May 28, 2025 • 31 mins
The boys break down all the action from State of Origin Game 1 in their post-match reaction. They share hot takes, key moments, and plenty of passion after a thrilling opener.
Subscribe, Watch, and Follow
Catch the full episode on YouTube and stay updated by following us on social media:
Linktree: Backstage with Cooper & Matty
Contact Us
For any enquiries, email us at:
contact@johnsmedia.com.au
0:00-First Thoughts
3:30-Queensland Ball Movement
6:30-Stephen Crichton
9:00-Nathan Cleary
11:00-Yeo
12:40-10 Mins Before HT
16:00-Goal Kickers
17:10-2nd half
24:00-Munster
25:30-NSW Best
27:30-QLD Best
28:00-Points
28:30-Origin 2 Perth
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, Coop, what do you think man, New so Wales
was bloody good? Oh good that.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
I think we in our preview through the week we
sort of spoke about how, you know, we thought New
So wal was going to play. I think Queens they
knew how New South Wales were going to play. I
just think they just couldn't stop them. They were from
that first set like they just looked unbelievable. You generally,
in a first set of a Queen of an Origin game,
you see like the physicality and teams really struggle to
(00:29):
get out of the their half the first five minutes
a real grind yeap, whereas you just saw New South
Wales just.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Roll them so early. It was a real hint of
things to come because we dominated through yardage one of
the areas we did, and we spoke about this before.
Our outside backs are always so good in yardage, and
you know we said the ones who were going to
lead that were Edwards and Zach Lomax. Zach Lomax was
mighty and a heat of things that come and that
was the first set for New South Wales and a
(00:55):
couple of strong runs and all of a sudden, Zach
Lomax took the ball, boom, run, little footwork and then
just drove through the line, made about twelve mooders, play
the ball fast. Then all of a sudden pain has
come on the back and we drove all the way
to half way, which is almost You don't see that.
You only see that very very occasionally in State of
Origin football, almost never as far as first sets of concerned.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
When you see that, you're usually as a kid, you
remember getting up and you go, I want to watch
the first hit off the kickoff. Yeah, because the first
set is so physical, blokes flying out. You just didn't
see that from Queensland that they wanted to. But Lomas
that second carry bumped Harry Grant and then went down
half went on the back of him.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Lomax destroyed their intent there, Like Queensland really they raced
down and that second tackle they got into him when
Lomax took that ball and just sort of just punched
through the line. Yeah, it just took the wind out
of the defensive sales early on and just as it said,
destroyed the intent. They went to dominate through physicality and coops.
(01:55):
Evidence of when New South Waleses dominated yardage and controlled
the early exchanges. Is that in the first seven minutes
Nathan had two attacking kicks. Attacking kicks, and we've said
this before, are so important in big games. That's because
a lot of times that's where the majority of points
are going to come from. So if you can regularly
(02:17):
put your playmaker is a position for attacking kicks, you
are dominating the contest.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Particularly when look at last year's Grand Final for example,
people looked at it and went, what a boring game.
But a lot of the tries and a lot of
the dominate, Like a lot of the stuff where they
were dominating come from just rolling down field and only
having emphasis on their fifth tackle. You saw when you
well was dominated that first half, it was all from
their It was all from their fifth tackle kick game,
(02:44):
getting results from Nathan putting up for Zach Lomax. When
momentum eventually shifted, you saw that come from the opposite
and Dali Chevans putting up for Jeremiah and I and
getting results out of those attacking kicks.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Yeah, I thought that again. A further hint of things
to come Cooper in the first ten minutes was the
fact that they gave clearly a lot of time Nathan
had a lot of time and space to it to
operate in early on and from there, as you know
as a playmaker, when your first few touches were really good,
you find rhythm. It was soon after actually he got
(03:18):
a ball and Harry really rasted him and Nathan come
up with an error. Now that's the way they should
have defended him early on, not let Nathan and Mitch
Moses find their natural rhythm. They just gave him too
much time.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Agree, I think they come off the back of how
dominant the pack work, though I think Payne Hass Lomacks
rarely did I see Hass on his back once, Like
every time Hass got the footy, it was a quick
play the ball. Same with Lomacs, saying with so, I
think it's a big rap to those three that allowed
those two to have some.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Time in that first ten minutes Lomax and has for
the best players on the field. Let's move into the
next phase of the game, that sort of period that
goes up to the twenty minute mark, and it was
here in this part of the match. I reckon Queensland
enjoyed their best period of dominance and they didn't assert
dominance through like we did through power running and punching
(04:12):
through a defense. They asserted dominance through ball movement. They
had a hell of success attacking news out down their
right side, attacking New South Wales left side defense. The
combination defensive combination of Latrell and Brian Tote, they just
are a little bit out of sink. You know, they
weren't defending as a combination, and you know one of
(04:33):
the one Latrolley come in a little too acute and
then you just seeing Brian sitting back a little bit.
They just went on the same page and that's where
you know queens and evidence again, let's come back to
what we said before about Nathan. Evidence that Queensland enjoyed
dominance in this period was two attacking kicks, asserting pressure
(04:55):
on us through two attacking kicks. And I thought through
this period in particular, I thought New South Wales played conservative.
I thought in that period we went into our shells
a little bit. So in that period, Coup from that
ten to twenty minute period the best players in the field.
I thought DC was very very good during that period.
And I thought Rhys Robson for New South Wales Reece
(05:17):
Robson tonight was the most dangerous, dangerous I've seen him
as far as getting out of dummy hat ever.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Yeah, yeah, you know, you're real. He's a good runner,
but you don't see him get out like you see
Harry Grant get out and tow people onto the line.
He saw Reece Robson have a lot of luck. But
like you said, with how they shifted from sort of
going one out trying to get quick playaballs through their
wingers into shifting to try to get quick playaballs, I
think that was just a wrap to New South Wales defense.
(05:43):
I think they they could, they didn't look like they
could get out of their own end. I think Chas
and Munster, I think they just got together and said,
we need to start moving the ball because we're not
we're not doing anything, but we need to try to
make line breaks to get meters because we're just he's
kicking out of our own forty the whole time.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Yeah. Yeah, they really struggled for yardages that next period,
that next tenanter period, you know, from twenty to thirty minutes,
were starting to push towards half time. Now we're starting
to get some really important moments. We score right at
that period the start of that period. We tried in
New South Wales and Zach Lomas scores the try right
(06:19):
in the right hand corner. But a tear where it started,
the pebble in the pond started with Mitch Moses. They
were going to go to the right. He overcalled down
a short sight from Ruth Robson, went to the line,
put Angars christ Crighten through and that that incision, that
momentum that created that space that ended up that that
was the reason why Lomax scooed in the far corner.
(06:41):
So that was just a nice little play there from
mich Moses. Mitch Moses didn't overplay his hand. He let
Nathan run the show. But that was a really nice
little moment where Nathan's called the ball right and he's
got no I'm going to overcall this. I sent something
up the short side.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
You know what your brother Andrew John said right at
the end of the game, Queensland spying looks dis connected,
where on our own New South Wales spine they work
so well together. You look at that passage to play,
Mitch Moses, Nathan Watson on the right, he overcalls, puts
Crichton through and it ends up being fifth tackle and
seeing how quick to play the ball is and how
(07:15):
disconnected the defensive line where for Queens and Nathan looks up,
finds Paying Hals, he gets an offload, he gets it
out to Edwards, Edwards finds Crichton like that spine, just
everyone on the same page and the connection there where
everyone goes hang on, it's fifth tackle. We probably should
be kicking, but look what's in front of us. Let's
just react to what's.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
In front of us. Isn't Stephen Crichton good In those
instances where it's scrambling, the defense is scrambling, got the
ball they think happening left, right and center. Of these
people coming at him all over the place, he knows
somewhere there's the right option somewhere. He has to find
the pass or the dummy all the step or the
little kick that's kind of set up to try and
(07:54):
he just nearly always nails it. And that one you
just tore down the field and just per perfectly time
past the lomax to put him over, you know, and
further evidence to that, I mean, you think back to
that Grand Final where they'd be Brisbane and some of
the plays late in the game that Stephen Crichton come
up with vital plays. They've got penrith through. I don't
(08:17):
as far as outside backs, I haven't seen many outside
backs who can sum up the situation better than Stephen Crome. Yeah,
and even you look at his opposite number, right, Hamisotabi,
Fido's was the fastest blokeout there on the field, so
he would have known himself. Crichton's not going to beat
me with speed, but in a lot of instances tonight
you saw him giving him time and space just because
how worried he is of his fan, of his step
(08:39):
you see. You don't often see that with Santa's who
A lot of senatas are scared of speed, so they
overchase and open up by that hamon As He's not
going to give.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
For speed, but just the shear like a gitterly and
footy IQ. That and skilled that he's got where he's going.
He can beat me with footwork, he can beat me
with a fan, he can run over me, or he
can put a little kick in behind.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Just just makes him dangerous. Just got so much presence,
He's just so much presence. The next Queensland, New South
Wales try it come soon after. It was an era
coming into trouble from Queensland. And this is really this
is really important, Coops. And we said, coming into the game,
one of the things I was looking for from Nathan
Cleary is for him to run the football. We interviewed
(09:21):
Nathan in this room and we asked him the question.
I said, my hunch with you, Nathan is you find
your best football when you run the ball early. And
he said, yeah, I do. He said, but it's a discipline.
He can get into the mode of just passing past
you shoved on the ball sideways. Now he ran the book.
It's interesting the toe try which was a beauty. I
mean the hands of Latrell Mitchell, such a big man,
(09:42):
such velvet hands. It was an amazing pass. But Nathan
set this up. He set this up by the previous
two occasions he got the football, Coop. He ran the
ball and made small incisions into the line. Now straight
away he did that. Suddenly they're on notice. And the
best ballplayers of the that threaten with their run game.
That's what attracts the defenders, tracks the beast of the
(10:04):
hunting pot. And so run the ball next time, run
the ball. Third time he gets the ball, the time
he sets up the try coop, he feigns to run
and suddenly Queensland just squeeze in out the back to
Moses Mitchell, a beautiful pass to Latrell Mitchell and just
Bush Bush straight to toe.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
That was and the Queensland, the Queenslanders defense actually didn't
do that much wrong in that. When you watch the replay,
Cherry Cherry makes a decision to jam, probably a good
decision in the moment because they all got held up
by what Nathan did.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Yep. But you see at this level where.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
You've got Nathan Cleary, Mitchell, Moses and Latrell Mitchell, three
of the most deadly attacking players. If you're a half
a second off at club Land, you probably get away
with it. They probably land any more force an error.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
But you see the skill of those three players. Like
Latrell's pass to Ice that had it literally barely touched
his hands with the tap.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
He was incredible, and you know you can get it.
You can get a short pass and sort of knock
it through the hands quickly, but to get a long
pass and be able to go bang bang when a
guy's going to whack you outside in. It's just incredible football.
In this period, that ten minute period from twenty to
thirty minute, the best two players on the field were
Nathan Cleary and Isaiah Yoe. Isaiah Yoe has been his
(11:23):
contribution to the wind has been I think or will
be understated. Yeah, Isaiah was so good because Isaiah he's
such a clever footballer. He had to look around that
team and he goes, Okay, I got too dominant, Harvesy,
I've got Nathan Clear and I got Mitchell Moses. They
don't need me to be a ballplayer. So all the
way through the game, particularly in that period, he's taken
(11:43):
it to the line, he's feigning to pass and then
just punching through most of the Mate, you go back
and watch Isaiao's performance, most of the time he carried
the ball of the line, he punched through.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Yeah, and that's what you said that during the preview
on the week, that you would have actually started him
on the bench so that Nathan could get him his
running game early. Didn't fall into the trap of playing
out the back of Isaiaho that they've they've sometimes done
in the past. But Isaiah was outstanding out it just
he set up shape around himself with the intent to run,
just to create a one on one. And that's what
(12:15):
shapes are built for, you know. It shapes up built
for in a game to play out the back and
just go through and try to score in the corner
every time. Sometimes you can set a shape up, and
if you're a smart footballer, you can just set it
up so that you create a one on one, a
quick playable for yourself, which Yoe he did tonight.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Well, that's well. And that's the thing. You know, when
you talk to ballplayers about that, you say to him
sometimes even if you're even if you're a pure runner
and your ball playing is secondary, set up a shape
because they said before, when I said before that when
Nathan acted like he was going to run, their schools did.
When you set up a shape a flex and it
gives you an opportunity in ball runners to punch through,
(12:53):
use your footwork, show and go, et cetera, and so
on and so forth. Okay, Coop, this is really interesting.
This thing right the ten minutes before halftime where games
are won, Queensland kickoff right, and all the way in
the build up to the game, it was all about mate. Okay,
(13:13):
Spencer land New's going to get his The crowds up
for its. Spencer comes on, Spencer is standing in kick reception.
Off the kickoff, they can be they kick the other way.
They deliberately kicked the other way. And I kind of
get it in the fact that you don't want him
to get on motion and really charge off the back fence.
But I reckon that's a victory for Spencer.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
Yeah, I think it would have been a powerful thing
for him to come on and the last plason you
want to kick too, they just kick it to him
and they get stuck into him. I think them not
doing that was a real lift to the pack, particularly Spencer.
But I think it was like I said earlier, I
think that was a testament to the work that Paynhas
and Lomax did early by really troubling Harry Gran and
(13:56):
the middle to make their one on mines. I think
they were a little bit like we just we want
to try to win, like they were. I think they
just looked at it a bit rattled through their middle
like they wanted to win the tackle camp because they
know when you're out there and you're not making good
contact as a player and a lot of the times
what you're thinking is is shit, I've lost the last
four of my tackles. I need to start winning it
because in video I'm going to get I'm going to
(14:18):
get pulled apart. I have no doubt that Billy in
the next camp will have them all in, show them
a lot of because they just lost so much of
their one on one tackles. There was a lot of
time like players finding their front, which you don't see,
particularly in the first twenty minutes of Origin. It was.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
It was really surprising coop and of course the trope
for a half time. Yeah, a couple of big moments
for half time and again New South Wales try in
the right hand, right hand corner Lo Max again.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Yeah it was it was it was as yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
It was Lo Max again. This time again Nathan, benefiting
from his run threat, goes to the line nicest trait
double pumps and with the the danger of Nathan running
and the danger of the double pump, Hemisode just couldn't
help himself. He just turns in.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Yeah, but you know, I think I believe it was
the play before that Isaiao again took a quick play
the ball got it got a real, real quick one.
And then when you actually look at that try, they
had enough numbers to defend it easy. I think whoever
was the back row I kind of got to Nathan
created so they all they had equal numbers. Just like
(15:27):
you said, just the threat of having a quick play
the ball, the good intent on shape, Nathan's run, threat,
nice double pump, it just had him nervous. I think
they were just they were just under the pump out there,
and then it was easy through the hands from Edwards
to Lomak.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
I'm looking at that period they just fought. Just on
half time and I thinking coastly can't get back into this.
Were so dominant, but then there's always something that happens.
And the final played for halftime, Dally puts again the
benefit of an attacking kick over excuse me, and goes
up and of course and Brian grabs him and gets
(16:04):
ten minutes of the sin bin, and all of a sudden,
you know it's game on again.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Yeah, big controversial. Obviously getting sinned in not a lot
in it, not a lot in it. But at the
end of the day, professional foul. He hits him when
he's in the air, good fair play, to Queens and
they got they ended up getting the two points. I'll
tell you right now if I mean, look, a lot
of shit's been put on the goalkickers, particularly Nathan and
(16:29):
Lomax towards the end of the game. It's all missed,
a couple of sitters. But geez, if you go into
that game at the end of there and it would
have been twenty to two if they kicked all their goals,
which is game over in Origin. If you go in
mentally and you're going twenty to two, down fourteen to
two and you know we only need two tries in
(16:51):
it's so mental you're not having to chase.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
That scoreboard shows you the dominance of New South Wales.
I mean, could have been twenty very well, could have
been twenty into two at half time. Yeah at sant
Corpse Stadium.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Oh yeah, like Linds, I can't remember the last time
you see that at half time in a state of origin,
Like that's so dominant.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
Jesus what after halftime? That this is the ten minutes
half to halftime is a horror period for New South
Wales because we've got twelve men left half time. When
you've got twelve men, you need to be squeaky clean.
You've got to complete your set. You've got to complete
your sets. You drive the ball to touch, you walk down,
you don't let the opposition get into a rhythm and
(17:31):
you slow the tempo of the game. But we just
I mean, we start the second half with the second
seven tackles set from Mitch and this will lead eventually
to the queens Land, to the Queensland. Try it first,
queens lande In New South Wales, they just keep coming
up with error.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
It's the error after what you said, like the way
they played that first twenty minutes was perfect New South
Wales in the first half. That was that it is
such a good sort of case study for other teams
to go this is how we want to play our footy.
That first twenty minutes when they were down to twelve
was possibly the complete polar opposite. Like you said, seven tackles,
(18:08):
they defend a couple sets. They do a good job
with twelve. First tackle Lomax drops it, yes, and then
they go to a scrum where they end up picking
up Valentine Holmes and dragging him over the sideline. You think, geez,
they're not going to score here. Next tackle, first tackle
Jeremiah and I flies out of the line and puts
a shot on the trail who drops it? Which they
go offload, offload and Xavier.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
Coach scores on the right hand corner.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
Like everything that could have gone wrong for you so
well is that it did.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
At that point, I'm thinking to myself, man, I mean,
we've let them back into the game. But they've got
you know, the crowd of come back into the game.
You know, they've got momentum. I'm thinking of himself, Well,
here we go. They've allowed them to get back in.
And as you know, when you're loading fourteen two and
you've got complete dominance. Excuse me, that's all right, and
you've got complete dominance, what happens is all of a sudden,
(19:00):
the opposition score and they're back end of the game.
My god, that's a momentum swing, and it's so hard
to arrest that momentum, to get that momentum back, to.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Wrestle it back, particularly when you've got twelve.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
For another.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
I think they slid another five minutes with twelve, and
you like you're under the pump and you've got the
spine of munster. Cherry Evans Grant and Ponga who were
starting to catch fire, but they really didn't Queensland really
didn't grab that chance. After that, they didn't.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
Really do a lot with the twelve.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Yeah, I agree with the particularly first half when you
saw some of the expansive footy out of their own.
They were shifting it, shifting it, and then they went
to twelve. It was like they didn't want to It's
like they didn't want to make errors, so they kind
of just tried to play more through the middle when
that was probably when they should have shifted a lot more.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
It was interesting about the second half of their Coinsians
attack Coups was that in the first half they were
having so much, so much success going to their right
against Latrell and Brian, and she said they would disconnected.
They just couldn't get their decision making right. Second half
they barely go there at all. It's in the second
(20:08):
half they always just attack to their left. And I've
got no doubt and we said this before before the game.
Leading up to the game, Billy loves to attack Zach Lomax.
In Billy's mind, he sees that Zach Lomax puts so
much effort and energy into his attack and his yardage.
That can leave him vulnerable in defense. And sometimes he
(20:28):
does clock off, sometimes he disconnects himself from from from
his center. But the big benefit for Lomax Coops was
that he was alongside Stephen Crichton. There are a few
times in that second half the Coisler had an opportunity.
If it had been a lesser defensive center, they probably
would discovered. But Crichton his defensive decisions, and I've got
(20:48):
no doubt he would have been just yapping and yappen
and yappen to Lomax Cooper and Lomac's honest in defense,
and so Coislan kept getting there. But they'll get no result.
And you look on that.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Side of Crichton and Lomacs. I had a theory of watching.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
I've had this theory for a while.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
But Hamaso taboo feedo at left center right, if you
have a they created a couple opportunities there where Hamma
just got on the outside of Critter and I looked
under pressure having a center inside you who's an out
and out speed stuff In Valentine Holmes with his wing
was his winger. There was a couple of times there
where they probably could have caught us out, but Hammer's
(21:26):
speed was actually too quick for Valentine Holmes and he
kind of dropped back a little bit, was forced to
drop off back underneath, which allowed New South Wales to
go man on and Zach Lomax to come in and
just tackle him.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
And it was it was it was the inside pressure
he was getting also from from Krichton crighton getting up
and pushing him from the inside. He just couldn't get
the angle to straighten into that gap that Billy was
after in between Crichton and Lomacs with his Lomax speed
was slightly disconnected. But let's see what coop in this period.
In the second half, there was a lot of attack
from New South Wales and I thought was really poor.
(21:57):
I thought they went into there. I thought that were
just too conservative of the second half and evidence of
that certainly New South Wales will getting a lot of
joy from just playing nice and straight, you know, with
those short, short ball or sweep options, peeling Coeensland short
in the second half for a lot for a decent
(22:19):
period in the second half, lots of inside balls drifting across,
picking them up on the inside, and I can understeer.
What they're trying to do, they're trying to fatigue coinsland
and they'll try to consolidate possession. But I just found
it really ineffective, you know, and I just thought in
the first half their attacking shapes were a lot better.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Yeah, I think that's a bit of that Penrith the
bit of Penrith ball they do. Penrith like to drop
people off, come back through the inside, and really wear
a middle out. I think under fatigue they sort of
fell back into that pattern in the second half, probably
went away from their game plan a little bit, which
I think. You know, it obviously ended up working for them,
but I think if that mold that they had in
(22:58):
the first half with their attack where they didn't really
they weren't really doing a lot of that drop off stuff.
They were just charging down the middle with their rucks
and then look when they got to quick play the ball,
get on the ad line and try to find an edge.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Well, Cooper even like that, even if they wanted to
play a lot more simple, it's go forward, drive them back,
play the ball quick, get the ball to a Nathan
or Isa or a Mitchell Moses and just challenge them
with his spoed and footwork just going them. You know.
That was I thought that would have been more effective
than drifting and dropping underneath, because in fact it really
(23:32):
congested the middle of the field for New South Wales
attack twenty minutes to go Coop. There's a really pivotal moment.
Queensland are on attack and they've got a chance to
make it a really big finish fourteen six. But they
get the ball. It's a really really poor set. They
gues sort of here and there, they do anything, and
then Monster puts in a kick along the ground, a
(23:53):
grubber Zach Lomax diffuses it and then draws a penalty.
Queensland never looked likely again, Yeah, I think that was
the Yeah, they looked.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
They did look very lost when they got down attack
on the tryline, which was weird. They're very usually very structured.
They did look a bit disjointed. I reckon a lot
of that come from fatigue from the first half. When
you're fatigued, you do a lot of work in the
first half, your communication kind of goes out the window.
But yeah, that, like you said, Lomax's reading that kick
and saving that try because the hammer was coming through
(24:21):
at a lot of pace.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
I thought Coops, I thought Monster he needed to run
the ball a lot more than he did. I can
understand his forwards didn't quite get dominance, but that's never
stopped him before, and he's so unorthodox. I thought he
just couldn't find his game. Yeah, tonight, and you know,
if Monster's running the football and then you know he's
(24:44):
punching through and all of a sudden you got tail
and getting on the back of that daily doing his things,
you know, Harry jumping down and done me off, all
those things. You know, Monster is the one that actually
could have kick started the yardage if that's well in
attack anyway, He's the one that could have got the quick,
played the ball and made things happen.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Yeah, And I mean it's easy for us to say
that because we've seen him do it so many times
before at the Origin level. You know that twenty twenty
series when he basically put the team on his back
and just did some spectacle. It had some great moments.
But yeah, I think I think tonight he's you know,
obviously he's pack got dominated and New South Wales were
just had him under the pump for half an hour straight.
So we probably didn't see the monster that we are
(25:24):
used to seeing at that level.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
I think there was a couple of.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
Nice moments from him, but you know, he never really
looked likely to make it. A few line breaks and
stuff like that, and.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
New South while school a final final try with ice
is the game guess what to come off kick? Nathan
Attacker attacking kickbacks, takes the ball eventually lose of Connor
Watson try.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
Connor Watson didn't score it. Actually, Connor Watson had probably
the offload of the year. He was basically was nearly
held out and he just popped it up like a
little rugby union pop. And Dylan Edwards scored. Mage maguire
ye Image McGuire look alike.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Yeah, h Cooper, New South Wales best. What do you
think of me?
Speaker 2 (26:05):
I mean the best? For me? It was a It
was a flipper coin just from what they did the
first half an hour, halfs and Lomax. I ended up
going Lomax just because hears went off. I think it
has stayed out there, which he probably could have.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
He edges it, but.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Zach Lomax what he did out of yardage and then
just he just chased every one of Nathan's kicks. I
mean it kicks only as good as it's Chase and
Lomax was outstanding on Kickchase.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
Hayt has got Man of the match on the on
the on the coverage. Can't disagree with that. He was mighty.
I thought Mitch Barnett was great. I thought Mitch Barnett
made like you know, sometimes we picks in the past
have picked teams on what they can do more with
the football than character and toughness. That made sense and
(26:51):
I think that's what he's got tons of made. He
was really physical, really got into him. A lot of
the stuff you just don't see. Matter two was bloody
good to Liam Bart was mighty. That's his best performance
in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2 (27:04):
Look, I'm going through the team in my head and
there wasn't a bloke out there who was under a
six or a seven, you know as a rating. When
you got a team that's everyone's sort of playing at
a seven or above consistently, Like, how did we we
were bound to win the football? Mate Max King, who
come off the bench as well. It's really good King.
He played big minutes and he did an outstanding job.
(27:26):
I think I think there was a one to seventeen effort.
Speaker 1 (27:28):
Everyone did a real good job.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
Who was your best?
Speaker 1 (27:32):
The zak Lomax zak Lomac's I think Cleary combination was very,
very dangerous all night as attacking kicks exactly always come
up with him just quickly before we give our three
two one Queensland's best. I thought it was either it
was Nanni.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Yeah, I thought I had Nana as well, just based
on the big moments he had which changed the game,
which gave him an opportunity to change the game that
the Trell Mitchell hit and then he come up with
about three big plays on Chase where they got repeat
sets off it.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
But I thought Cherry Evans was really strong. To it
was Tina. I thought Tina was good.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
Tino was good.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
When isn't he good?
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Mate, the big fella they needed. They missed him last year. Okay, Coop,
you won two and three points for the whole game.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
Yeah, so one one point for me actually went to Nanai,
just based on he got them back into that game.
Two points for me he was paying hals and three points.
I just said it before Zach Lomacs. Just effort all overground.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
I've got one point, Isaiah slightly ahead of Mitch Bunnett
and Liam Martin two points. Zach Zach Lomac's paying hass
for me gets the three points. Looking forward, Cooper tea
men big win. As I said before next game, Game
two is in Perth. Yeah, that all really certain. New
South Wales it's a fast track. It's a dry track,
(28:52):
you know. It's it's a track where when you look
at games that have been played there, they've been high
scoring games. Newcastle, Newcastle, New Southwall. I really able to
push the ball around and get even give give Latrell
and Stephen Crichton even more opportunity.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
Do you see changes, first of all with New South Wales?
Do you see any changes? Like there was a lot
of There was a couple of injuries to people who
were on the bench who ended up coming in.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
I can't. I don't see any force. I can't. I
can't see an injury.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
Yeah, I can't see anyone getting taken out. Queensland's the
big talking point they were talking a lot of. Cameron
Smith had a lot to say about you know, do
they potentially look to did and into the starting line
to mix it up with their spine They didn't like
the spine. Weren't on tonight together. They all had their
nice little moments, but they disconnected.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Harry he split his head. Did he get injured because
he went off? You went back on?
Speaker 2 (29:44):
He went off and did and went into nine and
then he come back on the last fifteen, so he
was all right.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Yeah, yeah, I think they could could have used did
bet up Billy. I would have used did as a
running thirteen. Yeah. I think they letting go.
Speaker 2 (29:59):
I think they had to give Harry a spell just
from the amount of work that because we were saying
it during the game, they really found him a lot
of one on one like they were really trying to
work him over. Obviously he's so effective in attack, and
by making him do so much work in defense, you
take his a lot of his running game out of it.
I think they had to give him a spell there,
(30:20):
just didn't potentially they were talking about didn't potentially coming
into the halves.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
Is that a chance? D reckon, What do you replace
your Dce and Munster? You know, I don't see those
blokes being replaced. I mean, if did was to replace
Dali Tree even so, you would imagine almost drawl the
curtain on his Origin career. I don't think they'll do that.
I don't think they'll let Daily play the series as
I said I would, I'd keep diading on the bench,
(30:44):
but I would put him on in the thirteen role. Yeah,
put him on after about twenty five minutes, get him going,
keeps breaky radio on the water. I think it's to
get a bit of sleep. Huh.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
It's no sleep for me, Broster state of Origin. I
don't sleep. I just sit there in my bed like
Count Dracula in my little coffin, and I just sit
there just thinking about stuff. And I just text loves,
I text loves and slatsy. I text lots and slatsy,
just some good feedback and whatnot. No sleep till Brooklyn,
No sleep. I text loves a couple of months ago,
(31:14):
said I make good luck and he said, yeah, you know.
And I said, I forget what he said, like set
one back, saying and if you win, I'll give you
I'll give you a nice little cuddle and a kiss
on the cheek. And he never replied. What a weird message.
Speaker 1 (31:29):
I was in a bit of a I was had
a couple of beers.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
I love, I love when I flashed up with the
Coaches Box a couple of times, and like Lows was
kind of sitting there like kind of like pretty calm,
and the most like aggravated person in the box was Belly.
He was just like he's there as an advisor, yet he.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Was almost just like riding the wave worse than anyone. Well,
he's a winner, oh mane he loves it alright, Coops,
good on your man.
Well, Coop, what do you think man, New so Wales
was bloody good? Oh good that.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
I think we in our preview through the week we
sort of spoke about how, you know, we thought New
So wal was going to play. I think Queens they
knew how New South Wales were going to play. I
just think they just couldn't stop them. They were from
that first set like they just looked unbelievable. You generally,
in a first set of a Queen of an Origin game,
you see like the physicality and teams really struggle to
(00:29):
get out of the their half the first five minutes
a real grind yeap, whereas you just saw New South
Wales just.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Roll them so early. It was a real hint of
things to come because we dominated through yardage one of
the areas we did, and we spoke about this before.
Our outside backs are always so good in yardage, and
you know we said the ones who were going to
lead that were Edwards and Zach Lomax. Zach Lomax was
mighty and a heat of things that come and that
was the first set for New South Wales and a
(00:55):
couple of strong runs and all of a sudden, Zach
Lomax took the ball, boom, run, little footwork and then
just drove through the line, made about twelve mooders, play
the ball fast. Then all of a sudden pain has
come on the back and we drove all the way
to half way, which is almost You don't see that.
You only see that very very occasionally in State of
Origin football, almost never as far as first sets of concerned.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
When you see that, you're usually as a kid, you
remember getting up and you go, I want to watch
the first hit off the kickoff. Yeah, because the first
set is so physical, blokes flying out. You just didn't
see that from Queensland that they wanted to. But Lomas
that second carry bumped Harry Grant and then went down
half went on the back of him.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Lomax destroyed their intent there, Like Queensland really they raced
down and that second tackle they got into him when
Lomax took that ball and just sort of just punched
through the line. Yeah, it just took the wind out
of the defensive sales early on and just as it said,
destroyed the intent. They went to dominate through physicality and coops.
(01:55):
Evidence of when New South Waleses dominated yardage and controlled
the early exchanges. Is that in the first seven minutes
Nathan had two attacking kicks. Attacking kicks, and we've said
this before, are so important in big games. That's because
a lot of times that's where the majority of points
are going to come from. So if you can regularly
(02:17):
put your playmaker is a position for attacking kicks, you
are dominating the contest.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Particularly when look at last year's Grand Final for example,
people looked at it and went, what a boring game.
But a lot of the tries and a lot of
the dominate, Like a lot of the stuff where they
were dominating come from just rolling down field and only
having emphasis on their fifth tackle. You saw when you
well was dominated that first half, it was all from
their It was all from their fifth tackle kick game,
(02:44):
getting results from Nathan putting up for Zach Lomax. When
momentum eventually shifted, you saw that come from the opposite
and Dali Chevans putting up for Jeremiah and I and
getting results out of those attacking kicks.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Yeah, I thought that again. A further hint of things
to come Cooper in the first ten minutes was the
fact that they gave clearly a lot of time Nathan
had a lot of time and space to it to
operate in early on and from there, as you know
as a playmaker, when your first few touches were really good,
you find rhythm. It was soon after actually he got
(03:18):
a ball and Harry really rasted him and Nathan come
up with an error. Now that's the way they should
have defended him early on, not let Nathan and Mitch
Moses find their natural rhythm. They just gave him too
much time.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Agree, I think they come off the back of how
dominant the pack work, though I think Payne Hass Lomacks
rarely did I see Hass on his back once, Like
every time Hass got the footy, it was a quick
play the ball. Same with Lomacs, saying with so, I
think it's a big rap to those three that allowed
those two to have some.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Time in that first ten minutes Lomax and has for
the best players on the field. Let's move into the
next phase of the game, that sort of period that
goes up to the twenty minute mark, and it was
here in this part of the match. I reckon Queensland
enjoyed their best period of dominance and they didn't assert
dominance through like we did through power running and punching
(04:12):
through a defense. They asserted dominance through ball movement. They
had a hell of success attacking news out down their
right side, attacking New South Wales left side defense. The
combination defensive combination of Latrell and Brian Tote, they just
are a little bit out of sink. You know, they
weren't defending as a combination, and you know one of
(04:33):
the one Latrolley come in a little too acute and
then you just seeing Brian sitting back a little bit.
They just went on the same page and that's where
you know queens and evidence again, let's come back to
what we said before about Nathan. Evidence that Queensland enjoyed
dominance in this period was two attacking kicks, asserting pressure
(04:55):
on us through two attacking kicks. And I thought through
this period in particular, I thought New South Wales played conservative.
I thought in that period we went into our shells
a little bit. So in that period, Coup from that
ten to twenty minute period the best players in the field.
I thought DC was very very good during that period.
And I thought Rhys Robson for New South Wales Reece
(05:17):
Robson tonight was the most dangerous, dangerous I've seen him
as far as getting out of dummy hat ever.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Yeah, yeah, you know, you're real. He's a good runner,
but you don't see him get out like you see
Harry Grant get out and tow people onto the line.
He saw Reece Robson have a lot of luck. But
like you said, with how they shifted from sort of
going one out trying to get quick playaballs through their
wingers into shifting to try to get quick playaballs, I
think that was just a wrap to New South Wales defense.
(05:43):
I think they they could, they didn't look like they
could get out of their own end. I think Chas
and Munster, I think they just got together and said,
we need to start moving the ball because we're not
we're not doing anything, but we need to try to
make line breaks to get meters because we're just he's
kicking out of our own forty the whole time.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Yeah. Yeah, they really struggled for yardages that next period,
that next tenanter period, you know, from twenty to thirty minutes,
were starting to push towards half time. Now we're starting
to get some really important moments. We score right at
that period the start of that period. We tried in
New South Wales and Zach Lomas scores the try right
(06:19):
in the right hand corner. But a tear where it started,
the pebble in the pond started with Mitch Moses. They
were going to go to the right. He overcalled down
a short sight from Ruth Robson, went to the line,
put Angars christ Crighten through and that that incision, that
momentum that created that space that ended up that that
was the reason why Lomax scooed in the far corner.
(06:41):
So that was just a nice little play there from
mich Moses. Mitch Moses didn't overplay his hand. He let
Nathan run the show. But that was a really nice
little moment where Nathan's called the ball right and he's
got no I'm going to overcall this. I sent something
up the short side.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
You know what your brother Andrew John said right at
the end of the game, Queensland spying looks dis connected,
where on our own New South Wales spine they work
so well together. You look at that passage to play,
Mitch Moses, Nathan Watson on the right, he overcalls, puts
Crichton through and it ends up being fifth tackle and
seeing how quick to play the ball is and how
(07:15):
disconnected the defensive line where for Queens and Nathan looks up,
finds Paying Hals, he gets an offload, he gets it
out to Edwards, Edwards finds Crichton like that spine, just
everyone on the same page and the connection there where
everyone goes hang on, it's fifth tackle. We probably should
be kicking, but look what's in front of us. Let's
just react to what's.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
In front of us. Isn't Stephen Crichton good In those
instances where it's scrambling, the defense is scrambling, got the
ball they think happening left, right and center. Of these
people coming at him all over the place, he knows
somewhere there's the right option somewhere. He has to find
the pass or the dummy all the step or the
little kick that's kind of set up to try and
(07:54):
he just nearly always nails it. And that one you
just tore down the field and just per perfectly time
past the lomax to put him over, you know, and
further evidence to that, I mean, you think back to
that Grand Final where they'd be Brisbane and some of
the plays late in the game that Stephen Crichton come
up with vital plays. They've got penrith through. I don't
(08:17):
as far as outside backs, I haven't seen many outside
backs who can sum up the situation better than Stephen Crome. Yeah,
and even you look at his opposite number, right, Hamisotabi,
Fido's was the fastest blokeout there on the field, so
he would have known himself. Crichton's not going to beat
me with speed, but in a lot of instances tonight
you saw him giving him time and space just because
how worried he is of his fan, of his step
(08:39):
you see. You don't often see that with Santa's who
A lot of senatas are scared of speed, so they
overchase and open up by that hamon As He's not
going to give.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
For speed, but just the shear like a gitterly and
footy IQ. That and skilled that he's got where he's going.
He can beat me with footwork, he can beat me
with a fan, he can run over me, or he
can put a little kick in behind.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Just just makes him dangerous. Just got so much presence,
He's just so much presence. The next Queensland, New South
Wales try it come soon after. It was an era
coming into trouble from Queensland. And this is really this
is really important, Coops. And we said, coming into the game,
one of the things I was looking for from Nathan
Cleary is for him to run the football. We interviewed
(09:21):
Nathan in this room and we asked him the question.
I said, my hunch with you, Nathan is you find
your best football when you run the ball early. And
he said, yeah, I do. He said, but it's a discipline.
He can get into the mode of just passing past
you shoved on the ball sideways. Now he ran the book.
It's interesting the toe try which was a beauty. I
mean the hands of Latrell Mitchell, such a big man,
(09:42):
such velvet hands. It was an amazing pass. But Nathan
set this up. He set this up by the previous
two occasions he got the football, Coop. He ran the
ball and made small incisions into the line. Now straight
away he did that. Suddenly they're on notice. And the
best ballplayers of the that threaten with their run game.
That's what attracts the defenders, tracks the beast of the
(10:04):
hunting pot. And so run the ball next time, run
the ball. Third time he gets the ball, the time
he sets up the try coop, he feigns to run
and suddenly Queensland just squeeze in out the back to
Moses Mitchell, a beautiful pass to Latrell Mitchell and just
Bush Bush straight to toe.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
That was and the Queensland, the Queenslanders defense actually didn't
do that much wrong in that. When you watch the replay,
Cherry Cherry makes a decision to jam, probably a good
decision in the moment because they all got held up
by what Nathan did.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Yep. But you see at this level where.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
You've got Nathan Cleary, Mitchell, Moses and Latrell Mitchell, three
of the most deadly attacking players. If you're a half
a second off at club Land, you probably get away
with it. They probably land any more force an error.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
But you see the skill of those three players. Like
Latrell's pass to Ice that had it literally barely touched
his hands with the tap.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
He was incredible, and you know you can get it.
You can get a short pass and sort of knock
it through the hands quickly, but to get a long
pass and be able to go bang bang when a
guy's going to whack you outside in. It's just incredible football.
In this period, that ten minute period from twenty to
thirty minute, the best two players on the field were
Nathan Cleary and Isaiah Yoe. Isaiah Yoe has been his
(11:23):
contribution to the wind has been I think or will
be understated. Yeah, Isaiah was so good because Isaiah he's
such a clever footballer. He had to look around that
team and he goes, Okay, I got too dominant, Harvesy,
I've got Nathan Clear and I got Mitchell Moses. They
don't need me to be a ballplayer. So all the
way through the game, particularly in that period, he's taken
(11:43):
it to the line, he's feigning to pass and then
just punching through most of the Mate, you go back
and watch Isaiao's performance, most of the time he carried
the ball of the line, he punched through.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Yeah, and that's what you said that during the preview
on the week, that you would have actually started him
on the bench so that Nathan could get him his
running game early. Didn't fall into the trap of playing
out the back of Isaiaho that they've they've sometimes done
in the past. But Isaiah was outstanding out it just
he set up shape around himself with the intent to run,
just to create a one on one. And that's what
(12:15):
shapes are built for, you know. It shapes up built
for in a game to play out the back and
just go through and try to score in the corner
every time. Sometimes you can set a shape up, and
if you're a smart footballer, you can just set it
up so that you create a one on one, a
quick playable for yourself, which Yoe he did tonight.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Well, that's well. And that's the thing. You know, when
you talk to ballplayers about that, you say to him
sometimes even if you're even if you're a pure runner
and your ball playing is secondary, set up a shape
because they said before, when I said before that when
Nathan acted like he was going to run, their schools did.
When you set up a shape a flex and it
gives you an opportunity in ball runners to punch through,
(12:53):
use your footwork, show and go, et cetera, and so
on and so forth. Okay, Coop, this is really interesting.
This thing right the ten minutes before halftime where games
are won, Queensland kickoff right, and all the way in
the build up to the game, it was all about mate. Okay,
(13:13):
Spencer land New's going to get his The crowds up
for its. Spencer comes on, Spencer is standing in kick reception.
Off the kickoff, they can be they kick the other way.
They deliberately kicked the other way. And I kind of
get it in the fact that you don't want him
to get on motion and really charge off the back fence.
But I reckon that's a victory for Spencer.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
Yeah, I think it would have been a powerful thing
for him to come on and the last plason you
want to kick too, they just kick it to him
and they get stuck into him. I think them not
doing that was a real lift to the pack, particularly Spencer.
But I think it was like I said earlier, I
think that was a testament to the work that Paynhas
and Lomax did early by really troubling Harry Gran and
(13:56):
the middle to make their one on mines. I think
they were a little bit like we just we want
to try to win, like they were. I think they
just looked at it a bit rattled through their middle
like they wanted to win the tackle camp because they
know when you're out there and you're not making good
contact as a player and a lot of the times
what you're thinking is is shit, I've lost the last
four of my tackles. I need to start winning it
because in video I'm going to get I'm going to
(14:18):
get pulled apart. I have no doubt that Billy in
the next camp will have them all in, show them
a lot of because they just lost so much of
their one on one tackles. There was a lot of
time like players finding their front, which you don't see,
particularly in the first twenty minutes of Origin. It was.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
It was really surprising coop and of course the trope
for a half time. Yeah, a couple of big moments
for half time and again New South Wales try in
the right hand, right hand corner Lo Max again.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Yeah it was it was it was as yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
It was Lo Max again. This time again Nathan, benefiting
from his run threat, goes to the line nicest trait
double pumps and with the the danger of Nathan running
and the danger of the double pump, Hemisode just couldn't
help himself. He just turns in.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Yeah, but you know, I think I believe it was
the play before that Isaiao again took a quick play
the ball got it got a real, real quick one.
And then when you actually look at that try, they
had enough numbers to defend it easy. I think whoever
was the back row I kind of got to Nathan
created so they all they had equal numbers. Just like
(15:27):
you said, just the threat of having a quick play
the ball, the good intent on shape, Nathan's run, threat,
nice double pump, it just had him nervous. I think
they were just they were just under the pump out there,
and then it was easy through the hands from Edwards
to Lomak.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
I'm looking at that period they just fought. Just on
half time and I thinking coastly can't get back into this.
Were so dominant, but then there's always something that happens.
And the final played for halftime, Dally puts again the
benefit of an attacking kick over excuse me, and goes
up and of course and Brian grabs him and gets
(16:04):
ten minutes of the sin bin, and all of a sudden,
you know it's game on again.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Yeah, big controversial. Obviously getting sinned in not a lot
in it, not a lot in it. But at the
end of the day, professional foul. He hits him when
he's in the air, good fair play, to Queens and
they got they ended up getting the two points. I'll
tell you right now if I mean, look, a lot
of shit's been put on the goalkickers, particularly Nathan and
(16:29):
Lomax towards the end of the game. It's all missed,
a couple of sitters. But geez, if you go into
that game at the end of there and it would
have been twenty to two if they kicked all their goals,
which is game over in Origin. If you go in
mentally and you're going twenty to two, down fourteen to
two and you know we only need two tries in
(16:51):
it's so mental you're not having to chase.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
That scoreboard shows you the dominance of New South Wales.
I mean, could have been twenty very well, could have
been twenty into two at half time. Yeah at sant
Corpse Stadium.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Oh yeah, like Linds, I can't remember the last time
you see that at half time in a state of origin,
Like that's so dominant.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
Jesus what after halftime? That this is the ten minutes
half to halftime is a horror period for New South
Wales because we've got twelve men left half time. When
you've got twelve men, you need to be squeaky clean.
You've got to complete your set. You've got to complete
your sets. You drive the ball to touch, you walk down,
you don't let the opposition get into a rhythm and
(17:31):
you slow the tempo of the game. But we just
I mean, we start the second half with the second
seven tackles set from Mitch and this will lead eventually
to the queens Land, to the Queensland. Try it first,
queens lande In New South Wales, they just keep coming
up with error.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
It's the error after what you said, like the way
they played that first twenty minutes was perfect New South
Wales in the first half. That was that it is
such a good sort of case study for other teams
to go this is how we want to play our footy.
That first twenty minutes when they were down to twelve
was possibly the complete polar opposite. Like you said, seven tackles,
(18:08):
they defend a couple sets. They do a good job
with twelve. First tackle Lomax drops it, yes, and then
they go to a scrum where they end up picking
up Valentine Holmes and dragging him over the sideline. You think, geez,
they're not going to score here. Next tackle, first tackle
Jeremiah and I flies out of the line and puts
a shot on the trail who drops it? Which they
go offload, offload and Xavier.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
Coach scores on the right hand corner.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
Like everything that could have gone wrong for you so
well is that it did.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
At that point, I'm thinking to myself, man, I mean,
we've let them back into the game. But they've got
you know, the crowd of come back into the game.
You know, they've got momentum. I'm thinking of himself, Well,
here we go. They've allowed them to get back in.
And as you know, when you're loading fourteen two and
you've got complete dominance. Excuse me, that's all right, and
you've got complete dominance, what happens is all of a sudden,
(19:00):
the opposition score and they're back end of the game.
My god, that's a momentum swing, and it's so hard
to arrest that momentum, to get that momentum back, to.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Wrestle it back, particularly when you've got twelve.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
For another.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
I think they slid another five minutes with twelve, and
you like you're under the pump and you've got the
spine of munster. Cherry Evans Grant and Ponga who were
starting to catch fire, but they really didn't Queensland really
didn't grab that chance. After that, they didn't.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
Really do a lot with the twelve.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Yeah, I agree with the particularly first half when you
saw some of the expansive footy out of their own.
They were shifting it, shifting it, and then they went
to twelve. It was like they didn't want to It's
like they didn't want to make errors, so they kind
of just tried to play more through the middle when
that was probably when they should have shifted a lot more.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
It was interesting about the second half of their Coinsians
attack Coups was that in the first half they were
having so much, so much success going to their right
against Latrell and Brian, and she said they would disconnected.
They just couldn't get their decision making right. Second half
they barely go there at all. It's in the second
(20:08):
half they always just attack to their left. And I've
got no doubt and we said this before before the game.
Leading up to the game, Billy loves to attack Zach Lomax.
In Billy's mind, he sees that Zach Lomax puts so
much effort and energy into his attack and his yardage.
That can leave him vulnerable in defense. And sometimes he
(20:28):
does clock off, sometimes he disconnects himself from from from
his center. But the big benefit for Lomax Coops was
that he was alongside Stephen Crichton. There are a few
times in that second half the Coisler had an opportunity.
If it had been a lesser defensive center, they probably
would discovered. But Crichton his defensive decisions, and I've got
(20:48):
no doubt he would have been just yapping and yappen
and yappen to Lomax Cooper and Lomac's honest in defense,
and so Coislan kept getting there. But they'll get no result.
And you look on that.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Side of Crichton and Lomacs. I had a theory of watching.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
I've had this theory for a while.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
But Hamaso taboo feedo at left center right, if you
have a they created a couple opportunities there where Hamma
just got on the outside of Critter and I looked
under pressure having a center inside you who's an out
and out speed stuff In Valentine Holmes with his wing
was his winger. There was a couple of times there
where they probably could have caught us out, but Hammer's
(21:26):
speed was actually too quick for Valentine Holmes and he
kind of dropped back a little bit, was forced to
drop off back underneath, which allowed New South Wales to
go man on and Zach Lomax to come in and
just tackle him.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
And it was it was it was the inside pressure
he was getting also from from Krichton crighton getting up
and pushing him from the inside. He just couldn't get
the angle to straighten into that gap that Billy was
after in between Crichton and Lomacs with his Lomax speed
was slightly disconnected. But let's see what coop in this period.
In the second half, there was a lot of attack
from New South Wales and I thought was really poor.
(21:57):
I thought they went into there. I thought that were
just too conservative of the second half and evidence of
that certainly New South Wales will getting a lot of
joy from just playing nice and straight, you know, with
those short, short ball or sweep options, peeling Coeensland short
in the second half for a lot for a decent
(22:19):
period in the second half, lots of inside balls drifting across,
picking them up on the inside, and I can understeer.
What they're trying to do, they're trying to fatigue coinsland
and they'll try to consolidate possession. But I just found
it really ineffective, you know, and I just thought in
the first half their attacking shapes were a lot better.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Yeah, I think that's a bit of that Penrith the
bit of Penrith ball they do. Penrith like to drop
people off, come back through the inside, and really wear
a middle out. I think under fatigue they sort of
fell back into that pattern in the second half, probably
went away from their game plan a little bit, which
I think. You know, it obviously ended up working for them,
but I think if that mold that they had in
(22:58):
the first half with their attack where they didn't really
they weren't really doing a lot of that drop off stuff.
They were just charging down the middle with their rucks
and then look when they got to quick play the ball,
get on the ad line and try to find an edge.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Well, Cooper even like that, even if they wanted to
play a lot more simple, it's go forward, drive them back,
play the ball quick, get the ball to a Nathan
or Isa or a Mitchell Moses and just challenge them
with his spoed and footwork just going them. You know.
That was I thought that would have been more effective
than drifting and dropping underneath, because in fact it really
(23:32):
congested the middle of the field for New South Wales
attack twenty minutes to go Coop. There's a really pivotal moment.
Queensland are on attack and they've got a chance to
make it a really big finish fourteen six. But they
get the ball. It's a really really poor set. They
gues sort of here and there, they do anything, and
then Monster puts in a kick along the ground, a
(23:53):
grubber Zach Lomax diffuses it and then draws a penalty.
Queensland never looked likely again, Yeah, I think that was
the Yeah, they looked.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
They did look very lost when they got down attack
on the tryline, which was weird. They're very usually very structured.
They did look a bit disjointed. I reckon a lot
of that come from fatigue from the first half. When
you're fatigued, you do a lot of work in the
first half, your communication kind of goes out the window.
But yeah, that, like you said, Lomax's reading that kick
and saving that try because the hammer was coming through
(24:21):
at a lot of pace.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
I thought Coops, I thought Monster he needed to run
the ball a lot more than he did. I can
understand his forwards didn't quite get dominance, but that's never
stopped him before, and he's so unorthodox. I thought he
just couldn't find his game. Yeah, tonight, and you know,
if Monster's running the football and then you know he's
(24:44):
punching through and all of a sudden you got tail
and getting on the back of that daily doing his things,
you know, Harry jumping down and done me off, all
those things. You know, Monster is the one that actually
could have kick started the yardage if that's well in
attack anyway, He's the one that could have got the quick,
played the ball and made things happen.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Yeah, And I mean it's easy for us to say
that because we've seen him do it so many times
before at the Origin level. You know that twenty twenty
series when he basically put the team on his back
and just did some spectacle. It had some great moments.
But yeah, I think I think tonight he's you know,
obviously he's pack got dominated and New South Wales were
just had him under the pump for half an hour straight.
So we probably didn't see the monster that we are
(25:24):
used to seeing at that level.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
I think there was a couple of.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
Nice moments from him, but you know, he never really
looked likely to make it. A few line breaks and
stuff like that, and.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
New South while school a final final try with ice
is the game guess what to come off kick? Nathan
Attacker attacking kickbacks, takes the ball eventually lose of Connor
Watson try.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
Connor Watson didn't score it. Actually, Connor Watson had probably
the offload of the year. He was basically was nearly
held out and he just popped it up like a
little rugby union pop. And Dylan Edwards scored. Mage maguire
ye Image McGuire look alike.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Yeah, h Cooper, New South Wales best. What do you
think of me?
Speaker 2 (26:05):
I mean the best? For me? It was a It
was a flipper coin just from what they did the
first half an hour, halfs and Lomax. I ended up
going Lomax just because hears went off. I think it
has stayed out there, which he probably could have.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
He edges it, but.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Zach Lomax what he did out of yardage and then
just he just chased every one of Nathan's kicks. I
mean it kicks only as good as it's Chase and
Lomax was outstanding on Kickchase.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
Hayt has got Man of the match on the on
the on the coverage. Can't disagree with that. He was mighty.
I thought Mitch Barnett was great. I thought Mitch Barnett
made like you know, sometimes we picks in the past
have picked teams on what they can do more with
the football than character and toughness. That made sense and
(26:51):
I think that's what he's got tons of made. He
was really physical, really got into him. A lot of
the stuff you just don't see. Matter two was bloody
good to Liam Bart was mighty. That's his best performance
in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2 (27:04):
Look, I'm going through the team in my head and
there wasn't a bloke out there who was under a
six or a seven, you know as a rating. When
you got a team that's everyone's sort of playing at
a seven or above consistently, Like, how did we we
were bound to win the football? Mate Max King, who
come off the bench as well. It's really good King.
He played big minutes and he did an outstanding job.
(27:26):
I think I think there was a one to seventeen effort.
Speaker 1 (27:28):
Everyone did a real good job.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
Who was your best?
Speaker 1 (27:32):
The zak Lomax zak Lomac's I think Cleary combination was very,
very dangerous all night as attacking kicks exactly always come
up with him just quickly before we give our three
two one Queensland's best. I thought it was either it
was Nanni.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Yeah, I thought I had Nana as well, just based
on the big moments he had which changed the game,
which gave him an opportunity to change the game that
the Trell Mitchell hit and then he come up with
about three big plays on Chase where they got repeat
sets off it.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
But I thought Cherry Evans was really strong. To it
was Tina. I thought Tina was good.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
Tino was good.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
When isn't he good?
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Mate, the big fella they needed. They missed him last year. Okay, Coop,
you won two and three points for the whole game.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
Yeah, so one one point for me actually went to Nanai,
just based on he got them back into that game.
Two points for me he was paying hals and three points.
I just said it before Zach Lomacs. Just effort all overground.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
I've got one point, Isaiah slightly ahead of Mitch Bunnett
and Liam Martin two points. Zach Zach Lomac's paying hass
for me gets the three points. Looking forward, Cooper tea
men big win. As I said before next game, Game
two is in Perth. Yeah, that all really certain. New
South Wales it's a fast track. It's a dry track,
(28:52):
you know. It's it's a track where when you look
at games that have been played there, they've been high
scoring games. Newcastle, Newcastle, New Southwall. I really able to
push the ball around and get even give give Latrell
and Stephen Crichton even more opportunity.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
Do you see changes, first of all with New South Wales?
Do you see any changes? Like there was a lot
of There was a couple of injuries to people who
were on the bench who ended up coming in.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
I can't. I don't see any force. I can't. I
can't see an injury.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
Yeah, I can't see anyone getting taken out. Queensland's the
big talking point they were talking a lot of. Cameron
Smith had a lot to say about you know, do
they potentially look to did and into the starting line
to mix it up with their spine They didn't like
the spine. Weren't on tonight together. They all had their
nice little moments, but they disconnected.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Harry he split his head. Did he get injured because
he went off? You went back on?
Speaker 2 (29:44):
He went off and did and went into nine and
then he come back on the last fifteen, so he
was all right.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Yeah, yeah, I think they could could have used did
bet up Billy. I would have used did as a
running thirteen. Yeah. I think they letting go.
Speaker 2 (29:59):
I think they had to give Harry a spell just
from the amount of work that because we were saying
it during the game, they really found him a lot
of one on one like they were really trying to
work him over. Obviously he's so effective in attack, and
by making him do so much work in defense, you
take his a lot of his running game out of it.
I think they had to give him a spell there,
(30:20):
just didn't potentially they were talking about didn't potentially coming
into the halves.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
Is that a chance? D reckon, What do you replace
your Dce and Munster? You know, I don't see those
blokes being replaced. I mean, if did was to replace
Dali Tree even so, you would imagine almost drawl the
curtain on his Origin career. I don't think they'll do that.
I don't think they'll let Daily play the series as
I said I would, I'd keep diading on the bench,
(30:44):
but I would put him on in the thirteen role. Yeah,
put him on after about twenty five minutes, get him going,
keeps breaky radio on the water. I think it's to
get a bit of sleep. Huh.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
It's no sleep for me, Broster state of Origin. I
don't sleep. I just sit there in my bed like
Count Dracula in my little coffin, and I just sit
there just thinking about stuff. And I just text loves,
I text loves and slatsy. I text lots and slatsy,
just some good feedback and whatnot. No sleep till Brooklyn,
No sleep. I text loves a couple of months ago,
(31:14):
said I make good luck and he said, yeah, you know.
And I said, I forget what he said, like set
one back, saying and if you win, I'll give you
I'll give you a nice little cuddle and a kiss
on the cheek. And he never replied. What a weird message.
Speaker 1 (31:29):
I was in a bit of a I was had
a couple of beers.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
I love, I love when I flashed up with the
Coaches Box a couple of times, and like Lows was
kind of sitting there like kind of like pretty calm,
and the most like aggravated person in the box was Belly.
He was just like he's there as an advisor, yet he.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Was almost just like riding the wave worse than anyone. Well,
he's a winner, oh mane he loves it alright, Coops,
good on your man.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Ridiculous History
History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.