CRITICISED for being too old and too slow, Queensland showed at ANZ Stadium that experience is a more precious commodity than enthusiasm in the State of Origin arena.
The Maroons’ gripping 11-10 win over the Blues in Sydney was a triumph on many levels, not the least of which is giving the Queenslanders a flying start in their campaign to win back the Origin shield, lost for the first time in nine series last year.
But it was also a fitting reward for coach Mal Meninga, who was criticised leading up to the match for his determination to stay loyal to his veteran campaigners, and even for his selection tactics.
While NSW opted for a bench heavily laden with interchange forwards, the Queensland selectors opted for agility and versatility – handing Michael Morgan his first Maroons jumper after the withdrawal of Daly Cherry-Evans.
It proved a masterstroke, with the Blues forwards tiring as the match went on, allowing Queensland to slowly take control of the game and suffocate the Blues into submission.
A good deal of credit must go the Maroons forwards, who not only had to withstand the battering from the giant Blues pack, but then turned the tables in the second half by relentlessly gouging out valuable metres through the middle.
The Blues led 10-6 at halftime, and were full of confidence after playing well in the first 40 minutes.
But the second half was where Queensland’s experience shone, working the Blues over to level the scores through a Will Chambers try, before Cooper Cronk – so often the match-winner for Queensland – delivered again, banging over the field goal that delivered the win.
Meninga said he was immensely proud of the performance from his men, who will now go into the second match at the MCG confident of wrapping up the series.
“I thought collectively the team performed very well, and it was a game that showed the value of experience at Origin level,” Mal said.
“The team was criticised leading up to the game because of the age of some players, but people forget what a huge asset age and experience can be in big matches like this.
“Even when we were behind, there was never any sense of panic or that the game was getting away from them. Experience has taught them that all they need to do is stay patient, keep working to the plan, and eventually the opportunity will present itself.
“That is exactly what they did, and when the opportunity came, Cooper was good enough to take it.”
On the other side of the age debate though were the impressive debuts of first-gamers Morgan and Josh McGuire, as well as the continuing rise of “young veterans” Aidan Guerra and Will Chambers.
“I said last year that Will had one of the best debuts of anyone I had ever seen in Origin, and I think he backed it up again in his second game to show he well and truly belongs at this level,” Mal said.
“It was a great team performance. I was very happy with what I saw from all of our players.”
Chief among them though must have been captain Cameron Smith, whose leadership not only steered the Maroons home but also landed him the man of the match award.
“When you talk about leadership, there are none better than Cameron,” Mal said. “He plays his role so well, but the key for us is his decision making. He knows by instinct the right thing to do at the right time, and that makes him an easy captain for the team to follow.”
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