ORIGIN III: The Greatest Game of ALL
The time is almost upon us. The 8:13pm kick off is nearly here. Brace yourselves, Origin III is nearing full steam ahead.
In less than 12 hours, the 34 best NRL players will run onto Suncorp Stadium in what is being heralded 'the greatest Origin game of all time.' The Queensland Maroons will do battle against the New South Wales Blues in a fiery encounter that will certainly be one for the ages.
This year’s series has been clouded in more controversy and discussion than years before, with the games next immortal, Jonathan Thurston, succumbing to injury after a heroic performance in game two. The Maroons have bred eight new faces into the side this series, more than any other number of players in their 11 year dominance. The likes of Anthony Milford, Dylan Napa, Valentine Holmes, and Jarrod Wallace have all graced the starting line-up of the team this year.
On the other hand, the Blues have retained their original 17 from game one throughout the entire series, the first time a New South Wales team has done so in around 22 years! It’s an advantage that'll hope to have over their Queensland counterparts, who are up to their third five-eighth in three games this year.
Without JT, the Blues will be looking to attack a 'weak' link in Queensland's defensive line up - their right edge. The side of the field will be graced by explosive winger Valentine Holmes, utility turned centre Michael Morgan, and new kid on the block, Cameron Munster. Despite the three never lining up together, let alone in these positions before, you can't help but think that their experience in the QAS camps will come in handy.
Cameron Munster's selection caps off the Melbourne Storm quintuplet of players to make the Maroons side. Munster will start the game in the number 6 jersey alongside his fellow Storm team mates Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith not to mention Will Chambers and Tim Glasby. The starting spine will become only the second in Origin history to have four key position players playing both club and representative football in one season. Now, if that isn't an added advantage I don't know what is!
While the game isn’t all about Queensland, you can’t help but think that the team will be fuelled by a sold-out Suncorp Stadium, which will all be bleeding Maroon, as well as giving a fitting fairy tale ending to more than one key player – uh huh Cooper, we’re looking at you!
New South Wales preparation hasn’t been all smooth sailing, with several players carrying niggling injuries in the build-up to the game.
Most notably, captain courageous Boyd Cordner is set to play after a calf tear in game two, that should have seen him have a SIX-week stint on the side line. The miraculous three-week recovery will be an inspiration to his team mates, who fell flat in the last 20 minutes of game two.
If the Blues are to win tonight, it’ll need to be off the back of their halves James Maloney and Mitchell Pearce, who can control the game as good as the rest of the pairings in the competition. Combine the skilful halves with the electrifying nature of James Tedesco at the back and workhorse Nathan Peats, and the Blues are in for a good chance.
As a Queenslander, you can’t go past the mighty Maroons and the exciting excellence that they bring to the field. I still think that they can get the job done at the Cauldron, but it won’t be without a tough fight and accurate kicking.
It’s a State versus State battle that will likely go down as one of the most memorable and tantalising games of the modern era.
*Photos from QRL and the NRL.com