Kalyn Ponga send-off changed everything
The sight of Jai Arrow stepping off the Queensland team bus wearing a Maroons jacket on Wednesday night was enough to send shivers down the spines of Blues fans.
It was a similarly powerful moment last year when Cameron Munster announced he would play in the Origin decider in Sydney just three days after the death of his father Steven. We all know how this movie ends: a stunning 24-12 Queensland victory courtesy of a playmaker with the ball and a bigger goal guiding him.
Arrow’s battle with motor neurone disease It shook the rugby league world and the Maroons managed to capitalize on a heavy dose of old-fashioned Queensland spirit in a match that was over after 20 minutes.
Queensland displayed all the attributes the Arrow will need in their battle – grit, determination and resilience – as they brought out a wobbly Blues outfit that is demonic on the ball.
That was until Kalyn Ponga was sent off and all hell broke loose as James Tedesco leapt into the air in the penultimate minute for one of the greatest Origin tries in the greatest comeback in Origin history.
Somehow the Blues found themselves ahead full-time in one of rugby league’s most incredible matches imaginable.
Nathan Cleary responded to his criticism in the most emphatic way with a 40-20 scoreline and outstanding leadership as the Blues raced over an injured 12-man Maroons team and converted in the final five seconds to win 22-20.
For all the debate about whether Billy Slater had made the wrong decision in selecting Ponga over Reece Walsh, the decision appeared to be vindicated in a breathtaking first half as the Newcastle star launched daring passes deep into Queensland territory and flew to receive high balls with little concern for his own safety.
Until Ponga’s second-half send-off changed the course of the match and the Blues saw an opening and broke the visitors’ hearts.
The Maroons have won countless Origin games with an underwhelming team on paper and have consistently found a way to squeeze more juice out of the lemon with internal and external motivation. The Munster backbone of Ponga, Sam Walker and Harry Grant tried to taunt the punters before the Blues staged a spectacular recovery to take a 1-0 series lead against all odds.
The best players can flip a switch in the biggest situations and Ponga and Munster have done exactly that, the latter in particular having given up his erratic club form in Melbourne to the point where he was apparently even considering retirement a few weeks ago.
Queensland’s “taunt” at Origin didn’t pay off at the crucial moment as the Blues’ backbone of Cleary, Tedesco, Ethan Strange and Reece Robson found cohesion, creativity and control at the death.
It was fitting that Cleary and his new half-partner Strange stood arm in arm during the national anthem, as it proved a symbol of the partnership that followed over the next 80 minutes, with flashes of individual brilliance from both.
What a refreshing sight it was to see some flow return to rugby league with referee Ashley Klein largely putting his whistle aside.
League great Andrew Johns had been foreshadowing all week that Walker’s short-kick play loomed as a major threat and his spot-kick to set up Roosters team-mate Robert Toia was an ominous sign of what was to come.
Cleary led one of the superb grand final first halves against Parramatta at the same venue in 2022, but found himself on the opposite end of one of Queensland’s best opening salvoes on Wednesday night. Or perhaps it was one of the worst in NSW, as evidenced by a completion rate of just 44 per cent after 25 minutes.
Cleary’s final quarter bore the marks of his masterclass in the 2023 grand final against Brisbane, while Tedesco’s outstanding late try was better than NSW’s effort to steal victory in 2019.
As the carnage continued and the Blues trailed 20-0, Victor Radley stood by the bench with his hands on his hips, waiting for his opportunity like a caged lion, waiting for every opportunity to kill.
NSW scored in the first set after entering the court, but their poor discipline for the rest of the night left coach Laurie Daley repeatedly shaking her head back and burying her face in her hands.
By the end of the night, Daley was as stunned and smiling as anyone the Blues had managed to bounce back against all odds.
“I don’t know how the coaches did it in and out of that week,” an exhausted Daley said.
Tom Decent is chief sports writer for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: X or email.
