Blues out to avoid repeat of stop-start Perth contest
Scott Bailey |
NSW have conceded the onus is on them to clean up their discipline and limit stoppages in the State of Origin decider, believing set-for-set football will advantage them.
The Blues’ first-half penalty count emerged as the major talking point of NSW’s loss in Perth, after they conceded eight before the break to trail 26-6.
Referee Ashley Klein has been retained by the NRL for Wednesday night’s decider despite intense scrutiny after Queensland’s win in Perth.
Blues Coach Laurie Daley pointed out on Tuesday there was only 52 minutes of ball-in-play time at Optus Stadium, compared to 58 in NSW’s series opening win in Brisbane.
NSW do believe set-for-set football can benefit them, given their side is structured to win the yardage battle.
Dylan Edwards, Brian To’o and Zac Lomax are three of the best early-yardage backs in the NRL, while Payne Haas is close to the NRL’s most powerful prop.
For those players to kick into gear in Sydney, the Blues need less stop-start football, something captain Isaah Yeo said was NSW’s responsibility to create.
“It suits the way we want to play, but that’s up to the players, isn’t it?” Yeo said.
“If they’re giving away penalties or dropping the ball, there are going to be stoppages.
“That puts an onus on you as a team that you want to be able to make sure you’re completing high, you’re disciplined.
“Then off the back of that, you’d like to think you get the game you want on.”
Yeo noted neither game in this year’s series had been free-flowing, with the Maroons also ill-disciplined and completing poorly in the Suncorp Stadium opener.
The Blues skipper said he did not know if Queensland would attempt to disrupt the flow of Wednesday’s game, a suggestion the Maroons knocked back on Tuesday.
“Not necessarily. I don’t think that,” coach Billy Slater said when asked if Queensland wanted a stop-start game.
“The game is the game, and we need to play our best football. That’s what our focus is. We can’t control anything outside of that.”
Regardless, Yeo said it was also on him to steady the Blues if things did spiral on Wednesday night, as they did in the first half three weeks ago in Perth.
“The way we responded at half-time, the way we came together, I was really proud of,” Yeo said.
“But you can’t be doing that in a big game, so we’ve definitely had internal conversations.
“There’s some ownership on myself there too, if things are going wrong, to try and right the ship and get around our spine.”
AAP
