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News.com.au
5 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
‘Embarrassing': Cameron Munster exposed as Queensland liability in Origin defeat
Cameron Munster can thank the rugby league gods Daly Cherry-Evans is a much more obvious lightning rod for criticism after Queensland were outclassed in Wednesday night's State of Origin series opener. There have been suggestions Cherry-Evans, 36, may have already played his final game in the Origin arena after failing to trouble the NSW defensive line in the 18-6 defeat at Suncorp Stadium. The Queensland halves pairing came under fire after the defeat with Maroons legend Shane Webcke admitting he was worried 'the magic wasn't there'. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE in 4K with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Both playmakers showed glimpses of the classy players they have previously been at Origin level, but Cherry-Evans' failure to unlock the NSW left edge defence was particularly damning. It was telling for Cherry-Evans that the Maroons' attack looked sharper and more direct when Cowboys playmaker Tom Dearden entered the game in the second half. However, NSW Origin cult hero Josh Reynolds has now pointed out Munster and the Maroons' left edge was just as blunt in attack on the other side of the field. Reynolds told Sky Sports radio on Thursday morning it appeared Queensland continued to attack down Cherry-Evans' side of the field because the Maroons had identified the defensive gap between Mitchell Moses and Latrell Mitchell was a potential weakness. He said the Blues' defence on both edges was 'exceptional'. 'I spoke about Critter (centre Stephen Crichton) before. He was brilliant,' Reynolds said. 'Latrell (Mitchell) was the same. You could tell that Queensland were going after the Moses-Latrell combination. That's the edge they were going for because Critter was eating them alive. 'Every time they went there it was half embarrassing for them. They were like, 'We can't get around this guy'. I'll be looking for them to go back there in Game 2, but even that was hard because big bad Trell was on.' Reynolds put heat on the Maroons' right edge — made up of Reuben Cotter, Munster, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Valentine Holmes — by saying Crichton's defensive dominance had forced Queensland to funnel their attack through Cherry-Evans' side of the field. The former Bulldogs five-eighth described Crichton as the greatest defensive centre he has ever seen — making an apology to Blues great and former teammate Josh Morris in the process. There is already pressure on Queensland coach Billy Slater to make changes at the selection table — but his other headache is needing a tactical shift to combat Crichton. The Bulldogs captain was also a handful with the ball, setting up a try for Zac Lomax where he split the defensive line and forced Tabuai-Fidow to make an attempted tackle instead of trusting his inside defenders to stop Crichton from scoring. Crichton finished with 67 run metres, two tackle busts, a linebreak assist, a try assist and 15 tackles. Blues coach Laurie Daley praised Crichton for his performance, coming off a disrupted training program as a result of a corked thigh. 'Critter was fantastic,' Daley said. 'And I think the word that they said to me, 'Critter's right to go because he said, they asked him this morning, how was he? And he said he was mad, so that's obviously good.' Crichton will be living in Munster's head rent free heading into Game 2 in Perth on June 18. However, it is Cherry-Evans who is feeling the heat even more so. A forward pass late in the game, as the home team tried to muster a final charge, was indicative of a battling night for the veteran No. 7. NSW great Andrew Johns called for Cherry-Evans to be axed for game two and replaced by Tom Dearden, who looms as the playmaker in waiting and came off the bench in Brisbane on Wednesday night. But Dearden wasn't prepared to throw his captain under the buss and called the criticism 'unfair', instead pointing the finger at failures across the team. 'It's unfair criticism like that,' he said on Thursday. 'Daley's our captain, and he's at half back, and he doesn't deserve that because last night as a team, we didn't get our discipline right, and that puts you under pressure.' Former Maroons skipper Cameron Smith said the Queensland key position players, including Cherry-Evans, 'couldn't get the job done' and selection decisions would be crucial to level the series. 'I think (coach Billy Slater) will have that discussion with his selection panel and he'll go through this game thoroughly,' Smith told Channel 9. 'There's no doubt that the key position players of Queensland lacked a bit of cohesion tonight.' Dearden said the Maroons would 'get back to work' before the second game in Perth. 'And work out the areas where we went wrong, where we can get better, and then turn it around for game two and for game three,' he said. Slater said he would look at every element of the game, including the lead-in, adamant there was 'so much more' in his squad. 'Probably some decisions … about the discipline side of the game (have to be better),' Slater said. 'And I'll look at my preparation as well. I'm not out of this. It's not just the players, it's everyone, and we'll all look at ourselves. 'I know there's so much more in this footy team. 'It's a best of three. You've only got to win two games, and that's still alive.'
News.com.au
6 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Footy world turns on ‘washed' Queensland greats after NSW thrashing
Queensland is picking up the pieces after a heavy 18-6 Game 1 loss to NSW and experts and fans alike are looking squarely at one key change for the Maroons. The Blues bolted out of the blocks, dominating the first half in front of a shell-shocked Suncorp Stadium crowd, taking a 14-2 lead into the break. Brian To'o's sin bin just before halftime for tackling Xavier Coates over the tryline briefly gave Queensland hope of a comeback, but it wasn't to be as NSW claimed the victory ahead of games in Perth and Sydney. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE in 4K with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. While the Blues came into the match carrying a number of injury concerns, it was the Maroons that looked short of a gallop, with veteran Daly Cherry-Evans coming in for plenty of criticism. The 36-year-old has been a staple of the Queensland side for years, but did set a new record for the oldest player in Origin history on Wednesday, surpassing Petero Civoniceva. Cowboys playmaker Tom Dearden came on in the second half and many are calling for him to start Game 2. Maroons great Shane Webcke admitted after the game he did have concerns for his state moving forward and reluctantly pointed the finger at the Manly halfback. 'Yeah a bit. There are some serious questions to be asked and one of them might be Daly Cherry-Evans,' Webcke told Triple M radio. 'I just feel like he's at that point of his career and when you see him with Cameron Munster tonight, the magic wasn't there and that worries me. 'I hate to suggest that about a bloke like Daly Cherry-Evans. 'I feel like at the end of the last series, we probably missed an opportunity with a bloke like him, he's 36 years old, the opportunity was probably there to reinvent a bit. 'I think we might pay a price for not having done that.' Cherry-Evans was also interviewed after the game on Channel 9 and at least talked a big game about Queensland's hopes of getting back into the series. 'The obvious one is we're going to have to do it the hard way, but it's been done before,' he said. 'That's the opportunity we've got in front of us, but that hurts. 'The result right now, you work so hard, you put so much into the week, when it doesn't go your way it's really difficult to not be disappointed. 'Credit to the Blues but we've got a bit of work to do.' If it's up to plenty of those watching on, however, DCE may not get the chance to help lead a Queensland fightback. Cherry-Evans and fellow veteran Munster seemed to cop the most vitriol from Maroons fans on social media. One wrote: 'DCE washed, Munster washed, Ponga washed, Harry Houdini Grant missing and the Hammer not sighted.' The Warriors NRL Fanatics handle declared: 'DCE time to retire.' Another fan offered: 'Jeez munster and DCE in 2025 makes easy viewing for Blues.' A fourth wrote: 'NEEDS to be Munster + Dearden Game 2, DCE on the bench.' A fifth stated: 'Thanks for your service Cherry Evans, time to move on.' The Channel 9 team then analysed the Queensland side after the game and felt it was hard to see the Maroons getting back into this year's series. 'I think NSW, if they were on tonight, they win by 40 or 50,' Andrew Johns said. 'They'll be better for that. 'This group here Queensland, I don't know if they can go up another level. I think there has to be changes. 'Corey Horsborgh could add something, Jai Arrow is an Origin player, but the big one is whether they pull the trigger on Dearden and DCE.' Phil Gould agreed with Joey's sentiment. 'I think Queensland are really going to have some nightmares over that game,' Gould said. 'I just don't see any answers for them. I don't see any answers in the selection room, the individual players in the team are going to have to play better but in all the important parts of the game tonight they were just outpointed tonight. 'Now I don't know that they've got it in them to come back from that.'
