QLD ORIGIN REVIEW
PLAYER RATINGS
KARMICHAEL HUNT 7
Hunt was solid at the back, positioning himself perfectly to return serve on the full from the Mullen and Anasta kicks. Safe hands and some good charges.
BRENT TATE 6
Nothing spectacular from ‘Buzz Lightyear’ but Tate warmed to the challenge and kick chased well after the 55 minute mark. Will improve as series goes on.
STEVE BELL 5.5
Limited chances, not a high involvement from the Manly man. Bombed a certain try for the QLD team.
JUSTIN HODGES 6.5
Apart from the miss on Hayne before half time, Hodges defence was strong – and as QLD got more ball he proved a hard worker and carted the ball up well, beating several tacklers.
GREG INGLIS 7
Inglis played well and bagged a double. Had a top game, but can play even better. NSW Origin team need to watch him in games 2 and 3 – a possible series breaker.
DARREN LOCKYER (c) 7
Controlled things beautifully for QLD Origin. Never panicked and the kicking game from Locky and JT was first class. Always popped up in attack and defence, the Hayne cleanup try typifies Lockyers work ethic.
JOHNATHAN THURSTON 8.5
Combined surperbly with Lockyer. JT passed and kicked to perfection. Didn’t overplay his hand and topped things off with a sublime field goal to put the result beyond doubt. He will be Queensland Origins foundation for the next decade.
PETERO CIVONICEVA 7.5
The ‘Rock’ – Petero was faultless in his effort. While not totally unstoppable, the big man didn’t put a foot wrong for his QLD team.
CAMERON SMITH 8
While not frequently noticed in State of Origin Game 1 – Smith was his usual tradesman self. Smith shut down most NSW dummy half scoots and his probing raids caused headaches for NSW all night.
STEVE PRICE 9
Keeps on Keeping on. His robotic charges are still so hard for the opposition to handle. Price is a fit, hard working and smart prop – who on current form will put QLD in good stead to win the series and will surely win his Australian Kangaroo jersey back.
TONIE CARROLL 8.5
Terrorised the NSW side. From the opening whistle Carroll was like a caged lion released. Intimidation was his goal and he well and truely achieved it. Put Brett White out of commission and played a lot of minutes.
NATE MYLES 6
Not a lot of involvement, appearance will give Myles more confidence and will improve as series goes on.
DALLAS JOHNSON 7
Busy night in defence for the Maroons. Johnson never stopped tackling and had some good carries. Played well above his weight.
SHAUN BERRIGAN 6
Limited opportunities, didn’t make mistakes when given the game time.
JACOB LILLYMAN 6
Not well known, but the Cowboy was everywhere and tackled everything that moved.
NEVILLE COSTIGAN 6.5
Had some heavy contact and was a handful on the fringe for the NSW team. Didn’t see a lot of ball. Will be a factor in games 2 and 3.
ANTONIO KAUFUSI 6
Injury ruined the party for the big bopper. Showed some good signs early. 2007 is over now for the Storm star.
NSW ORIGIN REVIEW
PLAYER RATINGS
ANTHONY MINICHIELLO 8
Positional play was top notch. Carted the ball back at speed and did plenty of housework in goal – defusing sticky situations. Proved selectors right. Star.
MATT KING 5
Had a bad night in defence with some poor reads and had limited chances in attack. Will be disappointed.
JAMIE LYON 5
Wasn’t seen all night. Low involvement and had some bad misses in defence. Fell short of expectations. Tahu will press for his spot in game 2.
MATT COOPER 6.5
Nabbed the early try for the NSW team and tried to lift his side with some courageous hitups – taking the pressure off his forwards. Missing his mate Gaz.
JARRYD HAYNE 6
Hero to zero. Hayne had a good night apart from the dreadful mixup at the back. Will be so much better after the debut, a future superstar.
BRAITH ANASTA 5.5
Set up a try and looked good early on. Went missing as game went on, and didn’t execute kicking game well enough. Found Hunt on every kick.
JARROD MULLEN 5.5
Had an encouraging start, but was too much for the young kid to handle when things started to go against the Blues. Needed to demand the ball on 1 or 2 occasions. Forwards let him down in the back end.
BRENT KITE 6
Some solid charges from the knee lifter. Got driven back regularly though. Was impressive without being dynamic.
DANNY BUDERUS (c) 5.5
Was outgunned by Cameron Smith. Tried hard without effect. Will be fired up to return serve in Sydney.
BRETT WHITE 5
Talked the talk before hand, but Carroll laid him to rest with the first hitup. Broken nose hampered his night – will be interesting to see his next effort. Carroll got away with his rough stuff, so expect to see the NSW origin side flaunt the physical rules in game 2.
NATHAN HINDMARSH 6
Got the first Blues try and made some desperation saves for the Blues. Never stopped trying.
WILLIE MASON 5.5
Hamstring hampered the big man. Really needed to stand up to get the Blues back on a roll. Didn’t have a big impact and was nailed a few times on the hitup.
ANDREW RYAN 6
Bobcat had a good night, setup an early try and was extremely busy. Needed to put his hand up in the back end to lead the team forward.
LUKE BAILEY 5.5
Got a little bit of extra time with the White saga. Didn’t do enough. Lacked mongrel.
STEVE SIMPSON 6
Should have been a starter. The NSW Origin side needs his physical intimidation, he is a street brawler and needs more time.
ANTHONY TUPOU 4.5
Limited minutes, threw some silly offloads that hurt the NSW side. May lose his spot for Game 2.
KURT GIDLEY 4.5
Had a few nice runs, but injury killed off his night. Would have wanted to run riot in the back end – as opposition forwards tired.rwards tired.