AMPOL State of Origin 2025

[PhatBoy]

Well Ponga has done diddly squat in a month, and is Grant 100% Origin fit? He’s one game back after a hammy and he was hardly that good last weekend. DCE is a selection off the past not on form however it’s annoying Sam Walker isn’t fit. I rate Walker massively.

All are very good parts of a spine IF they are playing well, gut feel though DCE looked fairly cooked last year other than game 1 against 12 men. Hope I’m wrong but do feel it was a mistake not picking Dearden at 7 significantly better form

I’ve taken a fair bit of interest in Ponga of late both as a Qld fan and just because he’s a player I genuinely love watching as a league fan when he’s in action. Hes got a Lockyer type quality to his football - like watching Mark Waugh or someone playing cricket I guess - he’s really not playing THAT badly. Certainly not at his best but he’s partly a victim of circumstances at the moment. The knights are basically expecting all their attack to come from him, just going side to side and expecting him to get the ball and make it happen from nowhere with no shape at all. Against the eels he had 254 metres and made 2 line breaks in a game where they never even looked like threatening.
Against the bunnies a fortnight before it when they actually played really well he had two line break assists, two try assists and made 130 metres. When guys are running where they need to and they have momentum he’s still good at setting them up, and when they’re not he’s still seemingly doing as much as he can to try and get something happening but their whole side most of the time is a dog’s breakfast.

 

[juss]

NSW favourites again, probably means a QLD victory.

 

[phantom13]

NSW favourites again, probably means a QLD victory.

We can only hope

 

[010203]

To the surprise of nobody, Ashley Klein will referee Origin 1. I bet he'll find a way to upset Andrew Johns at some point.

 

[Jatz]

I’ve taken a fair bit of interest in Ponga of late both as a Qld fan and just because he’s a player I genuinely love watching as a league fan when he’s in action. Hes got a Lockyer type quality to his football - like watching Mark Waugh or someone playing cricket I guess - he’s really not playing THAT badly. Certainly not at his best but he’s partly a victim of circumstances at the moment. The knights are basically expecting all their attack to come from him, just going side to side and expecting him to get the ball and make it happen from nowhere with no shape at all. Against the eels he had 254 metres and made 2 line breaks in a game where they never even looked like threatening.
Against the bunnies a fortnight before it when they actually played really well he had two line break assists, two try assists and made 130 metres. When guys are running where they need to and they have momentum he’s still good at setting them up, and when they’re not he’s still seemingly doing as much as he can to try and get something happening but their whole side most of the time is a dog’s breakfast.

You're not watching us that closely if you believe that.

He's been horrible this season, I suspect he's got one foot out the door.

 

[PhatBoy]

You're not watching us that closely if you believe that.

He's been horrible this season, I suspect he's got one foot out the door.

I think your team has been horrible and there’s been a couple of games where he’s looked dire.

But the impression I get is akin, to use another cricket analogy, of a bowler who’s trying to build pressure from one end of a pitch while his teammates give away 8 runs an over from the other. Everything he does comes to naught because there’s nothing happening anywhere else. Your back rowers are good, honest triers but that’s not enough anymore. It used to be but it’s not now. They don’t offer anything, really, in attack. The Saifitis are good but they’re never on the park at the same time so you only ever have one good forward that’s bending the line back. Your dummy half and halves have offered very little. It’s Ponga and Best or bust, and Best hasn’t been there for all of it and he’s hit and miss himself.

Ponga suffers because he’s not like Tedesco or Edwards who look almost Kamikaze the way they run the ball. He looks like he’s not trying half the time. I think he’s trying every bit as hard as those guys but gee he’s not getting much to work with

 

[Jatz]

I think your team has been horrible and there’s been a couple of games where he’s looked dire.

But the impression I get is akin, to use another cricket analogy, of a bowler who’s trying to build pressure from one end of a pitch while his teammates give away 8 runs an over from the other. Everything he does comes to naught because there’s nothing happening anywhere else. Your back rowers are good, honest triers but that’s not enough anymore. It used to be but it’s not now. They don’t offer anything, really, in attack. The Saifitis are good but they’re never on the park at the same time so you only ever have one good forward that’s bending the line back. Your dummy half and halves have offered very little. It’s Ponga and Best or bust, and Best hasn’t been there for all of it and he’s hit and miss himself.

Ponga suffers because he’s not like Tedesco or Edwards who look almost Kamikaze the way they run the ball. He looks like he’s not trying half the time. I think he’s trying every bit as hard as those guys but gee he’s not getting much to work with

There's no doubt the team is horrible, he is playing a big part in that. Leads the league in handling errors, misses 1 in every 3 tackles etc.

The Saifiti's are good - be pretty hard for them to be on the same field most the time considering Daniel plays for the Dolphins though.

He's taken the big $$$'s but is not giving the output of that. Now some of that may not be his fault but he deserves a lot of criticism this year. Even his on field demeanour has been really poor. If that's what you're getting from your captain, you're not likely to be winning a lot of games.

 

[PhatBoy]

There's no doubt the team is horrible, he is playing a big part in that. Leads the league in handling errors, misses 1 in every 3 tackles etc.

The Saifiti's are good - be pretty hard for them to be on the same field most the time considering Daniel plays for the Dolphins though.

He's taken the big $$$'s but is not giving the output of that. Now some of that may not be his fault but he deserves a lot of criticism this year. Even his on field demeanour has been really poor. If that's what you're getting from your captain, you're not likely to be winning a lot of games.

Actually his handling has dropped off a lot that’s one thing I will say. He drops a lot more ball than he used to. I don’t know if that’s because he has a lot less room to work in than previous years or not or it’s just a bad patch of form or what but it has been noticeable.

The defensive stuff is very hard to get a gauge on for fullbacks because there are a lot of factors that play into that. His percentage of misses is quite high compared to some fullbacks but you would need to apply context to that to see whether it stacks up to his career or not (I genuinely have no idea if it does or not and I can’t be bothered finding out) because if a fullback is being regularly isolated by other teams steaming through the line he is naturally going to miss a high percentage when there is a couple of runners coming at him as opposed to just having to make 4-5 tackles a game with not a lot of decision making to be done.

 

[Jatz]

Actually his handling has dropped off a lot that’s one thing I will say. He drops a lot more ball than he used to. I don’t know if that’s because he has a lot less room to work in than previous years or not or it’s just a bad patch of form or what but it has been noticeable.

The defensive stuff is very hard to get a gauge on for fullbacks because there are a lot of factors that play into that. His percentage of misses is quite high compared to some fullbacks but you would need to apply context to that to see whether it stacks up to his career or not (I genuinely have no idea if it does or not and I can’t be bothered finding out) because if a fullback is being regularly isolated by other teams steaming through the line he is naturally going to miss a high percentage when there is a couple of runners coming at him as opposed to just having to make 4-5 tackles a game with not a lot of decision making to be done.

I think it's poor form but I also think he's just trying to do to much.

The defensive stuff over his career is still really poor. There's one that clearly stands out lower than the rest there. We've always put up with it because the attacking side made up for it but that's clearly not happening this season.

Take the career tackling efficiency percentages of the following:

Pap - 82.41%
Teddy - 77.59%
Drinkwater - 78.35%
Gutho - 81.96%
Ponga - 70.30%
Turbo - 80.05%
Tracey 78.56%

 

[Fabab]

Good luck to NSW tonight,looking forward as usual to this game.

 

[Jatz]

Feel like there’s been little hype for this game with the absolute media circus around Galvin/Gus etc. Barely heard boo in the media about it.

 

[phantom13]

Feel like there’s been little hype for this game with the absolute media circus around Galvin/Gus etc. Barely heard boo in the media about it.

Yeh build up has been very quiet. I sort of think that suits NSW.

QLD havent really been able to lean into the underdog status. I might have a little multi with NSW to win to just cheer me up if my beloved Maroons get done

 

[Jatz]

How’s that for an odd stat.

 

[PhatBoy]

Think the amount of bullshit that has begun to overshadow actual football has sapped my love for Origin. I used to love it.

Now spying scandals, ‘NSW don’t get it’ stories, selection stupidity, conspiracy yarns about referees, the usual bullshit about so-and-so not being from whatever state when he was born, eligibility stuff, ‘so and so hasn’t dominated origin before so he can’t be the best ever’, ‘this bloke was made for origin’’ Has all overtaken the actual football itself and it’s sort of destroyed my love of the contest.

Once upon a time I really gave a shit who won or lost, I’m still supporting Qld but im not going to be especially upset if it goes the other way

 

[phantom13]

Think the amount of bullshit that has begun to overshadow actual football has sapped my love for Origin. I used to love it.

Now spying scandals, ‘NSW don’t get it’ stories, selection stupidity, conspiracy yarns about referees, the usual bullshit about so-and-so not being from whatever state when he was born, eligibility stuff, ‘so and so hasn’t dominated origin before so he can’t be the best ever’, ‘this bloke was made for origin’’ Has all overtaken the actual football itself and it’s sort of destroyed my love of the contest.

Once upon a time I really gave a shit who won or lost, I’m still supporting Qld but im not going to be especially upset if it goes the other way

I think we were just making the point that there’s been almost none of that this year?

 

[juss]

Just praying as a neutral for a close, quality game and not a game 1 blow-out.

The NSW team appears stronger on paper, QLD going to need to draw on their historic spirit and Origin culture once again, but it's worked for them many times before.

For some reason I feel this will be a bit of a let down, but here's hoping for a close hard fought game

 

[PhatBoy]

I think we were just making the point that there’s been almost none of that this year?

You haven’t been looking in the right spot.

 

[Paul Kersey]

Been messaging my friends from Sin City.

 

[MarcMaverick]

As a Victorian you'd think I'd have to be conditioned to hate everything north of the Murray-Darling River.

But I am going to watch as a neutral and I will enjoy watching these two states battle each other out.

 

[MarcMaverick]

As an aside didn't Alanah Ferguson look like Tayla Hicks?

 

[Aucklander]

Cam Slater? LoL

 

[Fabab]

Hope for a ripper game with no ref issues ,go blues.

 

[MarcMaverick]

Hope for a ripper game with no ref issues ,go blues.

Challenge level: Impossible.

 

[Jatz]

You haven’t been looking in the right spot.

Mainstream media?

Have a look at channel 9’s socials, it’s been mostly Gus/Galvin all week.

 

[Paul Kersey]

**** Ch 9 ‘HD’ is bad.