Martin puts Munster in crosshairs
NSW forward Liam Martin tries to tackle Queensland captain Cameron Munster in the runs during Origin I.
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The Age
33 minutes ago
- The Age
Blues keep To'o in cotton wool after hamstring scare
Gibbs said even though the latest tendon injury was in the same left hamstring, the upper and lower part of the hamstring 'work independently of each other', and there was no risk of suffering further damage in the same leg. It was not the first time To'o has ignored pain to finish a game for the Panthers. He stayed on the field for six minutes with a hamstring injury against South Sydney at the start of the season, and has admitted that by doing so he made his injury worse. 'It's my fault, I should have come off straight away. I wanted to be out there with the brothers and help them out where I can,' To'o said before his club return. The Blues are backing To'o to not only play, but also get through the game unscathed, sparing Kiraz having to fly to the other side of the country to be on standby. To'o and fellow winger Zac Lomax have been outstanding over the past four games for NSW when charging the ball back early in the tackle count. After playing just one NRL game before Origin I, To'o ran for more than 200 metres and had more than 20 hit-ups at Suncorp Stadiums. But the Maroons did target his left wing, and had success a couple of times in the first half when To'o was forced to leap and spilled the high ball. To'o knows he needs to be better in that area at Perth's Optus Stadium, and given the headlines about his fitness, said he would be surprised if Queensland didn't try their luck against him again. 'It's a no-brainer for me. I knew they were always going to target me in game one, and all I can do is look forward to the challenge again – I love the pressure,' To'o said. 'It's my job to catch those high balls, and I'll be working on that.' Loading To'o was sin-binned for tackling Xavier Coates in the air right on half-time, and said it was agonising having to watch the start of the second half before he could return. Lomax asked coach Laurie Daley if he could switch sides and defend against Coates on the opposite side of the field before To'o returned. 'I did try to go for the ball, but we both came down safely, and that's all I cared about [at the time],' To'o said. 'Anything could have happened to start that second half. A lot goes through your mind. You kick yourself, but I'm really grateful the boys held out for 10 minutes.' Canterbury's Jacob Preston and 18th man Matt Burton joined the Blues in camp on Monday, with the team to round out their preparations at Tuesday's captain's run at Optus Stadium. Victory to NSW will seal their second straight series, and Daley's first since 2014.
Sydney Morning Herald
34 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Blues keep To'o in cotton wool after hamstring scare
Gibbs said even though the latest tendon injury was in the same left hamstring, the upper and lower part of the hamstring 'work independently of each other', and there was no risk of suffering further damage in the same leg. It was not the first time To'o has ignored pain to finish a game for the Panthers. He stayed on the field for six minutes with a hamstring injury against South Sydney at the start of the season, and has admitted that by doing so he made his injury worse. 'It's my fault, I should have come off straight away. I wanted to be out there with the brothers and help them out where I can,' To'o said before his club return. The Blues are backing To'o to not only play, but also get through the game unscathed, sparing Kiraz having to fly to the other side of the country to be on standby. To'o and fellow winger Zac Lomax have been outstanding over the past four games for NSW when charging the ball back early in the tackle count. After playing just one NRL game before Origin I, To'o ran for more than 200 metres and had more than 20 hit-ups at Suncorp Stadiums. But the Maroons did target his left wing, and had success a couple of times in the first half when To'o was forced to leap and spilled the high ball. To'o knows he needs to be better in that area at Perth's Optus Stadium, and given the headlines about his fitness, said he would be surprised if Queensland didn't try their luck against him again. 'It's a no-brainer for me. I knew they were always going to target me in game one, and all I can do is look forward to the challenge again – I love the pressure,' To'o said. 'It's my job to catch those high balls, and I'll be working on that.' Loading To'o was sin-binned for tackling Xavier Coates in the air right on half-time, and said it was agonising having to watch the start of the second half before he could return. Lomax asked coach Laurie Daley if he could switch sides and defend against Coates on the opposite side of the field before To'o returned. 'I did try to go for the ball, but we both came down safely, and that's all I cared about [at the time],' To'o said. 'Anything could have happened to start that second half. A lot goes through your mind. You kick yourself, but I'm really grateful the boys held out for 10 minutes.' Canterbury's Jacob Preston and 18th man Matt Burton joined the Blues in camp on Monday, with the team to round out their preparations at Tuesday's captain's run at Optus Stadium. Victory to NSW will seal their second straight series, and Daley's first since 2014.
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
From rattled to Origin return: Blues prop's wild month
Stefano Utoikamanu has revealed he was left rattled by Craig Bellamy's almighty Magic Round spray that had the potential to cost him a NSW State of Origin jersey. Utoikamanu will play his first game back in blue on Wednesday night since his 2023 debut, after being called on to come off the bench for NSW at Optus Stadium. The front-rower has made no secret of the fact that his move to Melbourne has helped him win back his spot, playing in an Origin-like system under Bellamy. But it also could have hurt him dearly last month, after he cost the Storm victory at Magic Round against Canberra. Bellamy's post-match criticism made headlines, after Utoikamanu was penalised for striking out with his boot after playing the ball as Melbourne set up for a field goal. The Storm coach is an advisor to Laurie Daley in this year's Blues camp, while also assisting with selections. "At the time, after the game, I was pretty rattled," Utoikamanu said of Bellamy's dressing down. "I walked into the sheds and he started spraying me. He got into me a bit. But when you actually go back and look at it, it was probably a hard call. "If I didn't put myself in that position in the first place we'd probably end up nearly winning that game. "It was a bit tough but he spoke to me after the game and we had a good chat about it and it was sweet." Melbourne lock Trent Loiero also felt the brunt of Bellamy's anger for conceding the match-deciding penalty, but has also since won a Queensland jersey. Utoikamanu said his mind did not immediately go to Origin implications and he and Bellamy moved on quickly, with the prop keeping his spot for the following week. "I just brushed it off after we spoke about how he actually looked at it and it probably was a pretty harsh call," Utoikamanu said. "But there were a few things leading up to it that I could have helped stop." NSW prepared for their shot at a second straight series win by having their first training session in Perth on Monday at HBF Park. Western Australian royalty watched on, with cricket greats Justin Langer and Mike Hussey, Socceroos goalkeeper Liam Reddy and UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena watching on. Utoikamanau's NSW return comes after he debuted for the Blues in Origin II in 2023 as a 23-year-old. But the prop was then dropped for the next game, when the Blues took an eye to the future for the dead rubber in Sydney but went without the young front-rower. "It was a bit confusing at the time, but they needed to win," Utoikamanu said. "I want to be honest, I felt disappointed. "But at the same time you need to look at the performance. I was only on there 12 minutes. "As an impact player you need to get on there and try to make a difference. If I looked at myself honestly, I didn't do that." Stefano Utoikamanu has revealed he was left rattled by Craig Bellamy's almighty Magic Round spray that had the potential to cost him a NSW State of Origin jersey. Utoikamanu will play his first game back in blue on Wednesday night since his 2023 debut, after being called on to come off the bench for NSW at Optus Stadium. The front-rower has made no secret of the fact that his move to Melbourne has helped him win back his spot, playing in an Origin-like system under Bellamy. But it also could have hurt him dearly last month, after he cost the Storm victory at Magic Round against Canberra. Bellamy's post-match criticism made headlines, after Utoikamanu was penalised for striking out with his boot after playing the ball as Melbourne set up for a field goal. The Storm coach is an advisor to Laurie Daley in this year's Blues camp, while also assisting with selections. "At the time, after the game, I was pretty rattled," Utoikamanu said of Bellamy's dressing down. "I walked into the sheds and he started spraying me. He got into me a bit. But when you actually go back and look at it, it was probably a hard call. "If I didn't put myself in that position in the first place we'd probably end up nearly winning that game. "It was a bit tough but he spoke to me after the game and we had a good chat about it and it was sweet." Melbourne lock Trent Loiero also felt the brunt of Bellamy's anger for conceding the match-deciding penalty, but has also since won a Queensland jersey. Utoikamanu said his mind did not immediately go to Origin implications and he and Bellamy moved on quickly, with the prop keeping his spot for the following week. "I just brushed it off after we spoke about how he actually looked at it and it probably was a pretty harsh call," Utoikamanu said. "But there were a few things leading up to it that I could have helped stop." NSW prepared for their shot at a second straight series win by having their first training session in Perth on Monday at HBF Park. Western Australian royalty watched on, with cricket greats Justin Langer and Mike Hussey, Socceroos goalkeeper Liam Reddy and UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena watching on. Utoikamanau's NSW return comes after he debuted for the Blues in Origin II in 2023 as a 23-year-old. But the prop was then dropped for the next game, when the Blues took an eye to the future for the dead rubber in Sydney but went without the young front-rower. "It was a bit confusing at the time, but they needed to win," Utoikamanu said. "I want to be honest, I felt disappointed. "But at the same time you need to look at the performance. I was only on there 12 minutes. "As an impact player you need to get on there and try to make a difference. If I looked at myself honestly, I didn't do that." Stefano Utoikamanu has revealed he was left rattled by Craig Bellamy's almighty Magic Round spray that had the potential to cost him a NSW State of Origin jersey. Utoikamanu will play his first game back in blue on Wednesday night since his 2023 debut, after being called on to come off the bench for NSW at Optus Stadium. The front-rower has made no secret of the fact that his move to Melbourne has helped him win back his spot, playing in an Origin-like system under Bellamy. But it also could have hurt him dearly last month, after he cost the Storm victory at Magic Round against Canberra. Bellamy's post-match criticism made headlines, after Utoikamanu was penalised for striking out with his boot after playing the ball as Melbourne set up for a field goal. The Storm coach is an advisor to Laurie Daley in this year's Blues camp, while also assisting with selections. "At the time, after the game, I was pretty rattled," Utoikamanu said of Bellamy's dressing down. "I walked into the sheds and he started spraying me. He got into me a bit. But when you actually go back and look at it, it was probably a hard call. "If I didn't put myself in that position in the first place we'd probably end up nearly winning that game. "It was a bit tough but he spoke to me after the game and we had a good chat about it and it was sweet." Melbourne lock Trent Loiero also felt the brunt of Bellamy's anger for conceding the match-deciding penalty, but has also since won a Queensland jersey. Utoikamanu said his mind did not immediately go to Origin implications and he and Bellamy moved on quickly, with the prop keeping his spot for the following week. "I just brushed it off after we spoke about how he actually looked at it and it probably was a pretty harsh call," Utoikamanu said. "But there were a few things leading up to it that I could have helped stop." NSW prepared for their shot at a second straight series win by having their first training session in Perth on Monday at HBF Park. Western Australian royalty watched on, with cricket greats Justin Langer and Mike Hussey, Socceroos goalkeeper Liam Reddy and UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena watching on. Utoikamanau's NSW return comes after he debuted for the Blues in Origin II in 2023 as a 23-year-old. But the prop was then dropped for the next game, when the Blues took an eye to the future for the dead rubber in Sydney but went without the young front-rower. "It was a bit confusing at the time, but they needed to win," Utoikamanu said. "I want to be honest, I felt disappointed. "But at the same time you need to look at the performance. I was only on there 12 minutes. "As an impact player you need to get on there and try to make a difference. If I looked at myself honestly, I didn't do that."
