NSW pay for poor start on strange night for Cleary

The Advertiser

6 hours ago

NSW will rue an ill-disciplined first half that ultimately cost them the chance to wrap up the State of Origin series in Perth.
The Blues went within a whisker of staging the biggest comeback win in Origin history but lost 26-24 after giving away eight penalties in the first half and trailing 26-6.
Incredibly the Blues scored five tries to four but goal kicking cost them dearly in Origin II.
Queensland great Cameron Smith summed up NSW half Nathan Cleary's strange and uncharacteristic showing in the opening 40 minutes.
"I don't think he's been right all night," Smith said.
Cleary was wearing a compression bandage on his upper right leg and did not kick for goal. Zac Lomax took on that responsibility but not hit them well at all. Cleary did not kick long in the first half and had a bizarre shank of a short kick.
In the second half the maestro found an extra leg and started to find the magic with his passes and long kicks.
The Blues comeback had a heavy involvement from the "Penrith gang" past and present, along with centre Latrell Mitchell who put Brian To'o over for two of his three tries.
Cleary, Jarome Luai and Dylan Edwards combined like old times to put Stephen Crichton over out wide.
Cleary and Luai got together again and it was the Wests Tigers five-eighth's kick for Angus Crichton that got them within two points of the Maroons.
NSW's greatest-ever coach Phil Gould said the Blues played "unintelligent" footy in the first half. They scored the first try to the irrepressible To'o, who notched a hat-trick, but then clocked off as the Maroons found their momentum.
"NSW didn't see it coming," Gould said of the Maroons' fightback in game two.
While the Blues will be fuming over their opening 40 minutes they showed in the second half that when they get their game on they have the Maroons' measure.
With the decider at Homebush there is no need for coach Laurie Daley to panic.
Apart from injuries there are unlikely to be major changes but the Blues learnt a well-worn lesson that the Maroons are always at their most dangerous when written off.
NSW will rue an ill-disciplined first half that ultimately cost them the chance to wrap up the State of Origin series in Perth.
The Blues went within a whisker of staging the biggest comeback win in Origin history but lost 26-24 after giving away eight penalties in the first half and trailing 26-6.
Incredibly the Blues scored five tries to four but goal kicking cost them dearly in Origin II.
Queensland great Cameron Smith summed up NSW half Nathan Cleary's strange and uncharacteristic showing in the opening 40 minutes.
"I don't think he's been right all night," Smith said.
Cleary was wearing a compression bandage on his upper right leg and did not kick for goal. Zac Lomax took on that responsibility but not hit them well at all. Cleary did not kick long in the first half and had a bizarre shank of a short kick.
In the second half the maestro found an extra leg and started to find the magic with his passes and long kicks.
The Blues comeback had a heavy involvement from the "Penrith gang" past and present, along with centre Latrell Mitchell who put Brian To'o over for two of his three tries.
Cleary, Jarome Luai and Dylan Edwards combined like old times to put Stephen Crichton over out wide.
Cleary and Luai got together again and it was the Wests Tigers five-eighth's kick for Angus Crichton that got them within two points of the Maroons.
NSW's greatest-ever coach Phil Gould said the Blues played "unintelligent" footy in the first half. They scored the first try to the irrepressible To'o, who notched a hat-trick, but then clocked off as the Maroons found their momentum.
"NSW didn't see it coming," Gould said of the Maroons' fightback in game two.
While the Blues will be fuming over their opening 40 minutes they showed in the second half that when they get their game on they have the Maroons' measure.
With the decider at Homebush there is no need for coach Laurie Daley to panic.
Apart from injuries there are unlikely to be major changes but the Blues learnt a well-worn lesson that the Maroons are always at their most dangerous when written off.
NSW will rue an ill-disciplined first half that ultimately cost them the chance to wrap up the State of Origin series in Perth.
The Blues went within a whisker of staging the biggest comeback win in Origin history but lost 26-24 after giving away eight penalties in the first half and trailing 26-6.
Incredibly the Blues scored five tries to four but goal kicking cost them dearly in Origin II.
Queensland great Cameron Smith summed up NSW half Nathan Cleary's strange and uncharacteristic showing in the opening 40 minutes.
"I don't think he's been right all night," Smith said.
Cleary was wearing a compression bandage on his upper right leg and did not kick for goal. Zac Lomax took on that responsibility but not hit them well at all. Cleary did not kick long in the first half and had a bizarre shank of a short kick.
In the second half the maestro found an extra leg and started to find the magic with his passes and long kicks.
The Blues comeback had a heavy involvement from the "Penrith gang" past and present, along with centre Latrell Mitchell who put Brian To'o over for two of his three tries.
Cleary, Jarome Luai and Dylan Edwards combined like old times to put Stephen Crichton over out wide.
Cleary and Luai got together again and it was the Wests Tigers five-eighth's kick for Angus Crichton that got them within two points of the Maroons.
NSW's greatest-ever coach Phil Gould said the Blues played "unintelligent" footy in the first half. They scored the first try to the irrepressible To'o, who notched a hat-trick, but then clocked off as the Maroons found their momentum.
"NSW didn't see it coming," Gould said of the Maroons' fightback in game two.
While the Blues will be fuming over their opening 40 minutes they showed in the second half that when they get their game on they have the Maroons' measure.
With the decider at Homebush there is no need for coach Laurie Daley to panic.
Apart from injuries there are unlikely to be major changes but the Blues learnt a well-worn lesson that the Maroons are always at their most dangerous when written off.