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ABC News
29-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
How New South Wales supersub Connor Watson learned to become a State of Origin matchwinner
Connor Watson still isn't quite sure of how the pass happened, he's just glad that it did. The New South Wales utility put his stamp on another Origin as he latched onto a Zac Lomax pass close to the line, twisted his way through four Queensland defenders to pop a miracle ball up for Dylan Edwards to score the try that wrapped up Game I for the Blues on Wednesday night. It was a great show of skill and desire, albeit one Watson didn't get to see finished given he was trapped under a pile of Maroons defenders as Edwards crashed over but the noise was unmistakable. "When I threw that ball I didn't know what was going to happen and then I heard everyone cheering — far out, no way that just came off," Watson said. "It was a bit of a fluke — Lowy (Zac Lomax) got me the ball, the line was so close even though I knew I wouldn't get there myself. "I just tried to throw it up and Dyl, being a great fullback, was in support got it across the line." It's the second Lang Park match in a row where Watson has come on fresh in the final stages of the match with the game in the balance and come up with a key play to steer the Blues home. In last year's decider, when he also came on with 15 to go and the match in the balance, he dribbled an offload to Jarome Luai deep in his own half that gave the New South Wales five-eighth the space to take on the Queensland defence, slice through and find Bradman Best for the breakout try of the game. Watson's versatility opened the door for him to become part of the New South Wales side but through three games it's his impact late in matches that's come to the fore. In 30 minutes of game time combined across his last two matches, the Roosters hooker has made more of an impact than some players do in their Origin careers. It isn't easy to sit on the bench for over an hour and wait for your number to be called. It takes a lot of patience, both to ride it out and to not be too frantic when you come on in an effort to make the most of it. The latter was something Watson struggled with in the early stages of his career but has now mastered, especially for New South Wales. Like all good bench matchwinners, Watson understands that 15 minutes can be more than enough time to find a winning play. "Early in my career, and I had this conversation with some of the younger guys at the Roosters this year, I'd chase it almost too much because when you get little time you want to make as much of an impact as possible," Watson said. "But bring energy, putting yourself in different positions and those opportunities will come, you don't need to force them. "When I was young I'd go on and try to go crazy, but you can burn out doing that. "Coming on with 15 minutes to go is still plenty of time to make an impact, you just have to trust that opportunity will come. "I was itching to get out there and it can take a while but it's worth the wait. "I focus on my defence and in attack I just push, do that and things will be alright." After winning their first Lang Park decider in 30 years last series, making further history of their own was a focus for Laurie Daley's side in the lead up to Game I. They've now won back-to-back games at Lang Park for the first time in over a quarter-century and a win in Perth in three weeks' time would be their fourth consecutive victory and give the state it's longest winning streak since 1996-97. With Watson and his cohorts getting more and more acclimatised to the Origin furnace, it would take a brave punter to back against them doing so. "Every Origin game I've played the physicality and the intensity of the contact stands out, that's what separates it from the NRL," Watson said. "The ruck is a bit slower but the speed of the ball moving is higher, defences and attack moves faster. The more you play it, the more you understand what it's like. "It's great to get a win up here, but there's still two games to go yet."
BBC News
28-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
New South Wales take State of Origin series lead
New South Wales beat Queensland 18-6 at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane to take a 1-0 series lead in the State of Origin. The Blues scored three first-half tries, with winger Zac Lomax grabbing two and Brian To'o the other. That left the Maroons with a mountain to climb but Xavier Coates cut the deficit in the second half after capitalising on a handling error by Latrell Mitchell. But any hope the Maroons had of a late comeback were quashed seven minutes from time as Lomax found Connor Watson after a brilliant one-handed take, who set-up full-back Dylan Edwards to go over. "That was massive, the way that we started - our fight and courage was unbelievable," said victory means defending champions New South Wales claimed back-to-back wins at the Suncorp Stadium for the first time since 1998. Queensland must win in game two in Perth on 18 June to keep the series alive before game three in Sydney on 9 July.
News.com.au
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
CLUTCH link-up delivers Blues the dagger
State of Origin: The NSW Blues put the final dagger in the hearts of Queensland due to some individual brilliance from Nathan Cleary, Zac Lomax, Connor Watson and Dylan Edwards.
The Guardian
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
State of Origin: Isaah Yeo to captain NSW as Bulldogs veteran handed shock debut
Laurie Daley has delivered a selection shock with Max King to make his State of Origin debut as the NSW coach also sweats on a Payne Haas quad injury. Daley confirmed his side for the series opener on Sunday, with Dylan Edwards retaining the fullback role and Mitch Moses to partner Nathan Cleary in the haves. Brian To'o and Zac Lomax have been named on the wings after Jacob Kiraz was ruled out on Sunday, set to miss at least a month with a calf injury. Latrell Mitchell and Stephen Crichton will play centres, meaning Manly superstar Tom Trbojevic has missed out on selection. Penrith's Isaah Yeo will take over as captain, with Jake Trbojevic's concussion ending his chances of keeping his spot at prop. But all eyes in the Blues camp this week are likely to be on Haas, if he is even cleared to fly to NSW on Monday. The Brisbane front-rower picked up an issue in Brisbane's loss to St George Illawarra on Sunday, before the injury grew worse later in the game. He will require scans on Monday morning, after which a decision will be made on whether he flies down to join the Blues' camp in a bid to be fit for the 28 May opener. Haas had been carrying a back issue in recent weeks and required treatment in Sydney this month, before suffering the quad problem. His injury comes after a nightmare weekend for the Blues' forward stocks, with Jacob Saifiti also suffering a calf injury in Newcastle's loss to Parramatta. Saifiti's spot will now go to 28-year-old Max King, with the in-form Canterbury prop named on the bench as the Blues' sole debutant. NSW also have Stefano Utoikamanu on stand-by as 19th man, opting against going for Terrell May despite the Wests Tigers front-rower being among the NRL's best props this year. Meanwhile it is the selection of Moses over Jarome Luai as Blues No 6 that looms as one of the most interesting factors head into Origin I. Sign up to Australia Sport Get a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and comment from our Australian sports desk after newsletter promotion Moses and Luai led the Blues to an historic series win in Brisbane last year, helping overturn a 1-0 series deficit after defeat at home. But Cleary's return from a hamstring injury that ruled him out of last year's series has always meant the duo were realistically fighting over one spot. Moses was close to NSW's best player in last year's comeback, while Luai held the advantage of being Cleary's long-time premiership-winning partner at Penrith. Moses's selection will bring into question how he and Cleary will combine, having never played together before. Both are also dominant halves at their club, stationed on the right-hand side of the field as right-foot kickers. Moses has not played five-eighth regularly since his days at Wests Tigers, having been the chief conductor since his arrival at Parramatta in early 2017. NSW Blues: Dylan Edwards, Brian To'o, Latrell Mitchell, Stephen Crichton, Zac Lomax, Mitch Moses, Nathan Cleary, Mitch Barnett, Reece Robson, Payne Haas, Liam Martin, Angus Crichton, Isaah Yeo (c). Bench: Connor Watson, Spencer Leniu, Hudson Young, Max King, Campbell Graham. Reserves: Stefano Utoikamanu, Haumole Olakau'atu.
News.com.au
15-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘I'm not expecting much': James Tedesco's sole focus is on the Roosters, with the former Blues skipper not banking on a Blues recall
A circumspect James Tedesco says he's 'not expecting much' when the NSW team is announced on Monday, with the former Blues skipper fully focused on the Roosters and not weighed down by the pressure of trying to win the fullback spot. Tedesco would love to represent his state again but hasn't been obsessed with trying to prove anything as others debate whether he should replace Dylan Edwards at the back. The 32-year-old isn't slowing down and is playing some of the best footy of his career, with the Roosters superstar finishing second in Dally M voting last season in a year where he also lost his Blues jersey to his Panthers rival. Tedesco has played 23 matches for his state – including last year's series opener after Edwards pulled out with an injury – and no one would be surprised if returning coach Laurie Daley picked him for the match on May 28. His numbers in attack have been extraordinary over the past 12 months, but he isn't predicting a phone call this weekend. 'I'm not expecting much, to be honest,' he said. 'I'm putting my energy into the Roosters at the moment. I know that there's a lot of external talk about different positions and players in form, but I haven't really put too much energy into it because I know that if I do start worrying about it, then it'll affect my footy. 'I haven't felt that pressure of getting picked for NSW, so I've just been out enjoying my footy and leading from the front. That's been the key to me getting back to my footy. 'I hold myself to a high standard every game of every week. I know that if I put all the work in that week and I tick the boxes physically and mentally, then I can go out and play and enjoy my footy. 'I feel like I've done that really well this year not worrying about external pressures of Origin and other people's opinions. That's really freed me up. 'I just have to keep playing my footy. I know that if I do that and stay on the field and stay fresh, I know I can lead us to success, which is my main goal.' Tedesco spent years hearing chat about Edwards, Tom Trbojevic and Latrell Mitchell replacing him at the back for the Blues, with the workhorse fullback silencing his critics every time with huge numbers in Origin. But there's a different vibe this time around with Tedesco going from the Origin hunted to a man on the outside, and that suits him perfectly ahead of Friday's blockbuster battle with the Bulldogs. 'It's easier than being on the other side,' he said. 'I was there for seven or eight years as fullback, and then the start of the year rolls around and people start talking about form and other fullbacks. I think that was definitely harder, and I haven't felt that (this year) which has freed me up and allowed me to play my best footy. 'Even though there's been more talk about it over the past few weeks, nothing really changed for me. I think as I've got older and more experienced, I'm a lot better at that. When you're young, you're looking for people to give you positive comments. 'But I've realised to let go of that so I'm not focused on that. 'I still feel like I can perform at that level. I still feel like the way that I'm playing means I can do good things in that jersey. But I haven't put too much pressure on myself to really want to make this team. 'I'd love to because we play the game to play in representative teams and to be the best in your position. That's still there, but energy-wise, I haven't given it too much thought and that's shown in the way that I'm playing.'
