Blues rue what might have been after winning State of Origin 3

July 13, 2023 6:16 pm.by Wayne Heming

A lot of New South Wales supporters will be feeling the same as former captain Paul Gallen about “what could have been” had the Blues taken their chance to win game one of Origin the series in Adelaide.

It took Gallen, who played 24 games in the sky blue jumper, just a few minutes after Brad Fittler’s new-look side avoided an embarrassing 3-0 Origin whitewash in Sydney to pose the “what if” question.

In front of more than 70,000 fans at Accor Stadium, Brad Fittler’s Blues answered the critics with two new faces, Cody Walker and rookie Bradman Best, stealing the show and champion fullback James Tedesco bouncing back to his best.

“You sit back after a pretty dominant display by the Blues and you can’t help but wonder; “what if”, said Gallen, who suffered the Origin ignominy of being part of eight straight series losses, many as captain.

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“We went down in game one when with 10 minutes to go Queensland were down to 12 men but we still got beaten.

“In game two we had to play guys out of position because of injuries very, very early in the game.

“We copped a few curve balls this series and we just needed a few players to stay fit.

“What if we had Turbo (Trbojevic) and Mitchell, genuine centres out there for the entire series?

Game one definitely got away from NSW.

They blew it and allowed Billy Slater and his Maroons to return to the sanctuary of Suncorp Stadium with all the pressure and heat on Fittler and Tedesco to save them from Origin’s first 3-0 whitewash since 2010.

In the end, despite their commanding 24-10 game three win, it proved a mountain too high to climb.

By the time Fittler approved several drastic changes, blooding two-try debutant Best, switching Cameron Murray’s role, and handing the playmaking duties to an ice-cool Walker, the series was lost.

Jake Trbojevic’s return to the middle was also huge for the Blues.

Queensland’s failure to drive the nail into NSW’s Origin coffin has raised many questions — the answers to which will have to wait until next year’s series.

Would the Blues have won this series had their two key strike players, Latrell Mitchell and Tom Trbojevic not gone down injured?

Maybe.

Should Fittler have made mass changes before the series was lost at Suncorp Stadium?

Most definitely.

Is State of Origin alive and well and thriving?

Absolutely.

What transpired in game three at Accor Stadium and the way NSW responded to the challenge has assured fans of a classic Origin series in 2024.

Another question revolves around rival coaches Fittler and Queensland’s Slater, who retained the bragging rights with his second Origin series success.

Queensland Rugby League must make sure Slater stays in the job for a few more years, whatever that takes, it has to be their number one priority.

Slater’s assistant coach and former Queensland star Johnathan Thurston summed up the Maroon’s performance after the disappointing loss.

“Defensively we were off just a little bit and that’s all it takes in Origin and when you’re playing against some of the best players, they make you pay,” he said.

“I’m still proud of our boys and to wrap up the series 2-0 is a huge achievement and the Shield will be staying in Queensland for at least the next 12 months.

“I still feel our best football is ahead of us.”

It’s fair to say Fittler and his coaching staff feel exactly the same about their team after the authority of their third-game win.

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