Blues carry big-game edge into State of Origin decider
Scott Bailey and Jasper Bruce |
NSW will carry an imposing big-game advantage into the State of Origin decider, with Penrith’s five-year NRL dynasty helping prepare the Blues for rugby league’s grandest stage.
NSW will enter Wednesday night’s decider at Accor Stadium as firm favourites, despite Queensland’s game-two win in Perth keeping the series alive last month.
Origin deciders are widely regarded as the second biggest game of each NRL season, behind only the grand final in terms of build up and interest.
And it is in that department where NSW will take in the biggest advantage on Wednesday night.
In total, NSW’s players have featured in 64 grand finals and Origin deciders between them, combining for 45 wins.
In comparison, the Maroons have 46 of those games between them for 26 wins.
“I certainly like the fact that I’ve got experience in those games,” NSW captain Isaah Yeo said.
“You can lean on sort of past things or you probably might have more of an understanding of what the focus points need to be in those big moments.
“I get confidence out of that for sure, but that’d be just myself. Everyone would be different with that.
“That’s not to say that someone who hasn’t done that before can’t go and be confident and know exactly what they’re going to do.”
Yeo said that experience also helped mentally in the build up, including better sleep routine before matches than ahead of his first grand final and Origin in 2020.
“I just try to be pretty much as relaxed as I can,” he said.
“There’s no point sort of worrying or stressing about something that you can’t really control.
“I feel like I do a good job of understanding how much the preparation means to it and then getting confidence out of that.”
Yeo is one of eight members of Penrith’s premiership dynasty in the Blues side, with all of them bar Nathan Cleary having also won a decider.
Twelve of the team also played in last year’s series-deciding win at Suncorp Stadium.
Those figures tower over the Maroons, who have just four premiership winners in Valentine Holmes, Cameron Munster, Kurt Capewell and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui.
Queensland’s Origin history is however built out of unlikely wins and members of sides that won deciders in 2017, 2020 and 2022 who remain in the side.
Coach Billy Slater has also been quick to point out in recent weeks that history means little, as the Maroons try to win two games on the road after being 1-0 down for the first time.
And nor did Slater care for the gap in big-game experience between the teams, when asked about it Tuesday.
“Is that the narrative you want to run with?” Slater quipped.
“They (NSW) are a great team. We’re not disrespectful to that, we’re not naive to what they’re going to bring.
“They’re a wonderful footy team and they’re playing at home. It’s going to be tough.
“It’s about our game, it’s about the footy game. It’s about what we can outlay and what we can control.”
AAP
