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News.com.au
19 hours ago
- General
- News.com.au
Reds skipper Tate McDermott to remain with Queensland next year
Reds captain Tate McDermott has rejected the chance to play his club football abroad next year, preferring to stay with Queensland in a move that has delighted Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt. As part of his current contract, McDermott could have a taken an overseas sabbatical in 2026 before returning the following year ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup. However, the 26-year-old halfback can't get enough of playing for the Reds, who host Fijian Drua in a Super Rugby Pacific clash at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night. 'It came back to what was important for me, and while there was a little bit of interest, I love playing for Queensland,' McDermott said. 'I'm in a position where I've played over 100 games for Queensland. I love wearing that maroon jersey and I'm stoked I'll be here again next year.' 'We've created an environment there where players are getting better every day. For me, that's what I want to keep doing. I want to keep getting better and I want to win more with Queensland.' Schmidt said it was a 'bonus' for Australian rugby that McDermott would not be heading overseas. 'To have (players) continuously (in Australia), it's a huge advantage,' the Wallabies mentor said. 'It just allows them to build not only within their Super Rugby team but to be at Wallabies gatherings.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Shocking footage Channel Nine didn't show you proves exactly how bad the first State of Origin game was
NRL fans were left saying the same thing about the 2025 State of Origin Series opener on Wednesday night. Billed as one of the most hotly anticipated events of the rugby league season, this year's opening match between the Maroons and the Blues at the Suncorp stadium was a drab and dismal affair. While the Blues took a huge step closer to retaining the Shield with an 18-6 win over the Maroons, the game left a lot to be desired. Knock-ons, missed tackles and some underwhelming performances from some of Queensland 's biggest hitters, including Cameron Munster and Kalyn Ponga saw some question the quality of the match. Footy great Andrew Johns gave his take on the match after the game. 'It wasn't a genuine Origin game,' he said to Channel 9. QLDers, They just get origin. @9_Moley @BuzzRothfield #Origin — Gibbsy (@Gibbsy2707) May 28, 2025 'It didn't feel that way for whatever reason. It just didn't feel like the intensity and the physical side of an Origin game. 'For me, it was like a good club game.' While many fans took to social media to express their take on the match, others inside the Suncorp stadium voted with their feet. Footage, posted by @Gibbsy2707 on X, shows droves of fans exiting the terraces late into the second half of the match. Some appeared to be wearing Maroon jerseys, with Billy Slater's side underwhelming during the match. Fans had already questioned the coach over why he left Corey Horsburg out of his side for the match. The Maroon's forwards were outclassed by their counterparts, as the side went on to lose back-to-back matches at the Suncorp for the first time in 27 years. But speaking on the loss, Slater believes their defeat was down to a lack of discipline rather than their team cohesion or execution - despite missing a staggering 48 tackles. 'That's probably something for the review, and looking through the tape and, obviously sitting down with the group. At the end of the day it's got to come from the players,' he said reflecting on the game. 'I definitely don't think it's a personnel thing. I know what this team's capable of and that's why you can probably see I'm disappointed because they haven't played their best footy. 'I feel responsible to try and help them get there. So it's definitely not a personnel thing. 'They've had a great attitude as well. But to the discipline side of the game, the attitude wasn't good enough.' Payne Haas was clinical for the Blues while Nathan Cleary starred alongside his St George winger Zac Lomax, who crossed the whitewash for New South Wales' first try. Brian To'o, who was sent to the sin bin during the game, dotted down not long after before Lomax had his second. Queensland, meanwhile were almost kept scoreless in the first term, but for a late Valentine Holmes penalty. But fans on social media did not hold back when issuing their thoughts on the match. 'Yeah, I wouldn't be promoting this game. Absolutely horrible advertisement for the NRL,' one wrote on X. Unhappy footy fans deliver their reactions to this year's State of Origin opening match 'It was boring when Queensland were winning every year. Now it's worse. 'They need to reinvent this series somehow. 'It's losing its shine. Wouldn't know it's on in Brisbane if you didn't watch channel 9 this week. Nothing like it used to be,' another commented.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
NSW State of Origin star is caught on camera hitting Queensland with an X-rated two-word sledge
Spencer Leniu was a despised figure in Queensland on Wednesday night following his recent war of words with Maroons legend Johnathan Thurston - and the prop couldn't care less. The NSW Blues enforcer, 24, was also caught on camera issuing Queensland players a savage two-word sledge after he entered the fray in the 30th minute at Suncorp Stadium. Labelled a 'grub' by News Corp in the lead-up to the series opener following incidents with Thurston and previously Broncos star Ezra Mam in Las Vegas, Leniu was desperate to silence the locals. He didn't get his wish initially, with the Maroons instead kicking to debutant Max King. Leniu wasn't happy, and was seen mouthing 'f***ing pussies' before carting the ball up seconds later on the third tackle. 'They deliberately kicked the other way,' Fox League's Matty Johns said on his Backstage podcast. 'I reckon that's a victory for Spencer.' In April, a fiery confrontation between the Sydney Roosters forward Leniu and Channel 9 commentator Thurston was believed to have been sparked by comments the NRL legend made after Vegas last year. Leniu had the last laugh, with the NSW Blues winning 18-6 to take a 1-0 lead in the Origin series (pictured, at fulltime) In 2024, Broncos star Ezra Mam made a complaint that Leniu called him a 'monkey' on the field in Las Vegas - the Roosters enforcer was later banned for eight weeks by the NRL Witnesses said Leniu called Thurston a 'f***wit' as he passed the sideline commentary team. Thurston was reportedly stunned and sought to understand the reason behind the abuse. According to sources, Thurston confronted Leniu after full-time in the tunnel, asking him: 'What's your problem?' Leniu allegedly replied with another slur, calling the former Cowboys premiership-winning captain a 'f***ing c***'. It is believed the exchange stemmed from lingering tension over last year's racism scandal involving Broncos star Mam. Leniu was suspended by the NRL for eight weeks after referring to Mam as a 'monkey' during the NRL's season opener in Sin City. Speaking last year, Thurston said: 'The NRL had a great opportunity to make a stand, not only for the game but for society as well. 'I don't think the eight weeks is sufficient for what has been said and for the mental scars that have been brought up.'
News.com.au
2 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Laurie Daley sends ominous message to Maroons after Origin opener
The NSW Blues barely came close to their best on Wednesday night. That's the ominous warning message from Blues coach Laurie Daley in the wake of their 18-6 win at Suncorp Stadium. Daley's men dominated proceedings from the outset as they imposed their physicality over the Maroons. Three tries in the first half put their rivals on the back foot but despite their defensive prowess, the game wasn't iced until Dylan Edwards crossed in the 72nd minute. Speaking after the game, NRL supremo Phil Gould said he believed the Blues had deployed a conservative game plan to just secure the first win of the series. 'Laurie I interviewed you before the game in the dressing room, I said, what's the key to the first 20 minutes here? Because that's so important,' Gould said on Nine. 'You said, just be physical. And it seemed like they went the whole 80 minutes like that. You could see every player had this mindset that he had to be physical on his opposition number. I thought you played conservative tonight, but really dominant in the physical confrontation.' While Daley agreed the physical side of the contest had been played perfectly by his troops, he said as a whole they have so much room for improvement in Games 2 and 3. It's a terrifying thought for the Maroons after they only crossed for one try and never looked truly threatening. 'Yeah, I think we can get a lot better. But one thing I'm very proud of the guys is that we spoke about being physical and they went at it and they continued to do it,' Daley said. 'So that's probably a learning for me as well, you know, to make sure that as well as being physical, we're going to have some energy when we get the ball. 'I know this team will be a lot better in game two and three, but we've just got to work hard, enjoy the night, obviously, but know that Queensland will come back. 'We knew they would come back in the second half, which they did and we weren't anywhere near … well, I didn't think we were any where near where we could be.' The message from Daley was backed up by Andrew Voss who said the scoreline flattered the Maroons. 'I'll make a statement. NSWBlues were only at 60 per cent of their potential last night,' Voss said on SEN. 'If they played at their best like in Game II last year, they would've won by 40.' With the Maroons left licking their wounds, Gould sunk the boots in even further by painting a bleak picture for the squad north of the border. 'What they've achieved is shattering Queensland. 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 on the team are going to have to play better, but in all the important parts of the game, they're just outpointed tonight. 'You know? I don't know that they've got it in them to come back from that.'
News.com.au
2 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.'
