The Queensland great feels Billy Slater will need more from his players in Origin Game 3.
Queensland great Cooper Cronk has suggested the Maroons’ key to victory in the State of Origin decider will be to shut down Latrell Mitchell and Stephen Crichton in Sydney. The Blues have found success in this year’s series when shifting the ball out wide with Zac Lomax and Brian To’o benefiting from the deadly NSW backline.
NSW have scored more tries than Queensland in both games, but were let down by their goal-kicking in Perth having lost 26-24. While Mitchell hasn’t scored a try in Brisbane and Perth, his presence has been a distraction for the Queensland side down the left.
Crichton is considered by many as the best centre in the game and crossed over for a try in Perth. He also set-up two for Lomax in Game 1 with the Eels winger a standout across the 80 minutes.
And Nathan Cleary will be looking to get the ball early to his backline on a dry track in Sydney. NSW saw a drastic change in the final 40 minutes of Game 2 when the Blues piled on 18 second-half points. The NSW halves went wide and Queensland had few answers to their backline. And Cronk believes this is where Billy Slater’s men need to stop NSW.
Cronk suggested Queensland need to up their tempo even from Game 2 if they were going to nullify the Blues’ destructive edge. Robert Toia and debutant Gehmat Shibasaki will need to have their best defensive games to answer this call. “In Game 2, when they were coming, every time they touched the ball it looked like something was happening,” he said on Fox Sports.
“So I think for Queensland to win this, they need to defend like their life depends on it, but those two centres cannot get early effective ball. Their first tackle on their centres needs to be the best tackle ever.
“If Latrell or Stephen fend off their centre, it’s going to give them a lot of confidence. It’s going to give Nathan and Jarome more reason to go there, so they need to stop them.”
Matty Johns calls for Latrell Mitchell early ball
And former NSW five-eighth Matty Johns also identified the edge as where NSW have the biggest advantage. Johns feels the big game experience of Crichton and Mitchell will be too much for their opposites numbers.
“Get clean early ball to Latrell and Crichton because they’re up against Shibasaki and Toia… it’s a great story, both of them. They’re players on the up. Shibasaki is finding himself now. It’s a great feel-good story selection,” Johns said of Queensland’s edge.
But it’s a big risk from Billy because Shibasaki and Toia aren’t in the same postcode with Trell and Crichton when it comes to dealing with high-pressure football. If I’m Nathan, I want to get the ball to them early so against a Toia or Shibasaki, they can sort of shove them off, put a dent in them early and affect their confidence.”
NSW boosted by Payne Haas and Brian To’o update
The NSW Blues were waiting on the fitness of Payne Haas and Brian To’o for the State of Origin decider, but both stars will line-up. A number of NSW players have endured a disrupted camp heading into Game 3 with Cleary, To’o and Haas battling niggles ahead of Wednesday’s showdown.
While Cleary will play, but won’t be goal-kicking, To’o and Haas hadn’t trained with the main group ahead of the showdown with Queensland. Although both took part in the captain’s run with NSW expected to run out with the 17 named.
