Emotion may be one of the traditional fuels for Queensland’s State of Origin fire, but coach Mal Meninga says we should expect a “cold and calculated” approach from the Maroon in the series decider on July 6.
Far from panicking after Queensland’s upset 18-8 loss to New South Wales in Origin II, Mal believes the Maroons are well placed to wrap up their sixth consecutive series win at Suncorp Stadium.
However, the record-breaking coach admits he does have some concerns about the inevitable tidal wave of emotion triggered by the final Origin appearance of inspirational skipper Darren Lockyer that could engulf his team’s preparation for Game III.
“We all know that it will be Darren’s last Origin game, so we won’t be short on motivation,” Mal said. “The key for us will be taking the emotion out of that preparation.
“We need to be cold and calculated in the way we prepare for the game.
“We need to be focused on the preparation and application to the game, not worrying about the end result of sending Darren out with a win like he deserves.”
Mal said the Maroons were not dwelling on the upset loss in Game II, despite the ongoing celebrations south of the border, and said he and his coaching staff had identified the areas that needed to be worked on for the decider.
“The simple facts of the matter are that NSW played very well, and we can play better,” he said. “We knew what NSW were going to do, and they executed their game plan very well.
“We lost the wrestle, and the battle against fatigue. They worked us over very well in the middle and we didn’t handle that.
“A lot of it comes down to the completion rates for both teams. Neither team made an error in the first half, and that is just unheard of in Origin footy.
“It would be a remarkable enough achievement in a club match, so for both teams to be so disciplined in the toughest footy arena in the world is unbelievable.
“That was a testament to the effort form both teams and their willingness to execute their plans.
“In the second half, we started to produce errors because their relentless pressure, and you really have to take your hat off to them for that.
“Their tactical kicking, applying pressure to our kickers and catchers, and then us trying to slip passes away in pressure situations and they just didn’t come off for us.
“They on the other hand still had close to 90 per cent completions in the second half.
“NSW had to play their best footy to beat us, and even though we were down in a few areas, the game was still there for the taking with three minutes to go.
“The challenge for us is to be back to our best on our home ground. The challenge for NSW is to replicate the game they produced in Sydney.”