The banter & jibing is at fever point and kick-off is not far away. Once that ball is in the air all current arguments will be settled after 80 minutes of play and new arguments will start. All that remains is who will be the team holding up the trophy in glory.
The biggest question that remains unanswered is how much the refs will affect the game. No matter how you look at it the refs will ultimately decide the game, it is just matter of whether it is because they are consistent and allow the game to be free flowing and don't let the talk in the media and from the teams influence how they control the game or the opposite happens the teams are allowed to stretch every letter of the rules and turn it into a slow, game and plenty of mistakes occur.
The Teams:
NSW:
Greg Bird, Todd Carney, Robbie Farah, Paul Gallen (c), Tim Grant, Jarryd Hayne, Michael Jennings, Brett Morris, Josh Morris, Mitchell Pearce, Beau Scott, Brett Stewart, James Tamou, Interchange: Luke Lewis, Ben Creagh, Anthony Watmough, Tony Williams
QLD:
Greg Inglis, Darius Boyd, Dane Nielson , Justin Hodges, Brent Tate, Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk, Matt Scott, Cameron Smith (c), Petero Civoniceva, Nate Myles, Sam Thaiday, Corey Parker Interchange: Matt Gillett, Ben Te'o, Ben Hannant, David Shillington.
NSW and QLD have both been forced to make changes due to injury and both have made changes due to form. Will these be where the game is won or lost? Maybe but also one cannot debate the fact that Queensland have not played at the top of their game and it would be a brave man that backs them to not play well at Lang Park. The interchange benches also will play a big part in the game, especially if there are injuries. Both teams have gone for a complete bench of forwards, so injuries can play a very big part. This is where I see Queensland having the advantage.
Also of note is the nerves factor. There is a big question mark over the NSW halves and if they can stand up to the pressure in the game that is being talked about as one of the biggest in history. Carney is known for his nerves and it won't be a surprise to see him crack in game 3. Also in both games so far the kicking game has been substandard from the pair and another poor kicking game will be costly. For Queensland, things haven't been at the normal standard but with the return of Thaiday and Inglis at fullback, NSW will have their hands full in defending the fringes. With Inglis at fullback, he has the ability to pop on anywhere on the field and soft defending could be exposed very quickly.
All I want to see is a game where the ten metres is controlled and neither team is allowed to get away with slowly the play down beyond the ridiculous. The refs will have a lot on their plate, tensions are high and plenty of cheap shots will be happening. If the refs are not careful, this game has potential to boil out of control and it won't be surprising to see a player sent off in this game. It may be origin but there will be no place for a player that takes out a player with a malicious cheap shot.
Queensland to win, Greg Inglis to score a double and stamp himself as the greatest try scorer in the game. Just look back to the first 20 minutes of game 3 last year and I think it will pan out much the same. NSW are under a lot of expectation and I can see a few of their players struggling with controlling the adrenalin and aggression. After the Game yet again you will see an ungracious acceptance of defeat by the NSW captain and coach.
No comments:
Post a Comment