PETER VAN ONSELEN: Awkward rift erupts in Maroons Origin camp AND at Channel Nine as mystery over Billy Slater’s selections is solved
Born and raised in New South Wales, my enthusiasm for attending the deciding third match of this year’s State of Origin is tempered by the fact that Queensland are the deserved favourites.
Yes, NSW blew them away in the second game, but that was on a neutral ground, not the old Lang Park in Brisbane.
Furthermore, Queensland always knows how to win, which is why they have won more series and are virtually unbeatable at home.
Simply put, I firmly predict a win for Queensland, regardless of the help it might provide the Blues.
That said, Queensland coach Billy Slater appears somewhat distraught since their loss in the second game, his uneasy demeanour exacerbated by questions about his relationship with Selwyn Cobbo, posed by his Channel Nine colleague Danny Weidler.
Uncomfortable!
Slater said his colleague was spreading fake news and the network was embarrassed that it allowed it to happen.
I think on TV you don’t always have to respect the people around you. I’ve always done that at Channel Ten, and not just because I signed a non-disparagement agreement.
Queensland coach Billy Slater (pictured) looks a little rattled since his team’s capitulation in the second game
Slater said his Channel Nine colleague was promoting fake news and the network was ashamed for allowing it to happen. (Picture: Nine commentators Danika Mason and Millie Boyle)
It is reported that Slater has clashed with star player Selwyn Cobbo (pictured) over his training style at the Maroons. Cobbo will start on the wing
But Slater’s biggest sign that the second-game defeat bothered him were his words at the press conference immediately afterwards.
Asked if he would make any major changes to the line-up after the loss, he replied in the negative: “We are Queenslanders.”
What was that all about?
When I watched the footage of the NSW win in Game 3 in Brisbane in 2005, I got the answer.
That was a year that every NSW supporter hopes will mirror what happened this year: Queensland won the first game but lost the next two, including the deciding game at Lang Park.
What I forgot was that Slater played in game two but was dropped for the deciding game when Queensland coach Michael Hagan didn’t like the approach Slater is taking now and showed loyalty to those in the team who didn’t win.
Or at least fullbacks. So he chose two for the deciding round – Reece Walsh in the starting line-up and Kalyn Ponga on the bench.
Maybe that drop hurt Slater more than anyone realized. Here’s how he’s feeling now as we count down to the game.
In 2005 NSW shot into a 32-0 lead in game three, which won’t happen tonight. Remember I’m predicting a Queensland win.
Whatever the outcome, it will be one hell of a game and it will be fun to be there either way. Go the Blues!
NSW players are pictured during their victory in match two
Queensland suffered a 38-18 loss to the Blues at the MCG