State of Origin II - Preview

Wednesday night will mark the second act of the Origin masterpiece played out within the sanitary confines of Homebush Bay where the NSW Blues trail the QLD Maroons by an intercept try in extra time.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, it is once again time to rekindle your state loyalties and toddle off down to the railway station swathed in your Origin garb, taking care to purchase your fare to Olympic Park before the ticket machine bombards you with a fistful of change that you can hopefully offload to a Salvation Army worker. You will then wend your way through the hordes of fans at the ground to warm the plastic seat you purchased for eighty minutes of pulsating, roguish theatre. Those patrons in the upper decks must be sure to separate the tomato sauce on your pie from the blood that may run freely from the nose depending on your tolerance to elevation.

But jokes aside, there is no finer venue available in the proud state of NSW than that of Telstra Stadium when it comes to the hosting of the Milky Way?s grandest sporting event - State of Origin. So with the memories of 50,000 rabid Queenslanders liberating the last laugh from their foaming mouths three weeks ago, we know turn our attention to Game II and the key match-ups within.

The Backline Bout

No?s 1-5 are unchanged for both sides on paper, but with the fitness of Mark Gasnier under the microscope, things could transform for the Blues.

Gaz has a groin problem and even though he?s been passed fit a shadow of doubt will remain until kick-off. If something untoward were to happen winger Matt King will shift into his position giving Luke Lewis a shot on the wing. This is easily the most central issue to the backline contest at this stage, as the Blues stand to lose so much firepower without Gasnier.

For the Maroons, it?s business as usual, with their backs looking to make up for a quiet night in Origin I. The home team failed to capitalise on the blistering pace of Slater and the unpredictability of Bowen to their full extent. Whilst they both got involved and Bowen ultimately scored the winning try, the likes of Sing, Berrigan and Williams were a tad forgotten on the night.

Berrigan has certainly proved himself capable of handling this arena in recent times and since becoming a Kangaroo has well and truly taken his game to the next level. Question marks do hang over Bowman however, with the 29 year old centre known more as a defensive player. NSW may look to exploit his lack of speed as all the Blues can well and truly motor.

A weakness that Queensland may be looking at is fullback Minichiello. Whilst he is an excellent player and a worthy custodian, on occasion he is too eager to retrieve the ball and if the surface is slippery he may have to watch his hands.

The Clash of the Forwards

It was a knockout victory to the Queenslanders during the first encounter, with Carl Webb providing the aggro to muffle the Blues and expose a lack of mateship within the team when no one leapt to the defence of Luke Bailey being pulped by the rampaging back rower.

The Blues have a lot to do here, and have kept the same pack with the exception of Watmough on the bench being replaced by team mate Beaver Menzies. Bailey, Ryles, Simpson and Kennedy need to get in and agitate the Maroons as much as possible, perhaps even inciting fisticuffs.

This will serve to destabilise the Queenslanders concentration, as Webb, Crocker and Thorn are all a little hot under the collar at times and can be prone to the odd brain explosion, leaving their composure in disarray. On the other hand though, if they were to start punching on, I?m not sure the Blues could handle them.

Webb, Crocker and Thorn, in that order, are three of the most uncontrollable blokes in the game and one can imagine the only injury they might incur is a couple of skinned knuckles. With the exception of BK and perhaps Ryles I don?t see anyone in the Blues pack capable of containing them in a fight.

The Alpha Male: Johns v Lockyer

Andrew Johns, 31, halfback, playmaker and tormentor of all things Maroon. This week the media has tended to concentrate on Joey?s perceived weaknesses as opposed to his strengths. Sure, he?s had a bad run of outs with injury and has little football under his belt for the past couple of seasons. But on the positive side he has a pin-point passing game, deft kicking ability both long and short, hard-nosed tackling and can find a gap in the defensive line where most can?t.

Johns has been grappling with the twin demons of a struggling club side and trying to re-ignite his representative career. Sadly, it is obvious that Newcastle cannot realistically provide him with a third premiership ring and as such he must turn his thirst for competitiveness towards the Origin arena to fill the vacuum within.

When the NSW selectors and Ricky Stuart took all this into account they obviously figured that he was more likely to win them the game than lose it and opted against a deflated Kimmorley, an out of sorts Gower and an untested Orford. They also needed to work out who could combat the attacking flair of the no.6 for Queensland.

Darren Lockyer, 28, five-eighth, free-flowing footy freak and leader of the Queenslanders. It goes without saying that Locky is the type of player you really need to keep an eye on. But part of his game is to make you take your eye off him.

Through the tutelage of Wayne Bennet, Lockyer has taken his game to the next level at five-eighth since converting from fullback. He is now the Australian captain and can lay claim to the best footballer in the world right now, which makes this contest even sweeter to watch.

Lockyer possesses an ability to do everything that is expected of him in a half of football without raising an eyebrow from onlookers. He then explodes into the second half, changing his style from distributing and unleashes the beast within, picking and choosing his moments to expose the opposition?s deficiencies and create breaks or slip in a kick for a flying support player.

His game can be as esoteric as it can be structured, which is a rare double in this day and age of manufactured footballers. When he goes into adlib, Lockyer has an instinct inside of him that determines what he will do only a split second before he does it. This usually results in general mayhem for the opposition who struggle to cope with an unplanned attacking sequence.

Whilst both Johns and Lockyer are the lifeblood to their teams, they will still need competent and efficient service from their partners in Anasta and Thurston respectively. The second State of Origin for 2005 is billing to be an absorbing struggle between the traditional rivals of NSW and Queensland. Within the battle will be these sub-plots serving to determine the nature and outcome of the match.

During the course of the game the Alpha Male will come to the fore and beat his chest.