Latest news with #LaurieDaley
News.com.au
a day ago
- General
- News.com.au
Rumours of Latrell Mitchell's 4am Origin move after NSW win
Latrell Mitchell is showing some impressive commitment to his footy career. The 27-year-old, who has had issues on and off the field across his career to date, played his part in the NSW Blues' impressive Game 1 win over Queensland in Brisbane on Wednesday night. While the South Sydney star's dedication to the game has been questioned at times, his move after the series-opening win has raised eyebrows for all the right reasons. Blues coach Laurie Daley has said the post-match celebrations were fairly composed and ended by 1am on Thursday, with the squad focused on winning a second consecutive series against the Maroons. It has been reported Mitchell left the team hotel around 4am to return to Sydney and he was then spotted back at Rabbitohs training later that morning. Mitchell and Blues teammate Spencer Leniu have been under self-imposed media bans while in NSW camp, moves that have divided many in the rugby league world. It has been speculated part of Mitchell's early departure may have been designed to avoid the cameras and journalists that gather outside the team hotel the morning after an Origin game. The former Rooster has been active on social media, however, posting a clip on Instagram of himself slotting a goal in NSW practice on Monday (you can see that below). Mitchell turned around before the ball went through, replicating a move from NBA champion Steph Curry after he hits a three-pointer, and added the caption: 'Over to you Steph Curry.' The Blues centre also posted a photo from the NSW rooms after Game 1 alongside his children and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. A massive South Sydney fan, Albanese is beaming a huge smile in the photo and Mitchell poked a little fun at the PM in his caption. 'Some Random Souths bloke wanted a photo,' he wrote. The post has over 57,000 likes and 240 comments, including former NSW star Matty Johns, who said: 'Congratulations mate.' One fan wrote: 'You can see he's genuinely chuffed. Beautiful little family.' Another said: 'As a Maroons supporter mate, was awesome to see you play so well. Congrats!' A third stated: 'One of your best games ever. Well done and so glad you're back.' Mitchell had some important moments in the opening Origin showdown, including in Brian To'o's 28th minute try. After the Blues worked the ball to the left hand side of the field, Mitchell passed to To'o while mid-air as he was about to get tackled. 'He actually caught and passed that in mid-air, Latrell Mitchell,' Cam Smith said on Nine. Brad Fittler added: 'Latrell when he threw the ball he was off the ground. 'I don't know how he finds the strength to be able to flick it through his hands that quick.' Mitchell also had some strong moments in defence and while he is battling a knee concern, he has been named at fullback and captain for Souths' home match against the Warriors on Sunday. Barring injury, Mitchell will then be pulling on the sky blue jumper for Game 2 in Perth on June 18.
The Age
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
The Blues were able to out-Queensland Queensland. Enjoy it while it lasts.
In the changing rooms later, Queensland players were carrying their babies just like NSW players were. Nobody was destroying walls or slamming doors. Billy Slater looked morose, but morose like the only single dad at a kids' birthday party. The rest of the players were chatting, having a drink, putting it all behind them. I know we've heard this before, but look at the depth of talent Laurie Daley was able to leave out. He had the luxury of omitting four of the most destructive forwards in the NRL in Keaon Koloamatagi, Stefano Utoikamanu, Terrell May and Haumole Olakau'atu. He didn't need Api Koroisau. He didn't even have to think about Jake Trbojevic. He could overlook Jarome Luai, Campbell Graham, James Tedesco and Ryan Papenhuyzen. His selections and style of play were more conservative than the National Party. He has a whole Origin second team in reserve, and a new generation ahead with the likes of Ethan Strange, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Jacob Preston, Blake Steep, and who knows, one day Lachlan Galvin. Depth? He's drowning in it. Queensland, meanwhile, are spoilt for lack of choice. Tom Dearden for Daly Cherry-Evans: is that it? 'Mobility' in the middle forwards eventually came to mean 'too small'. They were being pushed back on Wednesday before they started giving away penalties. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, their best big man, responded to being dominated by trying to separate NSW players' heads from their necks. This tactic used to work in Origin but now it just means penalties, backpedalling, exhaustion. Cherry-Evans and Kalyn Ponga play behind beaten packs most weeks; Wednesday was more of the same. So. Is it really happening, and if it is, what are the structural causes behind it? One is rugby league's increasing control of raw violence. The on-paper Origin always failed to eventuate because Queensland compensated for their shallower talent pool with their power to intimidate. Even in the era of Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston and the other galacticos, they had their Josh McGuires and their Nate Myles, their Felise Kaufusis, their Josh Papaliis and their Matt Scotts. Out wide, they had Will Chambers and Dane Gagai. It's easy to forget that in their almost uninterrupted success from 2006 to 2017, their pack was repeatedly written off and they won as much through primitivism as polish. Now that whacking people is a liability, Queensland lose one of their advantages. Not that NSW didn't whack Queenslanders too, but Queenslanders did it better. The current Queensland team is being criticised, up north, as 'too nice'. Nobody likes being called too nice, but the curbs on brutality and the close attention of video referees have hurt Queensland more than Les Boyd or Paul Gallen ever did. Another change is cultural. After a generation of effort, NSW have managed to find the darkness within. Through their old boys' stories of humiliation, their baseball bats, their misery on Caxton Street, the Blues have discovered, or manufactured, a chip on their inside shoulder. On Wednesday, the hatred seemed to be flowing against the laws of nature. A third structural change is the conversion of young players to a NSW-first mentality. This loyalty used to be Queensland's, but the NSW hierarchy is now spotting talent early and bringing it into Origin camps, which now indoctrinate youngsters like Crusader Camps. Maybe the turning point was the widespread belief that Macksville's Greg Inglis played for Queensland because he wanted to. NSW lost a generational player when he gravitated towards passion and a perception (unique to rugby league) that Queensland treated Indigenous players better. To see Latrell Mitchell being won over to the NSW-first cause is to see a shift that may prevent the Inglis situation from being repeated. After 43 years, maybe NSW have found a way to tap their bigger talent pool. Yeah, I know. Having committed these thoughts to print, I do realise that Queensland will now win in Perth and Sydney. And we'll reassess game one and realise that if a few penalties and six-again calls had gone the other way, if one ball wasn't dropped, one tackle wasn't missed, then the momentum reversed and history changed. Instead, NSW succumbed to hubris, which should be reserved for spectators and journalists. Loading But until then, let's say that the thing has happened and Queensland have run out of their magic. It's happened before: from 1990 to the early 2000s, the Blues won 10 Origin series to Queensland's four. Losing made Queensland more like Queensland. They said that NSW dominance would kill Origin. The league imagined how to change eligibility rules, to get non- Queenslanders into maroon jerseys. Anticipating that it might be happening again, already the NRL has spoken of the wealth of Kiwi and Pasifika players who are sitting watching the game's mid-season showcase. Eventually, the show needs Queenslanders to win again and if that means putting New Zealand and Tonga in Queensland, that's what we'll see. But it might take time, and NSW should enjoy that time while it lasts. Especially if it's only a couple of weeks.
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
The Blues were able to out-Queensland Queensland. Enjoy it while it lasts.
In the changing rooms later, Queensland players were carrying their babies just like NSW players were. Nobody was destroying walls or slamming doors. Billy Slater looked morose, but morose like the only single dad at a kids' birthday party. The rest of the players were chatting, having a drink, putting it all behind them. I know we've heard this before, but look at the depth of talent Laurie Daley was able to leave out. He had the luxury of omitting four of the most destructive forwards in the NRL in Keaon Koloamatagi, Stefano Utoikamanu, Terrell May and Haumole Olakau'atu. He didn't need Api Koroisau. He didn't even have to think about Jake Trbojevic. He could overlook Jarome Luai, Campbell Graham, James Tedesco and Ryan Papenhuyzen. His selections and style of play were more conservative than the National Party. He has a whole Origin second team in reserve, and a new generation ahead with the likes of Ethan Strange, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Jacob Preston, Blake Steep, and who knows, one day Lachlan Galvin. Depth? He's drowning in it. Queensland, meanwhile, are spoilt for lack of choice. Tom Dearden for Daly Cherry-Evans: is that it? 'Mobility' in the middle forwards eventually came to mean 'too small'. They were being pushed back on Wednesday before they started giving away penalties. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, their best big man, responded to being dominated by trying to separate NSW players' heads from their necks. This tactic used to work in Origin but now it just means penalties, backpedalling, exhaustion. Cherry-Evans and Kalyn Ponga play behind beaten packs most weeks; Wednesday was more of the same. So. Is it really happening, and if it is, what are the structural causes behind it? One is rugby league's increasing control of raw violence. The on-paper Origin always failed to eventuate because Queensland compensated for their shallower talent pool with their power to intimidate. Even in the era of Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston and the other galacticos, they had their Josh McGuires and their Nate Myles, their Felise Kaufusis, their Josh Papaliis and their Matt Scotts. Out wide, they had Will Chambers and Dane Gagai. It's easy to forget that in their almost uninterrupted success from 2006 to 2017, their pack was repeatedly written off and they won as much through primitivism as polish. Now that whacking people is a liability, Queensland lose one of their advantages. Not that NSW didn't whack Queenslanders too, but Queenslanders did it better. The current Queensland team is being criticised, up north, as 'too nice'. Nobody likes being called too nice, but the curbs on brutality and the close attention of video referees have hurt Queensland more than Les Boyd or Paul Gallen ever did. Another change is cultural. After a generation of effort, NSW have managed to find the darkness within. Through their old boys' stories of humiliation, their baseball bats, their misery on Caxton Street, the Blues have discovered, or manufactured, a chip on their inside shoulder. On Wednesday, the hatred seemed to be flowing against the laws of nature. A third structural change is the conversion of young players to a NSW-first mentality. This loyalty used to be Queensland's, but the NSW hierarchy is now spotting talent early and bringing it into Origin camps, which now indoctrinate youngsters like Crusader Camps. Maybe the turning point was the widespread belief that Macksville's Greg Inglis played for Queensland because he wanted to. NSW lost a generational player when he gravitated towards passion and a perception (unique to rugby league) that Queensland treated Indigenous players better. To see Latrell Mitchell being won over to the NSW-first cause is to see a shift that may prevent the Inglis situation from being repeated. After 43 years, maybe NSW have found a way to tap their bigger talent pool. Yeah, I know. Having committed these thoughts to print, I do realise that Queensland will now win in Perth and Sydney. And we'll reassess game one and realise that if a few penalties and six-again calls had gone the other way, if one ball wasn't dropped, one tackle wasn't missed, then the momentum reversed and history changed. Instead, NSW succumbed to hubris, which should be reserved for spectators and journalists. Loading But until then, let's say that the thing has happened and Queensland have run out of their magic. It's happened before: from 1990 to the early 2000s, the Blues won 10 Origin series to Queensland's four. Losing made Queensland more like Queensland. They said that NSW dominance would kill Origin. The league imagined how to change eligibility rules, to get non- Queenslanders into maroon jerseys. Anticipating that it might be happening again, already the NRL has spoken of the wealth of Kiwi and Pasifika players who are sitting watching the game's mid-season showcase. Eventually, the show needs Queenslanders to win again and if that means putting New Zealand and Tonga in Queensland, that's what we'll see. But it might take time, and NSW should enjoy that time while it lasts. Especially if it's only a couple of weeks.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘Absolutely stuffed': Maroons icon toppled as bleak Origin reality exposed
Remember when the Maroons were so daunting they'd reduced the Blues to Origin's Washington Generals? When their side was packed with winners and Suncorp Stadium was such a bear pit that our boys would only leave the sheds to be winched to safety? FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Yep, Origin was once so traumatic for New South Welshpeople that we'd peek through our fingers on one hand while sucking the thumb on the other, and that was just for the coin toss. But in a long-awaited win for the good guys, these days are officially a thing of the past. After two straight losses at the Queensland icon of Suncorp Stadium and barely a four-pointer to share between them, you can consider the Queensland Spirit fizzled, Fortress Suncorp a public library, and the Maroons absolutely stuffed. With an ageing side and depressing lack of replacements, Queensland's Origin team is so shot to bits that the Blues don't even need to convert tries to beat them anymore. Wednesday's sweat-free 18-6 win was as breezy as it gets for the southern state, a night so relaxing that even a worrywart like Andrew Johns spent most of the night gleefully fixated on balls. And with coach Laurie Daley declaring in the aftermath 'I think we can get a lot better ', suddenly it's now NSW boasting the softest draw in rugby league. With the Blues entrenched in a golden window with options coming out the wazoo - and a mulligan at Fortress Perth beckoning - all of Queensland's bunkum about being lowdown underdogs is finally about to come true. Put simply, Billy Slater's options are so threadbare for a must-win game two that he has nothing to turn to but Maroon hyperbole or the bottle. The Queensland coach has already hinted at retaining his game one squad, probably just to give this sack of doorknobs one more chance to save face after Wednesday night. But what's the point? Such was the walkover at Suncorp, he needs new blood in the forwards and Botox in the backs, and he can start with handing the reins to Tom Dearden in favour of Daly Cherry-Evans. If Slater doesn't exhibit the intestinal fortitude required to axe a few mates, then Queensland Courage is nothing more than some kinda rum-based rocket fuel. And if he does choose to walk his state off a cliff, Queensland might as well cut to the chase and pronounce Origin as dead, which is what they usually do anyway whenever their team's completion rate drops below 65%. Yep, the Maroons need to pull some big kahuna moves because not even Suncorp can save them anymore. We all recall that horrifically lean time when the Blues could only win north of the border if it was a dead rubber or a pandemic. But after recording back-to-back triumphs for the first time since 1997/98, this graveyard for the Blues has become a virtual wellness retreat. Once a venue where futile NSW teams would be haunted by the ghosts of Queensland past, now the only translucent shadows on the paddock at Lang Park are the scared holograms kicking the ball away from Spencer Leniu. Even the baying locals have become inexplicably sober. Once so crowding you could taste the halitosis, last night's Suncorp attendance was so silent at times you could hear the clip-clop of all the horse and carts on Milton Street. In fact, the only stinging verbal attack that came from north of the border all week was from the Courier Mail and to be fair, the impact to Leniu's feelings from the paper's 'grub' headline was harder than any tackle he copped in the series opener. Even the Maroons once-superhuman attack has become such a flaccid east-west dish for the Blues marauding defence that it can only score provided it's against 12 men. It means Suncorp is still an Origin graveyard, but only for its hosts. That's why the Blues should seriously consider transferring all their home games there forthwith. After all, it's their new spiritual home, plus it's probably easier for fans to commute to and from Sydney than Accor Stadium. - Dane Eldridge is a warped cynic yearning for the glory days of rugby league, a time when the sponges were magic and the Mondays were mad. He's never strapped on a boot in his life, and as such, should be taken with a grain of salt.
1News
2 days ago
- Sport
- 1News
Blues on the cusp of back-to-back Origin success
NSW are 80 minutes away from back-to-back State of Origin series wins after the Blues' forwards set the platform for a historic 18-6 win at Suncorp Stadium. The Blues dominated Queensland on Wednesday night, with only missed conversions from all four tries stopping the scoreline from blowing out. After winning last year's decider in Brisbane, the victory marked the first time the Blues have breached the Suncorp fortress in successive games in 27 years. NSW have also now won three straight games for the first time in 19 years, after coming back from 1-0 down in last year's series. But of most importance to the Blues is that they can now win this year's series in Perth on June 18, with another chance to come in Sydney three weeks later. ADVERTISEMENT "Any time you can come here and win you've got to be happy, so extremely happy," Blues coach Laurie Daley said. "But it's only camp one. We'll see what (Queensland) are like when they bounce into game two. "Because one thing I know about Origin is there's always a response. You get hit in the face, there's a response next game." For all their dominance, NSW were still made to sweat for their win. After leading 14-0 just before the break, they lost Brian To'o to the sin-bin on the stroke of halftime when he tackled Xavier Coates in midair as the Maroons winger attempted to plant a try. There was no penalty try but it did leave the Blues exposed, beginning the second half. They looked up to the task when six men bundled Valentine Holmes into touch. ADVERTISEMENT But from the next play Coates scored, Jeremiah Nanai's pinpoint hit on Latrell Mitchell sending the ball loose and the Maroons pouncing. At 14-6 it was still anyone's game, both sides error-riddled under fatigue as the quality descended. Two-try zero Zac Lomax and Connor Watson combined to produce the moment, both somehow popping offloads in tackles, allowing Dylan Edwards to score the clincher with eight minutes to play. Halves Mitchell Moses and Nathan Cleary clicked in their partnership debut for NSW while Stephen Crichton shrugged off his early-week injury crisis. Mitchell was also immense in his Origin return at centre. That was all made possible by a dominant Blues pack, with man-of-the-match Payne Haas topping 150 metres after barely training on a quad tear in the build-up. "For a big bloke and limited prep to jump out of the ground and do what he did was inspirational," Daley said. ADVERTISEMENT The Blues' go-forward quietened the capacity crowd in the first half, with the Maroons giving away three ruck penalties inside the first 10 minutes to gift the visitors field position. Harry Grant was ineffective at hooker while Pat Carrigan missed five tackles and had the Maroons pack's only tackle break at half-time, compared to 12 from the Blues forwards. "They were much better than us. I feel pretty flat to be honest about our performance," Queensland coach Billy Slater said. "The flatness comes from how we hurt ourselves. Very ill disciplined in the first half, and then that just snowballed against us." Queensland have now scored just one try in their last two games at Suncorp, with that coming when the Blues were down a man on Wednesday. "That's not good. That's not a good stat," Slater said. "Probably as disappointing as the performance tonight." NSW's dominance didn't show on the scoreboard until later in the half on Wednesday, with Haas breaking the line and offloading before Lomax scored. To'o crossed four minutes later, Mitchell's brilliant, mid-air offload setting that try up before a slick left-to-right movement allowed Lomax to score his second.
