2 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
I've seen this movie before – it's a slasher flick and the Blues are the victim
NSW risk being the man standing on a street corner, watching a giant truck hurtle towards him, yet can't hop out of the way in time to stop the vehicle from flattening him.
How many times has the Sydney media ridiculed the Maroons' chances of winning a State of Origin series, including describing the 2020 team as 'the worst ever Queensland team', only for them to roll the Blues?
As former Maroons player and coach, Kevvy Walters, says ahead to the second game in Perth, following NSW's triumph in the opening match in Brisbane, 'Beware the wounded Queenslander.'
Walters insists the sacking of Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans and the so-called abandonment of the northern state's time-honoured 'pick and stick' philosophy will have little impact on Billy Slater's team.
He cites the earlier sacking of captain Trevor Gillmeister following the first game in 1996, after the tough forward led the Maroons to an unexpected clean sweep the previous year, trading off the Queensland underdog psyche of being underrated and overlooked.
'It didn't rock us,' said Walters who was a member of the 1996 team, captained by Allan 'Alf' Langer.
'We were disappointed for 'Gilly' but he was replaced by one of the greats as captain. The Queensland players will still love DCE.
'The show goes on and goes on pretty quickly.'
