AMPOL State of Origin 2025

[peternorth]

I got shat on in here a while back for saying words to that effect.

He’s gifted and has tools that very few players do and even recently he’s produced some performances that remind you how good he can be.

But he lives off a reputation that he’s a ‘big game/big moment’ player and while he HAS occasionally delivered in those scenarios it’s an exception rather than a rule.

Hes like a a less reliable Greg Inglis

Is there an AFL equivalent for AFL fans reading this thread?

 

[Sonny Hayes]

Why? Cleary was close to their best player in game one and no halfback was winning NSW that game tonight. Peter Sterling at his peak wasn’t going to win that match.

Outside of the back 5 one NSW player ran for more metres than Cleary himself (113m) and that was Haas with 115.

The poor bastard had to make 35 tackles to boot (and missed just 1)

Cleary was better than Moses in game 1 better than Luai in game 2 and Luai in game 3.

Was in NSW best players game 1, average but clearly not 100% in game 2 and meh tonight but a long long way from our worst.

People can not separate the fact that just because he is not dominating Origin it does not mean he is not still playing mostly fine. The problem is NSW fans are looking for a 'saviour'.

 

[Sonny Hayes]

Is there an AFL equivalent for AFL fans reading this thread?

Maybe De Goey? Talented but injury prone, an absolute game winner at his best but can go absolutely missing at times as well. Not a perfect comparison but not a bad one i think.

Will probably look back in 20 years at both and think yeah good career but never saw the best of them.

 

[phantom13]

I got shat on in here a while back for saying words to that effect.

He’s gifted and has tools that very few players do and even recently he’s produced some performances that remind you how good he can be.

But he lives off a reputation that he’s a ‘big game/big moment’ player and while he HAS occasionally delivered in those scenarios it’s an exception rather than a rule.

Hes like a a less reliable Greg Inglis

Yeh I reckon I was one who disagreed. Happy to concede that one.

Why? Cleary was close to their best player in game one and no halfback was winning NSW that game tonight. Peter Sterling at his peak wasn’t going to win that match.

Outside of the back 5 one NSW player ran for more metres than Cleary himself (113m) and that was Haas with 115.

The poor bastard had to make 35 tackles to boot (and missed just 1)

Not so sure about this though. He had field position a lot and really did nothing with it. Queensland defended him brilliantly but he really doesn’t have a plan B when teams manage to get in his face. I can’t remember him finding a short kick, forcing a line drop out or assisting with a line break.

He’s a future immortal (and his 15 minute burst against my broncos was as good as anything I’ve ever seen) but he’s been found wanting in origin a few times now.

Is there an AFL equivalent for AFL fans reading this thread?

I’d say Shai Bolton. We’ve seen him be absolutely otherworldly but generally when the tough work needs to be done he’s nowhere to be seen.

 

[phantom13]

Latrell is also a massive w***er and cracks the shits whenver things aren't going his way so it's always great to see him lose

His flopping for penalties was pretty embarassing tonight. So was him “flying the flag” or whatever that looked more like a cranky toddler than anything else.

He makes himself deeply unlikeable.

 

[Jacks Seething Rage]

Is there an AFL equivalent for AFL fans reading this thread?

I’d say Shai Bolton. We’ve seen him be absolutely otherworldly but generally when the tough work needs to be done he’s nowhere to be seen.

Yep, first that came to mind.

Sadly, Charlie Curnow also a nominee.

 

[Paul Kersey]

Yeh (rabbitohs supporters feel free to jump in) but by and large he is seen as a very in and out player. When he’s on he’s absolutely unstoppable but I can’t really remember seeing it for a while and certainly not when his team needed a lift

He should be a superstar. Pity.

 

[Zacs_Magic_Tooth]

Nothing more embarrassing than watching Gallen try to talk smack advertising some boxing match absolutely no one is purchasing Stan to watch. The second-hand embarrassment was the cherry on top of a lovely night.
Qld put on a clinic tonight - simple plans executed perfectly. Very surprised.

Hope that’s the end of Ponga, looked much better without him

 

[PhatBoy]

Is there an AFL equivalent for AFL fans reading this thread?

Hmm. An immediate one that comes to mind might be Charlie Curnow who can do it all and has so many physical attributes but probably hasn’t delivered enough on it but Mitchell has won titles - on the flip side Curnow has a Coleman medal so his own supporters would cite that as proof of what he can do.

It’s very hard to make comparisons across the codes sometimes because of the lack of rep footy.

I can see why Mitchell is a player that when fit will always be picked because of what he COULD do

 

[PhatBoy]

Yep, first that came to mind.

Sadly, Charlie Curnow also a nominee.

Glad I wasn’t the only one who said it lol

 

[PhatBoy]

Yeh I reckon I was one who disagreed. Happy to concede that one.

Not so sure about this though. He had field position a lot and really did nothing with it. Queensland defended him brilliantly but he really doesn’t have a plan B when teams manage to get in his face. I can’t remember him finding a short kick, forcing a line drop out or assisting with a line break.

He’s a future immortal (and his 15 minute burst against my broncos was as good as anything I’ve ever seen) but he’s been found wanting in origin a few times now.

I’d say Shai Bolton. We’ve seen him be absolutely otherworldly but generally when the tough work needs to be done he’s nowhere to be seen.

Don’t get me wrong I don’t think he had a ‘good’ game tonight I’m not trying to say he did. Just don’t think that tonight was the sort of game where you look at it and go ‘well someone else would have made a difference’ because honestly Queensland - and even as a fan I was shocked by it - played brilliantly.

 

[PerthBoy86]

I find everything about NRL/Rugby League kind of different/a bit of a culture shock. Obviously the game itself, but the atmosphere at games (fireworks, cheerleaders etc, at least at AAMI park), even the commentary. Somehow they sound even more Aussie and blokey than AFL ones. It's interesting though.

Really wish we had AFL State of Origin again.

 

[010203]

Tommy saying "****, oh shit" at the presentation was funny.

 

[brutus76]

Someone needs to get in the good books of Mrs Slater as her hubby is an NRL head coach if she'd let him

 

[Greenstar5]

Another day, another disappointment being a Blues fan. I mean why do we even bother.

 

[Fabab]

Well deserved qld.

 

[moto748]

Not a game to live long in the memory, but not at all surprised at the result. QLD looked very comfortable defending whatever NSW threw at them, which wasn't much. Did think the final pass for the first try was forward, though. Tommy Deardon is a top player and I have always rated him since he was a kid at the Broncos.

 

[Zacs_Magic_Tooth]

Not a game to live long in the memory, but not at all surprised at the result. QLD looked very comfortable defending whatever NSW threw at them, which wasn't much. Did think the final pass for the first try was forward, though. Tommy Deardon is a top player and I have always rated him since he was a kid at the Broncos.

Touchy had a mare. It looked like gridiron at one stage

 

[Aucklander]

I find everything about NRL/Rugby League kind of different/a bit of a culture shock. Obviously the game itself, but the atmosphere at games (fireworks, cheerleaders etc, at least at AAMI park), even the commentary. Somehow they sound even more Aussie and blokey than AFL ones. It's interesting though.

Really wish we had AFL State of Origin again.

There's a young lady from New Zealand being left out of game day coverage for the likes of Ennis, Anasta, Cronk, Tallis etc. etc. who make the game a hard listen.

QLD far too good.

 

[phantom13]

Don’t get me wrong I don’t think he had a ‘good’ game tonight I’m not trying to say he did. Just don’t think that tonight was the sort of game where you look at it and go ‘well someone else would have made a difference’ because honestly Queensland - and even as a fan I was shocked by it - played brilliantly.

Yeh that’s fair. I mean Cleary has been so good for so long that you sort of assume if he couldn’t lift then no one could have lifted.

I think the whole “Cleary doesn’t have a plan B” thing might have some truth to it (albeit he absolutely went plan B in that broncos grand final) he doesn’t seem to have that real deep bag of creative tricks that other halfbacks can occasionally conjure. It might just be a perception thing too but he does sometimes look like he has absolutely no urgency or desperation to take the game on.

It’s all really harsh criticism of a future immortal really. If anything last night showed Luai ain’t the guy at 6

 

[phantom13]

Nothing more embarrassing than watching Gallen try to talk smack advertising some boxing match absolutely no one is purchasing Stan to watch. The second-hand embarrassment was the cherry on top of a lovely night.
Qld put on a clinic tonight - simple plans executed perfectly. Very surprised.

Hope that’s the end of Ponga, looked much better without him

Is it JUST on Stan? Or is it a PPV on Stan? If its "free" with the basic Stan package i might give it a look for shits and gigs.

I wouldnt fight him, hes a scary ****ing dude, but Gallen is a horrible, horrible "boxer". If Sonny hasnt been ripping lines in cubicles for the last month he should ****ing destroy him.

Someone needs to get in the good books of Mrs Slater as her hubby is an NRL head coach if she'd let him

Slater makes an absolute bucketload of money for 12 weeks work plus he can offset it with special commentary and bits and bobs without really leaving home.

Id assume he might consider it if he gets booted from the Origin job down the line but his set up right now money and the freedom, i wouldnt do it.

 

[PhatBoy]

Not a game to live long in the memory, but not at all surprised at the result. QLD looked very comfortable defending whatever NSW threw at them, which wasn't much. Did think the final pass for the first try was forward, though. Tommy Deardon is a top player and I have always rated him since he was a kid at the Broncos.

It was forward. I said it straight away to my Blues supporting mate watching with me. Pissed me off a bit that the commentators didn’t even mention it to be honest.

 

[PhatBoy]

Is it JUST on Stan? Or is it a PPV on Stan? If its "free" with the basic Stan package i might give it a look for shits and gigs.

I wouldnt fight him, hes a scary ****ing dude, but Gallen is a horrible, horrible "boxer". If Sonny hasnt been ripping lines in cubicles for the last month he should ****ing destroy him.

Slater makes an absolute bucketload of money for 12 weeks work plus he can offset it with special commentary and bits and bobs without really leaving home.

Id assume he might consider it if he gets booted from the Origin job down the line but his set up right now money and the freedom, i wouldnt do it.

Its PPV.

Gallen is hard to knock out - makes sense given that he doesn’t have the necessary equipment to suffer brain damage I guess - but SBW can actually box a bit, Gallen can just cop a punch and brawl a bit, I would love to see Sonny towel him up. That’s the only thing that could possibly draw me to watch it but I wont be.

Barry Hall was a long way out of condition and boxed his ears off and somehow it was declared a draw when he had his first fight and he’s made a living off talking garbage ever since. He was a footballer who made a career out of I guess being too stoic to knock down and I suppose he’s done the same as a boxer, with relatively little skill in either field.

 

[PhatBoy]

Yeh that’s fair. I mean Cleary has been so good for so long that you sort of assume if he couldn’t lift then no one could have lifted.

I think the whole “Cleary doesn’t have a plan B” thing might have some truth to it (albeit he absolutely went plan B in that broncos grand final) he doesn’t seem to have that real deep bag of creative tricks that other halfbacks can occasionally conjure. It might just be a perception thing too but he does sometimes look like he has absolutely no urgency or desperation to take the game on.

It’s all really harsh criticism of a future immortal really. If anything last night showed Luai ain’t the guy at 6

At times yeah I’d agree with that. I think I doesn’t have a long passing game like maybe Thurston used to, he relies heavily on hitting the next player in line on a certain angle, or the second man, rather than being able to bring a player into the game who is in space a bit wider in a more unstructured way when nothing is on. I do think his running game is pretty underrated though, you could see a few times last night he just knew that he was getting nothing from his team and took it upon himself to try and make something happen.

I think if there’s one thing he needs, it’s arrogance. Might sound a bit odd, but he defers too much to lesser players sometimes. He’s been praised a lot over the years for knowing when to let Luai or Koroisau or whoever do their thing, but he needs to maybe just start to think ‘I have won all these titles for a reason’ and just demand the ball and bark orders come hell or high water

 

[moto748]

I've said it before and I'll say it again; the Bunker should be able to rule on forward passes. They manage to do it now in RU, so there's no reason we can't. They are happy to write off tries for the tiniest infraction, a foot six inches in front of the ball, etc, but obvious forward passes go unremarked.