Now what I mean by
that is the perfect pass. We continue to take the
(21:54):
ball into the line. What we should have done their
coops right, if you were to rush into and they're
coming outside in, and particularly when they're pre emptying at
which they were, if we're going to take that ball
into the line. What you do is you beat them
into you don't try to beat them in one movement. Right,
So toy is coming. Let's imagine sub Psarchi's coming outside
in I go all the way the line and I
(22:17):
hit my back row of short shuba. Psarchi has got
to go aback twenty meters, get on the side because
he's up past the ball, and you rip around. You
beat them in two. Yet we kept trying to do
the big play all the time and we just kept
coming up with theirs high risk passing errors. Yeah, and
we really just dug a grave.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
It's become a bit weird of New South Wales, you
know Game two and Game three, as we just saw
they it's like they have a game plan and they
struggle to adapt. It's like it's like a message. They
struggle to get a message across where they go right,
oh guys, this is what they're doing. Will change to
adjust to what they're doing for our trains.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
It's like they have a game plan in their head
and they want they want, they almost.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
Try to force it to work. Like you said, they
were jamming a hell of a lot and then the
beauty of you hit your back rower and you get
a quick play the ball because he runs at a
half The center and the winger are up in front
of the ball because they're trying to jam the fullback
and the center out of the back. The beauty of
that next play is you have a front rower who
has just got a chase from the open side to
the short side to cover the half back's position. So
(23:23):
it's I mean, it was really bizarre. They weren't sort
of taking that route. So like at twenty zero, what
actually starts happening. There's a little small period in the
halfway through the second half we actually start to get
our game on a little bit. And what we do
is we push the ball to the left end side
of the fight left end side of the field. This
time we give the ball earlier. Latrell gets early ball,
(23:45):
but he pushes on to guess who comes across and
does try and save it. Our man Tom did comes across,
but we do get a repeat set out of it.
And then what's I think and what happens next is
the way I always think about.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
The philosophy of football. Philosophy of football is you put
you advanced the ball. However you avince the ball if
you penetrate down a past the scrum line or a
ten metre line and get mate, straight away you go
to the far side. Now what happens there? They push
the ball again to the left early ball book Latrell
goes being to Brian toe, Brian Tower goes so close
to scoring. But mate, what happens and we get when
(24:21):
you are that close to the sideline and that close
to the line. When you look at above shot, there's
about five or six coilslanders all around the ball. So
where's the ball got to go. It's got to go
the fast side to Crichton, and this time they get
it there one, two, three, it hits Crichton on a
shot shot and we score in the corners.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
Beautiful, quick hands, beautiful yeah, like you said, the debt
when actually a side shows too much effort, too much desperation,
they all over chase. You saw some of the middles
actually get in there to stop Brian to which compressed
about six players into that short corrent of the field
and allowed so much space out of the right boxing.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
When Mohammad al Lady Boot George Foreman in the Belgian
Conger or Zayeah, the roper dope laying on the ropes.
Part of that is almost in rugby league is you
know a team is so enthusiastic to after you in defense,
is what you do is you just you lead them
on and you push the ball to an edge and
(25:17):
they will chase the ball, lead them for the rope
dope together the other side of the field.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
This is Look, this is a very niche example I'm
going to use, but Penrith used to do it when
they'd play against the Eels about two or three years ago,
when Clint Gutherson was there. Because Clint Gutherson, he was
known for his effort at fullback. He would overchase a
lot of the time because he was putting in so
much effort. So they used they come up with the player.
We ended up stealing it at Melbourne as well, where
they'd hit Nathan on the right hand side, who would
(25:43):
pretend to kick to the right corner. He'd then send
it back to Jerome Leue on the other side. Because
he knew that Gutha was so fit and so putting
in so much effort, he'd always overchase to try to
get the kick on the fall. So it's using that
desperation against it. It's really it's overthinking, like it's almost
banking that that defense is going to be putting in
(26:04):
so much effort twenty.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
To six, and you're going, OK, can we get back
into it? And when you're watching it, we made an
error not too long after, and that's when the momentum
bubble burst. Seventieth minute Queensland's first era no Wonder, no
Wonder war fucked. Yeah, yeah, like no Wonder, wilf so Gas.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Yeah. I didn't realize that they'd gone. I think that
it was about twenty six or twenty seven, from twenty
seven before they made a twenty seven completion rate one
hundred percent until the seventieth Minute's that's unheard of it
at any level, let alone state of origin level where
there's so much fatigue. I can't remember if there's ever
been a state of origin where a team's completed one
(26:45):
hundred percent for so long of the game.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
Yeah. Well, and then didn't score the trylate fitting to
try as tom and then we grab a late a
late try twenty four to twelve finishes. I must say
the school line flatters the Blues. Yeah, that they were
monumentally better.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Yeah, yeah, I mean, it really lent into the narrative,
didn't it. Where Game one we were so dominant. Game two,
that second half we nearly came back and won it
from a massive deficit, and we thought, oh we're playing
at home game three, we're going to win this. But
it really did all shape up for a Queensland upset.
They really lent into the narrative of where the underdog.
(27:23):
It was a classic Queensland win. And I get my
hopes up every year and think and they can't beat
us this year, but they always managed to from.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
One kneel down and beat us. It was an amazing
effort from the team and the coach Munster again. And
I've copped not a lot of shit, but a little
bit for this through Like last week, me and Cooper
of the Kronk Variety ninety had top ten Origin players
of all time and I put Monster in there. I
put Monster. I almost put Monster in the top five.
(27:53):
I think that much of him as far as how
he's performed in big games and just reaffirmed it like
Monster tonight was in the top three players on the field.
But sometimes Coops, it's what you don't do. Yeah, go
back to game one and Harry our Man, Harry Grant
(28:16):
what he did. He was so keen to make an impact.
He forced himself into the game and come up with
errors and plays. How he plays his best when goes
with the flow. In this game, the game was working
beautifully and rather than Monster try to force himself and
that he just went with the flow beautifully. Leadership. He
will go, he will go down. He'll get that performance tonight,
(28:39):
will go down in Queensland legend on.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
I think that you talk about Everyone talks about that
ninety ninety five series when Fatty had to pick people
only from the Aarl none of the Super League guys
could be it and they ended up beating New South Wales,
which is a historic win. They talk about twenty twenty
Origin Decider where Munster played hungover and played one of
the greatest Origin series of all time. About this one
twenty twenty five, like credible and now Munster you know
(29:03):
five years later from that that series we won the
Wallydores Medal. He's now captaining this side. He'll go like
I got no doubt. He will go down as one
of the greatest players of all around players of all time.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
Without a doubt. Tell the leather was real faux parts.
Fucking no wonder to where it when it's the hot, cool,
fucking I'm beating. Yeah. And when you're saying about that,
like about that different mentality, I remember that I was
in that ninety five series, unfortunately, and I remember Game
one and we must have been five dollar favorites. I
(29:37):
don't know. They gave him no chance. We prepared and
I prepared like it was a normal NURL game. And
I remember going on the field that Sydney Football Stadium
and ran on and we're getting ready for the national anthem,
and we walked out and all of a sudden, Queensland
come onto the field and I looked at my teammate
Robbie O Davis, and he just looked different. Fucking charged
(30:01):
onto the field and I looked down him at that point,
and I must say, little thing in my brain went,
I fucking think we're in trouble here.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
They were just more desperate, and they were more desperate,
they wanted it more, and they attacked us like underdogs
do and coops and tonight, one of the tail of
the tape tonight is this you measured desperation and want
by what you do in defense, and defensively they were
fucking outstanding. Yeah, Toya Shibasaki hitting us outside in all
(30:33):
the time. They were tireless. Yeah, that's what they were
right at cook three to two to one on the night.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
On this tonight, look my three similar to like everyone's
Tommy didn't. I think there are so many doubts Dce
was being dropped. He come into halfback. If there were
any doubts of if Tommy didn't can play half back
at this level, he shut them all up now because
his kicking game was great and he controlled the team
so well. Number two Valentine Holmes, he was my two points.
(31:01):
I think he's he's getting to that level of Dan
gagesk of where he just elevates himself into origin.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
Valentine.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
Oh mate, will you be my Valentine?
Speaker 1 (31:09):
Yeah, Dragon's hope.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
And then number one I had Tino Tino Fai. I
love what he did tonight. I think the effect of
Josh Papalii you're coming into camp. You just saw Tino
simplify his game and he didn't feel like he was
the leader of the pack out there. He felt like
he could just he was like he almost wanted to
impress playing alongside Big Papa, So yeah, I think he was.
(31:33):
Tino should be real proud of his performance.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
It was a master straight from Billy bring in Big
Pape in you know what in the pregame, I didn't
know that Tina's dad played for the Roosters.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
I didn't need that.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
Amazing that's really slipped through to the keeper. My three points,
tom did my two points. Vow my one point. I've
gone Robert Toyer and Shibasaki, both of them together. I
thought coops as far as big game playing a high
pressure games just said leader. Those two blows aren't in
the same postcard as Critter and Trill. Yeah, but the
(32:06):
desire and the what yeah, okay.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
Series series all right. My one point goes to Bryan too.
I think Bright had one of his best series he's
had in a losing side, but Bizzi was outstanding. I
think he equaled the most tries in in Origin ever
by anyone this series as well, So.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
Go down one of the greatest wingers in Origin history.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
Yeah, my two points. It was actually Tommy didn't I
didn't have him as my man of the series. I mean,
it could have could have gone either way here, but
Tommy didn't was outstanding. I loved in his speech at
the end. If people didn't see it, dropped an.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
F bomb, loved disgusting.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
I love f bombs, particularly on live TV.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
Tom.
Speaker 2 (32:44):
You've let yourself down to I mean you'll probably get
fined for it.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
You disgraced Tom.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
Nonetheless, number three three points of the Man of Series
I had Cam Munster. I thought what he did in
game two really set you know, it brought him, It
brought him back. It gave life to the Queens to
do what they did in game three.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
So shout out of money and taken out of the
captain see two from two was captain. I know two
tar two two three, Tom didn't for my Men of
the Series. Two points Monster my one point, I can't split.
Three I've gone painhass. Ruben Cotter, Ruben Cotter was back
(33:22):
to his awesome best and Kirk Capewell, old dog, hard road,
fucking fantastic, that bloke. Fuck he can play, he can play.
And to finish with I just want to say this
right to finish with the positive New South Wales, I
just want to say for the New South Wales team,
fucking world under you blokes, because there's some things that
are more important than football. And for all those blokes
(33:44):
throw him at full time, go up to Monster and
hugging him and was sending him messages through the week.
That's fucking class mate. And the way Isaiahoh got up
at the end there and he made mention to it,
you know what, good on your boys. Yes, it's good ship.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
That was good ship and they're a bloody good side.
And I devastated that they didn't win. But this fucking
coat off, that coat off, man, you leave the boy
ah
Speaker 1 (34:06):
Man, I got to stop doing this intoxicated fucking yeah,
Yeah, goodday, guys, it's Maddie John's here. Look at it.
You can tell I'm just not myself at the moment,
a little bit down, but I tell it'll cheer me up.
Hitting the follow but on our podcast with the Family
podcast and backstage so you don't miss any of the
good stuff we've got coming up. And thank you guys,
Thank you again for listening to the podcast and giving
us your support. Good on you, guys.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Why are you in a leather jacket?
Speaker 1 (00:21):
I know when it's weird when I get heavily intoxicated,
wear my leather jacket?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Why?
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Just like the feeling my skin. I've got my Jimmy
James underneath it.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Have you got your pajamas?
Speaker 1 (00:35):
One? Because it's eleven o'clock at night, so I've got
my pajamas underneath. Actually there's my pajamas.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
And ug boots.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Yeah. Oh no, I spilled something.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
You don't sleep in a leather jacket, do you?
Speaker 1 (00:47):
No? No, I wear I take the leather jacket off
as I'm about to hop into bed.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Where did you even get a leather jacket from? I
thought only bikey sort of WoT leather.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Oh hey, I'm steady on mate, yeah, okay, maybe I
am dealing speed on the.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Side, not all not saying that all bike is still speed, right.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Just the ones to drive him pack right right. They
won't be happy with that, A Cooper, Yes, before we start,
quite seriously, like Monsters, really he's really tighte mate of yours.
I can only imagine how proud you are of him tonight.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Yeah, yeah, particularly like when I saw the scenes after
the game where all the boys are hugging him. Because
Matt Monster is an emotional guy, but he never really
you never really see him cry or you know, he's
always alarican in a in a change room. Like even
when you saw the photos of him come back into
camp and he was smiling at Captain Drun and stuff
(01:46):
like that's typical months, like so much stuff could go
wrong and he's always that kind of guy. So to
see how emotionally it was after the game and all
the boys sort of hugging him and stuff, yeah, it
was pretty crazy. I was pretty emotional even watching like
I was. I was wish I was like out there
with him, just to sort of wrap your arms around him.
But yeah, like obviously everyone knows the news given from
(02:09):
our condolences to the Monster family for his old man
Stevie Boy, and of course Cameron's mum and sister deb
and Daniel and bianchor his wife and the three kids
that they've got. But Stevie Boy was he was always
in the sheds after the game, and every Saturday when
a few of us boys onever Saturday during the preseason,
(02:29):
we'd all gather at one of the boy's places and
we watched the races together and have a few beers
after a tough session. Stevie Boy'd always have the really
good mail from up in Queensland, so he'd always text
us a tip and they were all. He tipped us once.
I think it was a trot and it was one
hundred and ten dollar trotter. Yeah, one hundred and ten dollary,
actually that was a horse, and then he kept tipping it.
(02:50):
It won and he so the boys were on it,
and then he kept tipping it like months gone after.
He must have put it in his black book, Stevie,
and then it never won again. But yeah, a lot
of the boys got on it. Yeah, yeah, obviously horrible
news for money, But so I was so proud as
a mate to see how I'm a new South welshman.
But I think that was a little part of me
(03:10):
that wanted to see a really good performance from Queensland
for months to sake. You know, it would have been
it would have topped off a bad week for him
if he come off the field disappointed. But you could
see how much it meant for Queensland and like blokes
like Tommy did and stuff, how much they all elevated
themselves for months.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Oops coops man. I tear when I saw that Queensland
side behind Billy when Billy was talking to the media
leading into the game and the tragic news had just hit.
As a new South Wales fan, I went, I get
a feeling that I know it's coming.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Even pregame, like those people that don't know you see
you see the boys, the Queensland boys were getting their
left arm taped with black tape. So when somebody who
means something to the club or someone in the playing group,
everybody shows their respect by taping that tape on their foreum.
So you take them out with you, take that sort
of memory out with you, and you could see when
you're sitting across from a boat like camera masters, the
(04:12):
captain of the club, everybody in a team, loves money
like everybody. He's so good for morale and everybody has
a good relationship with him. And given his stature in
the game, how important he's in the NRL. When you're
sitting across from a bloake and you're putting the armband on,
he's got it there. He's emotional. He showed up on
State of Origin Decider after you know, three days after
his old man passing, like you just knew that they
(04:35):
were going to go out, and they those players knew
that they were going to give. They're all out in
the field for Monsterlike.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
You look at some of the blokes in that side
who got such high emotional threshold. Tina saw him before
the game, stretching out man his stone faced Tom did Man,
if you want to win a game with emotion and
guards and termination, he's the first picked. But then you
got Josh Papali and that all those blokes like you know,
(05:03):
like had. When you see those blokes, you know that
that type of player will lift for their mate. Oh yeah,
that would actually in their mind. Game mate, I'm not
going to come off this field. I'm not going to
let that bloke. I'm not going to let his weak
get worse.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Yeah, and particularly like all the blokes that you know,
and they're all and you saw it throughout the whole game.
They're all effort, like some of the efforts on the
field that night. And Billy Slater used to say this
at Melbourne, efforts and attitude, Like you can tell the
attitude or someone by how much effort they're putting. And
that's efforts in defense, efforts in you know, chasing something
(05:40):
that even if someone's going to score or try, you're
chasing back, so you make the goalkick a little bit
harder for him. So I have to kick it from
the corner post that those little shit all of that
stuff Queensland did tonight. They were everywhere and that come
off the back of their emotion for money, Coop.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
I'll say this off the top before we sort of
talk through the game and how it unfolded. I don't
think this is hyperbole to say this, like fad he
beat us in ninety five to three nil. Unbelievable coaching performance.
Gus has coached some incredible performances for New South Wales.
I reckon this is could be the greatest as far
(06:17):
as series concern. The greatest coaching performance from Slater given
the fact think about the things he's done through the series.
Dropped his captain. Yeah, like that's that's like, that's a
that as far as a coach, that's a career defining
decision to do that. Then all of a sudden, you know,
(06:37):
like he brings the team in, different team into Game two,
they win Game two, May fight a week and he
drops him for Josh Papale because he thinks I need
something to beat him in the decider. And all of
a sudden, you know, like the injury with Kael and
Liz Frank, Well, Reese is going to go in because
they've got no depth in the center. Because you've got
(06:58):
to move. If you're gonna you're gonna put Hammered to fullback,
you've got to find another center. They haven't got one yet.
He goes, Now, hamm is in better form. I'm going
to put hammer to fullback, even though leases one of
his favorites, And we're going to bring in Shubasaki, who
is one of the biggest Boulters outside of ben Iken
(07:18):
in Origin history. As far as selection twenty eighteen, made
his taboo forty five NRL games since then, Stinton Japanese
rugby stayed at no club for more than five six
seven games, only a couple of games at certain clubs,
and he picks him and he's outstanding. It just shows
you Billy's preparation and for him to sit there and
(07:40):
he's sitter at it home and his horse stud and
just go through and watch and recognizing something in Shuba
Saki and says, I'm going to select that bloke. And
on the other side of the field you got Robert
Toyer another one who's on the same level as far
as shock selections, but they get it done.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
He comes from learned from a boat, like Craig Bellamy right,
who has always had an eye for He's got his
own he's got traits that he likes and traits that
he notices. And like general public probably don't, they look
at a bloke and they go, he's shit. You know,
he belongs in reserve grade. He belongs in that. But
a lot of people were saying about Gammutt three years ago.
But there's certain there's certain attitudes and attributes in players
(08:22):
where you see and you know that a certain coach
can get the best out of him. Billy's like that.
Like Billy. Billy rewards effort and really sees little things
in people's attitude where he knows is I can get
the best out of that player and coops.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
When you talk to Billy, he sums up. I think
the philosophy on ragby league. When it comes to ragby league,
the subtle he's makes such a massive difference. It separates
the very good from the great. And Billy's got an
amazing sense of the subtle. It ain't about the bricks,
it's the mortar. You can do a little play. And
(08:57):
remember working with Slater, you know when we do stuff
up the road here and him and Monster and Cooper
and so on, and you'd have a play and then
he go, yeah, that's good. But if I get Smithy
to jump out there and I just do that second
half later and you go, fuck, that's genius.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Yeah, that's like that's that's Klimmer. And it's not just Rubbily,
it's coaching in general. Likes it's leadership in general. When
he used to show up the year or two after
he'd retired, he'd come for once a week and we'd
be practicing the shape and we just couldn't get it
right and he would break it down, sit there with
us as as like backs and halves, and say this
is this is what each person's focus needs to be.
(09:42):
The half you need to focus this and this is
why you focus like that because it'll get you doing this.
The back rower, if you're hitting this hole, this is
where you need to be hitting it and the timing
of it. And this is why he's very good at
explaining and making you understand why your role is so
important in certain play and in the team.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
He's very good at it. Isn't amazing for both them.
So a brilliant individual that knows the not only the subtleties,
but that holistic thing to the team.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
I think that's what made him so good because he
had he had the ability where his his natural ability
was amazing as a player, but then he also understood
the game on a level that probably other people in
the NRL who had his ability couldn't like for example,
Brett Stewart Bretts Snake, who I've been coached by Manly,
he doesn't. He doesn't understand the game on Billy's level,
(10:33):
but his natural ability is unbelievable. Where they were the
two best players in the world at one stage, the
two best fullbacks going at it. But Billy's IQ of
the game, and it comes from obviously Craig Bellamy who
we had and the players around.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Him, but he's he's got. That's the edge that he
has on other players. No wonder they've dominated for so long.
It's hard not to got you got you got Billy
Cameron Smith, your Billy Slater and he got blaceed like Cooper,
who were real students of the game, surrounded by such
amazing natural abuilding.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Oh yeah, we look at that twenty seventeen when they
had Greg Englis. I mean they rather the salary gap,
but they had Greg Engliss Israel Phlau Like you've got
these unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Twenty sevente inside. That's one of the best sides of
the modern era, alongside that Penris side. Yeah, you know,
like Penris art the standouts of the modern era, but
that side was an incredible side. Let's run through how
the game unfolded, and it's really funny. In the opening Extrangers.
One of the things we've said a lot of the
times Coops is we had to get you South Wales
(11:34):
had to get early ball to our centers, and early
on the game they did that. They went bambam main
threw the no not a high risk movement, Bamba main
to Stephen Crichton, who made thirty meters. Right, Okay, that's
the way we do it. Then all of a sudden,
the next set after that, we go bamba mean to
Stephen Crichton again, he makes another break. But I'll tell
(11:55):
you what, Coops. So we're dominating in those early exchanges,
and I'm going, man, we're yardis, we're in position for
attacking kicks consistently. Here, what happens, seismic shift, even that
early in the game happens. Crichton throws the ball inside,
Nathan takes the ball, gets caught on the fifth tackle.
(12:16):
Jerome Lewo takes the ball, Coop, and he kicks and
doesn't hit high enough. It's too long, seven tackle set.
And I'm telling you early in the game, only that
early in the game everything changes. Yea. They march down
field and they draw a penalty and they lead to nil. Now,
(12:37):
when you're a red hot favorite in the game, people go,
it's two mill it's nothing. That just puts a tiny
little pressure on you.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Yeah, yeah, ah. And here's the thing, that like people
might not know for a week and a half in camp,
they're hearing from Lowie, they're hearing from all their coaching
staff New South Wales we need to get off to
the better start. We need to get the first points
on the board. So from you know, it's only two points,
like you said, but the mentality that they've had all
week you said Wales is we're coming out firing and
(13:07):
we want to score first. We want to get first
points on the board. And when that happens, instantly in
their head they go, there's our first job that we
haven't ticked. And going back to that moment you just said,
the seven tackle in a big game like set like
in New South Wales state of origin, but even NRL
in general, the difference between a level like NRL and
then going into state of origin is in NRL you
(13:29):
can kick a seven tackle set and the team they
might not be good enough to make you pay for
it straight away, or you know, they might make an
error coming out of their own and you don't see
the instant consequence. But at a level when you're playing
against the best everybody one to seventeen, yeah, it's the
best players in the world. One arrow can be costly
for the next twenty minutes.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Well, a two coup. The pressure built because in the
next sort of period in the game, what actually starts
to happen is we start to try to push the
ball towards the edge, but again we start advancing the
bo too far into the line, and Shuver, Psyche and
Toyer start to that. They defend us outside in and
they're rushing outside in and they're pre emptying that. But
(14:09):
of course we'll get a little bit of pressure, and
you can see that we're just that little bit rattled.
We've lost a little bit of composure. We keep doing
it and we're taking the ball and it's producing errors.
Sub Psarchi and Toyo were outstanding defense. But what happens
not long from then, there's a, as I said, huge
momentum shift and we get tom Didan gets the ball
(14:31):
and broke and play and it's funny with Tommy. Tommy's
not known for his sleight of hand in his playmaking,
but he gets the ball in double pumps and he
hits Ruben Cotter. Cotty goes through the hole and he's
got a hammer on his inside and actually he was
fantastic ruben Kotter, but he blows a two on one.
(14:51):
He's just got to pull him away simple to on
one and Hammer scores, but he sort of blows that.
He crampsy space and doesn't score. But coins Lyn get
a penalty. And now at that point where they kicked before,
they've gone two nils. This time, I think we're going
to make four nil. No, they can smell blood in
the water. They can look at New South Wales straight
away and go mate, they're off their game. Let's make
(15:11):
them pay. And the whole series coop and sometimes I
thought that they should have went the other side, particularly
in Game one, but Billy's had this infatuation for a
couple of series A going at Lomax, go at Lomax,
go at Lomax all the time. And that set they
go at Lomax, Lomax comes, goes outside in missus the tackle,
(15:32):
they score on the court. Yeah golden and val kicks
it from the sideline. Valentine Holmes has he had the
best performance I've seen from him for years and years.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
He had a strong series.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Made, he knocked it from the sideline, then made this
bloke he's on.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, like you said with Lomax, like they've
always had that. He's always been known not for his defense.
But the golden rule for people on the edge is
when you come out of the line and jam as
a winger, as a half, as a center, whoever it is,
it whenever you come outside of the line, you have
to stop the ball. You have to either you got
to either knock the ball down and stop it or
you need to make the tackle. And he completely missed
(16:08):
whoever the left center was there?
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Yeah, Valentine Holmes, Yeah, yeah it was. I think it
was Shuba Sarki completely missed.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Shiv of Sarki was good.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Okay, next thing happens, Coop. It's like who's our bloke? Right?
If you think in New South Wales and you go right,
who's our intimidator? Which your groom me as Liam Martin? Yeah,
like he's with him of pain? Ass Yeah, but I
reckon Liam Martin. Pain is incredible. Going for pain is
like a machine.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Just got the mangrel in his game.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
Martin is the bloke who's led the charge as far
as physicality. We get a penalty right and you should
see this. We'll go back and watch it. Who gets
the tap and he runs forward. Kirk Capele hits him.
Coop and Mate, I've never seen Liam Martin rattled like
that because Liam Martin's probably been hit that hard four
but he's never been hurt like that. Leam. Martin's a
(17:02):
sort of bloke that if you shot him in the leg,
he wouldn't show his hurt. But Kate will hits him
that hard and then Mate, you can see he's hurt.
I wouldn't be surprised, Coop he got strapped up. I
reckon he might have a broken wrist or broken a forum.
Even for me, that tipified their greater physicality.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
Yeah, yeah, well even another example of that was you
talk about before Origin was picked. We go jeez, New
South Wales, we talked about it at the start of
the year. New South Wales has so many back rollers
in comparison to Queensland, Angus Crichton and Liah Martin, and
they're the two probably most damaging ball runners in the NRL,
those two. You see that Kate will flogged Liah Martin
(17:40):
and then on the other side, Angus Crichton gets it
early and Valentine Holmes comes out and absolutely irons him out.
You never see Angus Crichton get pumped like that.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
Mate, doing that last series he was bullying.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
Yeah, yeah, I haven't seen him get flogged like that
in at least three years.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
And from their coop what happens like from there? I
mean we're kneel down and then the pressure really starts
and I tear how it manifested itself. And on our
football you watch our attack from there, our attack starts
to be so bunched. Now Queensland what they want to do.
They want to compress and they want to rush us,
and we just compliment that because we're tight, we're taking
(18:20):
the ball too far in the line and Toya and
Shibasaki is saying, mate, this is money for jam and
they just start gyming us outside in And what happens
next is Queensland pushed the ball to the edge, Robert
Toy gets the ball, the trails about it throw him
over and Robert Toyer this is again symbolic of a
performance from New South Wales. It was so lazy. As
(18:43):
he's going over the sideline, all the New South Wales
blokes on the inside start walking. Toya throws the ball
on the inside, Hammer picks it up. No one there
runs down inside board, did did under the post? Fourteen nil?
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Yeah, it was. It was a real show in the effort,
the desperation. I'm going to I'm going to merge the
other try into this conversation as well. About five minutes,
six minutes later, Harry Grant scores his try where he
gets out not actually a whole heap doing and manages
to score from dummy half. But when you watch that try,
if you watch it back, similar to that the example
you just said with Robert Toya throwing it back in
(19:19):
the lack of desperation from New South Wales because there
was about four blokes around Harry. Harry actually it wasn't
like he got down scored straight away. He was upright
fighting off blokes for about five or six seconds and
then managed to score. Like they'll be watching that back
and it was. It was a real show of a
lack of effort from the boys in there.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Jack made a point because we come up with an error.
I think we had they get a repeat set and
then we dropped it out. And I'm sitting with Jack
on the couch and I'm stuffing Dorito's in my mouth
and Jack goes mate they're going to score here. He said,
look at New South Wales, they are wobbling on the ropes.
It was a it was a boxing match, honestly, the
(19:59):
refereence step into the standing a count. New South Wales
was just out on their feet. Queens Land at that point,
leading into halftime and just doing whatever they want with us.
And as I'm not going to say it was a
soft try because it was out me and Harry scored,
but it was an unusual, unusually soft try. There I
say it again, but no other way to describe it.
(20:21):
At Origin and he just went bo scored twenty nil.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
You could like it was Harry just wanted it more.
And you get that if it was one on one
and he was tackling and someone was trying to tackle
one on one, you go, oh, that's all right. But
there was when I watched I watched it back, there's
about three or four blokes around it. There was two
or three blokes with their hands on Harry and he
still managed to get spin out of a couple tackles
and then get it down like it was very unusual
(20:48):
for an Origin level.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Yeah and Coop, So in halftime we're twenty nil down
and the standouts in the first half I thought were Toyo, Shubsaki,
val Home and particularly Tom didn't right as we come
out of halftime, coup. It's funny how how precious starts
(21:10):
once again manifest itself. We're twenty zero down, but what
starts to happen coop is they continue to fend outside in.
Queensland have worked their lesson in game two. They got
ahead and they played nervous and they led us back
in the game. There's no doubt Bully. The thing otherwise,
the belief, the thing that eliminates nerves and apprehension is aggression.
(21:33):
The moment that you in a game when you're going
we'll protect the leader and feel a little bit nervous,
just override it with aggression and it'll remove. And they
just continue. They actually up their aggression. They defend us
outside in and because we are behind, we start trying
to throw the absolute pass. Now what I mean by
that is the perfect pass. We continue to take the
(21:54):
ball into the line. What we should have done their
coops right, if you were to rush into and they're
coming outside in, and particularly when they're pre emptying at
which they were, if we're going to take that ball
into the line. What you do is you beat them
into you don't try to beat them in one movement. Right,
So toy is coming. Let's imagine sub Psarchi's coming outside
in I go all the way the line and I
(22:17):
hit my back row of short shuba. Psarchi has got
to go aback twenty meters, get on the side because
he's up past the ball, and you rip around. You
beat them in two. Yet we kept trying to do
the big play all the time and we just kept
coming up with theirs high risk passing errors. Yeah, and
we really just dug a grave.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
It's become a bit weird of New South Wales, you
know Game two and Game three, as we just saw
they it's like they have a game plan and they
struggle to adapt. It's like it's like a message. They
struggle to get a message across where they go right,
oh guys, this is what they're doing. Will change to
adjust to what they're doing for our trains.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
It's like they have a game plan in their head
and they want they want, they almost.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
Try to force it to work. Like you said, they
were jamming a hell of a lot and then the
beauty of you hit your back rower and you get
a quick play the ball because he runs at a
half The center and the winger are up in front
of the ball because they're trying to jam the fullback
and the center out of the back. The beauty of
that next play is you have a front rower who
has just got a chase from the open side to
the short side to cover the half back's position. So
(23:23):
it's I mean, it was really bizarre. They weren't sort
of taking that route. So like at twenty zero, what
actually starts happening. There's a little small period in the
halfway through the second half we actually start to get
our game on a little bit. And what we do
is we push the ball to the left end side
of the fight left end side of the field. This
time we give the ball earlier. Latrell gets early ball,
(23:45):
but he pushes on to guess who comes across and
does try and save it. Our man Tom did comes across,
but we do get a repeat set out of it.
And then what's I think and what happens next is
the way I always think about.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
The philosophy of football. Philosophy of football is you put
you advanced the ball. However you avince the ball if
you penetrate down a past the scrum line or a
ten metre line and get mate, straight away you go
to the far side. Now what happens there? They push
the ball again to the left early ball book Latrell
goes being to Brian toe, Brian Tower goes so close
to scoring. But mate, what happens and we get when
(24:21):
you are that close to the sideline and that close
to the line. When you look at above shot, there's
about five or six coilslanders all around the ball. So
where's the ball got to go. It's got to go
the fast side to Crichton, and this time they get
it there one, two, three, it hits Crichton on a
shot shot and we score in the corners.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
Beautiful, quick hands, beautiful yeah, like you said, the debt
when actually a side shows too much effort, too much desperation,
they all over chase. You saw some of the middles
actually get in there to stop Brian to which compressed
about six players into that short corrent of the field
and allowed so much space out of the right boxing.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
When Mohammad al Lady Boot George Foreman in the Belgian
Conger or Zayeah, the roper dope laying on the ropes.
Part of that is almost in rugby league is you
know a team is so enthusiastic to after you in defense,
is what you do is you just you lead them
on and you push the ball to an edge and
(25:17):
they will chase the ball, lead them for the rope
dope together the other side of the field.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
This is Look, this is a very niche example I'm
going to use, but Penrith used to do it when
they'd play against the Eels about two or three years ago,
when Clint Gutherson was there. Because Clint Gutherson, he was
known for his effort at fullback. He would overchase a
lot of the time because he was putting in so
much effort. So they used they come up with the player.
We ended up stealing it at Melbourne as well, where
they'd hit Nathan on the right hand side, who would
(25:43):
pretend to kick to the right corner. He'd then send
it back to Jerome Leue on the other side. Because
he knew that Gutha was so fit and so putting
in so much effort, he'd always overchase to try to
get the kick on the fall. So it's using that
desperation against it. It's really it's overthinking, like it's almost
banking that that defense is going to be putting in
(26:04):
so much effort twenty.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
To six, and you're going, OK, can we get back
into it? And when you're watching it, we made an
error not too long after, and that's when the momentum
bubble burst. Seventieth minute Queensland's first era no Wonder, no
Wonder war fucked. Yeah, yeah, like no Wonder, wilf so Gas.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Yeah. I didn't realize that they'd gone. I think that
it was about twenty six or twenty seven, from twenty
seven before they made a twenty seven completion rate one
hundred percent until the seventieth Minute's that's unheard of it
at any level, let alone state of origin level where
there's so much fatigue. I can't remember if there's ever
been a state of origin where a team's completed one
(26:45):
hundred percent for so long of the game.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
Yeah. Well, and then didn't score the trylate fitting to
try as tom and then we grab a late a
late try twenty four to twelve finishes. I must say
the school line flatters the Blues. Yeah, that they were
monumentally better.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Yeah, yeah, I mean, it really lent into the narrative,
didn't it. Where Game one we were so dominant. Game two,
that second half we nearly came back and won it
from a massive deficit, and we thought, oh we're playing
at home game three, we're going to win this. But
it really did all shape up for a Queensland upset.
They really lent into the narrative of where the underdog.
(27:23):
It was a classic Queensland win. And I get my
hopes up every year and think and they can't beat
us this year, but they always managed to from.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
One kneel down and beat us. It was an amazing
effort from the team and the coach Munster again. And
I've copped not a lot of shit, but a little
bit for this through Like last week, me and Cooper
of the Kronk Variety ninety had top ten Origin players
of all time and I put Monster in there. I
put Monster. I almost put Monster in the top five.
(27:53):
I think that much of him as far as how
he's performed in big games and just reaffirmed it like
Monster tonight was in the top three players on the field.
But sometimes Coops, it's what you don't do. Yeah, go
back to game one and Harry our Man, Harry Grant
(28:16):
what he did. He was so keen to make an impact.
He forced himself into the game and come up with
errors and plays. How he plays his best when goes
with the flow. In this game, the game was working
beautifully and rather than Monster try to force himself and
that he just went with the flow beautifully. Leadership. He
will go, he will go down. He'll get that performance tonight,
(28:39):
will go down in Queensland legend on.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
I think that you talk about Everyone talks about that
ninety ninety five series when Fatty had to pick people
only from the Aarl none of the Super League guys
could be it and they ended up beating New South Wales,
which is a historic win. They talk about twenty twenty
Origin Decider where Munster played hungover and played one of
the greatest Origin series of all time. About this one
twenty twenty five, like credible and now Munster you know
(29:03):
five years later from that that series we won the
Wallydores Medal. He's now captaining this side. He'll go like
I got no doubt. He will go down as one
of the greatest players of all around players of all time.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
Without a doubt. Tell the leather was real faux parts.
Fucking no wonder to where it when it's the hot, cool,
fucking I'm beating. Yeah. And when you're saying about that,
like about that different mentality, I remember that I was
in that ninety five series, unfortunately, and I remember Game
one and we must have been five dollar favorites. I
(29:37):
don't know. They gave him no chance. We prepared and
I prepared like it was a normal NURL game. And
I remember going on the field that Sydney Football Stadium
and ran on and we're getting ready for the national anthem,
and we walked out and all of a sudden, Queensland
come onto the field and I looked at my teammate
Robbie O Davis, and he just looked different. Fucking charged
(30:01):
onto the field and I looked down him at that point,
and I must say, little thing in my brain went,
I fucking think we're in trouble here.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
They were just more desperate, and they were more desperate,
they wanted it more, and they attacked us like underdogs
do and coops and tonight, one of the tail of
the tape tonight is this you measured desperation and want
by what you do in defense, and defensively they were
fucking outstanding. Yeah, Toya Shibasaki hitting us outside in all
(30:33):
the time. They were tireless. Yeah, that's what they were
right at cook three to two to one on the night.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
On this tonight, look my three similar to like everyone's
Tommy didn't. I think there are so many doubts Dce
was being dropped. He come into halfback. If there were
any doubts of if Tommy didn't can play half back
at this level, he shut them all up now because
his kicking game was great and he controlled the team
so well. Number two Valentine Holmes, he was my two points.
(31:01):
I think he's he's getting to that level of Dan
gagesk of where he just elevates himself into origin.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
Valentine.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
Oh mate, will you be my Valentine?
Speaker 1 (31:09):
Yeah, Dragon's hope.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
And then number one I had Tino Tino Fai. I
love what he did tonight. I think the effect of
Josh Papalii you're coming into camp. You just saw Tino
simplify his game and he didn't feel like he was
the leader of the pack out there. He felt like
he could just he was like he almost wanted to
impress playing alongside Big Papa, So yeah, I think he was.
(31:33):
Tino should be real proud of his performance.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
It was a master straight from Billy bring in Big
Pape in you know what in the pregame, I didn't
know that Tina's dad played for the Roosters.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
I didn't need that.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
Amazing that's really slipped through to the keeper. My three points,
tom did my two points. Vow my one point. I've
gone Robert Toyer and Shibasaki, both of them together. I
thought coops as far as big game playing a high
pressure games just said leader. Those two blows aren't in
the same postcard as Critter and Trill. Yeah, but the
(32:06):
desire and the what yeah, okay.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
Series series all right. My one point goes to Bryan too.
I think Bright had one of his best series he's
had in a losing side, but Bizzi was outstanding. I
think he equaled the most tries in in Origin ever
by anyone this series as well, So.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
Go down one of the greatest wingers in Origin history.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
Yeah, my two points. It was actually Tommy didn't I
didn't have him as my man of the series. I mean,
it could have could have gone either way here, but
Tommy didn't was outstanding. I loved in his speech at
the end. If people didn't see it, dropped an.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
F bomb, loved disgusting.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
I love f bombs, particularly on live TV.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
Tom.
Speaker 2 (32:44):
You've let yourself down to I mean you'll probably get
fined for it.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
You disgraced Tom.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
Nonetheless, number three three points of the Man of Series
I had Cam Munster. I thought what he did in
game two really set you know, it brought him, It
brought him back. It gave life to the Queens to
do what they did in game three.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
So shout out of money and taken out of the
captain see two from two was captain. I know two
tar two two three, Tom didn't for my Men of
the Series. Two points Monster my one point, I can't split.
Three I've gone painhass. Ruben Cotter, Ruben Cotter was back
(33:22):
to his awesome best and Kirk Capewell, old dog, hard road,
fucking fantastic, that bloke. Fuck he can play, he can play.
And to finish with I just want to say this
right to finish with the positive New South Wales, I
just want to say for the New South Wales team,
fucking world under you blokes, because there's some things that
are more important than football. And for all those blokes
(33:44):
throw him at full time, go up to Monster and
hugging him and was sending him messages through the week.
That's fucking class mate. And the way Isaiahoh got up
at the end there and he made mention to it,
you know what, good on your boys. Yes, it's good ship.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
That was good ship and they're a bloody good side.
And I devastated that they didn't win. But this fucking
coat off, that coat off, man, you leave the boy
ah
Speaker 1 (34:06):
Man, I got to stop doing this intoxicated fucking yeah,
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