QUEENSLAND PLAYER REVIEWS FROM ORIGIN II:
1 Kalyn Ponga – 8
One of the best in Queensland, brilliant on offense, as a lovely pass gave the opening attempt and his pace made the Maroons second, but he missed helpers as NSW rolled through a lackluster defence.
2 Selwyn Cobbo – 2
These were the toughest nights for the young winger, making four errors, including bouncing off a grubberkick where he could have easily scored a try in the first half.
3 Valentine Holmes – 4
On hand for Munster’s attempt with a nice assist, but it was an otherwise muted night, with five tackles missed and only seven completed.
4 Dane Gagai – 3
Fairly invisible screen in attack, only produces 35m and lacks flashy moments.
5 Murray Taulagi – 4.5
Quiet first half and dropped a high ball early in the second stanza although he produced 94m with the ball.
6 Cameron Munster – 4
Was on the spot to take advantage of Ponga’s line break with a try but couldn’t create his usual magic and made three errors.
7 Daly Cherry-Evans – 5
Had some moments and did what he could with foot kicks at 427m but missed the punch required to lead his side back into the game.
8 Lindsay Collins – 4.5
Got a ton of defensive work with 30 tackles, missing just two but making just seven runs after missing some time with a head injury assessment.
9 Ben Hunt – 4
Solid early in laying the groundwork for Harry Grant’s entrance from the bench, though it didn’t really do much more than that.
10 Josh Papalii – 4
Made three 25m runs in a 17 minute stint to start the game and then sat on the bench for nearly the next hour before returning for the final few minutes.
11 Kurt Capewell – 3
Five runs for 27 minutes was all he had to show for the night, as one of a number of quiet Maroons.
12 Felise Kaufusi – 5
Opened the score with a sizzling run that saw him beat two defenders, but spent 10 minutes in the sin box for a cynical grab close to his own line and NSW scored immediately in his absence.
13 Tino Fa’asuamaleaui – 3.5
Started off well with the kind of bruises you’d expect from him, but faded when the Blues took over.
14 Harry Grant – 3
He came in at 23 minutes, but was unable to exert his influence as he did in Game One, missing six tackles missed.
15 Jai Arrow – 3.5″
Went out soon after going into battle for a head injury assessment and only had five runs for the game.
16 Patrick Carrigan – 7
Came off the bench to give the Maroons another huge energy boost, not putting a foot wrong and making 33 tackles.
17 Jeremiah Nanai – 2.5
Didn’t come in until the second half and barely made it into the picture when he did, other than missing four tackles.
