Rugby League State Of Orgin Game II

Well, not a thriller in extra time like 3 weeks ago but still a pretty good game where it was in the balance for most of the game.

NSW 32 QLD 22

Go the Mighty Blues!!!

Andrew Johns is a freak footballer, who else could put in a man-of-the-match performance after only 1 game coming back from injury?

I also loved it when Mark Gasnier just flew down the sideline fully intent on steamrolling Billy Slater and only decided to pass the ball to Matt Cooper for the try when he was well and truly tackled and going into touch, great stuff.

Bring on Game 3, how are we going to wait 3 weeks for the decider? This series has been one of the best I reckon.

Hmmm, no replies after a day of posting this thread, it’s very quiet compared to the reaction of my Game 1 thread, all those Queensland supporters must be wallowing in sorrow after Wednesday night…

I don’t think we take it as seriously here than you guys do down south.

Yes it was a good game. And I agree that it’s been the best series ever. But life goes on. I just like to see a good competition, i really couldn’t care less who wins.

But to be honest, it’s always good to see the maroons get up.

Andrew Johns is a legend.

There’s no doubt NSW played well, but all the ‘experts’ agreed, without him NSW would be lost, would have lost. They’re far from a one-man team, but it’s one man that held together a team. QLD aren’t being led by one player. If Darren Lockyer wasn’t there, they wouldn’t play as well, but take him out of the QLD side, and fill it with another, they’d still be solid. Johns’ brilliance in every play demonstrates how great he is, but also how lost NSW was beforehand.

And supporting Johns, I’m disappointed even Ricky Stuart didn’t have faith in him. I read articles where he was even doubting Andrew John’s ability beforehand, ‘yeah he will be OK’. Come on Stuart, Johns is a far better player than you ever were. Stuart possesses an attitude which doesn’t match his ability or coaching ability. Wayne Bennett for example, is a coach Stuart will never be, yet Stuart possesses the arrogance that people can’t stand to be near let alone watch. Even after the match, instead of praising Johns, that bullfroged head of Stuart’s would rather praise his ‘coaching’ tactics. Sorry Ricky, I know it’s hard to say, but it was Johns that led the team, not you.

Anyway, whoever wins is obviously the best team, so if NSW wins, doesn’t worry me. If QLD does, well then they’re the better side this year.

Even though I support QLD, with the return of Johns I was hoping NSW played well and even won. I didn’t want to see him dropped like a sack of steaming terds for one bad pass. How can the media turn on Brett Kimmorley like that? He’s a great player. That’s where I’m proud of QLD whether they win or lose. You’ll never see them slagging a player in the media and in public opinion the way the media and fans do down south. They (the media) have a culture of laying blame on a particular player where QLD’s culture is to take it on the chin as a team.

league isn’t as popular here i don’t think, most guys who play stick to the union code. league is pretty tough tho, sometimes at practice (sdsu aztec rugby) we’ll play a little league code. it’s good to rely less on the contact and such, and more on moving the ball and running at angles. still, bashing heads at the breakdowns and the scrum is way too fun to give up. rock on.

[quote]azteclifter18 wrote:
league isn’t as popular here i don’t think, most guys who play stick to the union code. league is pretty tough tho, sometimes at practice (sdsu aztec rugby) we’ll play a little league code. it’s good to rely less on the contact and such, and more on moving the ball and running at angles. still, bashing heads at the breakdowns and the scrum is way too fun to give up. rock on.[/quote]

I’m so envious of you as I miss the football days! Good to see you’re enjoying it.

Compared to the highest level world rugby match (say NZ vs England), you’ll notice our local competition league will have far more fierce tackles.

Doesn’t mean the rugby guys can’t tackle that way. Rugby is more collective in attack and defence. In league you’ll more one on one hitups. You’ll see a forward crunch the opposing forward several times in a match. The wingers match, run at and tackle each other throughout the game.

They’re definitely more skillful with the kicking game in rugby. But when they hype particular matchups, you don’t see the direct matchups as much in rugby. You’ll hear about a hyped matchup from a winger to winger but it’s not often you see the actual matchup and clash occur as you do in league. Rugby is grinding, it’s strategy and skill. League is free flowing, matchups which see guys always leaving the field with busted heads.

I remember taking my gf at the time (who was only a rugby fan) to see a league match. She never watched it before. All she could do is say ‘look at how hard they’re smashing each other!’ ‘That’s got to hurt. Ouch!’. I didn’t know what she was talking about, it’s so normal to the league fans. :slight_smile:

Each to their own. We’ve even got the AFL here. The guys are more athletic, like basketball players, with a few enormous guys thrown in to smash things up. Never used to appeal to me until the a few years ago when I went to some home games. You don’t realize how physical it is until you’re there. Whereas rugby and league the physical work is on camera with the other players in support, in AFL it’s what you don’t see that’s physical. If you’ve ever checked it out, the players are endurance athletes sticking man on man the entire game, running around in circles, from one end of the field to the other to break free from the other guy. Like the NBA. They can be at the other end of the field away from the ball in play and two guys will be throwing each other to the ground, shoving and pushing each other the whole time. Crazy. And they’re absolute kicking specialists.

Geez, all this talk I feel like watching sport. That’s the cool thing, watching different styles of football on different days. Well it’s friday night football night. I’m off! :slight_smile:

I’m so pissed. I taped the SoO II early Tuesday morning (in the States, league is shown on TV every Tuesday morning at 2 AM) and my satellite TV box resetted halfway through the match. :frowning:

I’m not a big league fan, rugby is the more popular variant in the States, and I only started watching league a couple of months ago to unwind after work. I stumbled upon SoO I and I got to say that was one of the BEST rugby games I’ve ever seen, union or league. I can’t wait for SoO III. What I like about it is that it’s an “all-star game”, but unlike in the States (baseball, basketball, and so on), the opposing teams really do hate each other. >:-)

Andrew Johns was just amazing. He looked like a young kid enjoying a scratch game in the park. I’ve never seen anyone so dominant in a State of Origin game. His timing in attack took the game to another level, although you could see he was a bit rusty in defence.

http://images.t-nation.com/forum_images/./1/.1119023552770.johns.jpg

Article:

Johns, the ultimate code breaker
By Rupert Guinness
June 18, 2005

FORMER Waratahs coach Bob Dwyer and and former captain Matt Burke have lauded Origin II rugby league star Andrew Johns as the greatest player of either code.

Speaking after yesterday’s launch in Sydney of Burke’s biography: A Rugby Life, both said Johns’ game in Wednesday’s Origin series leveller questioned the Australian Rugby Union’s wisdom for not pushing for Johns’ switch from league last year.

“Everyone says they got happier and happier and the game went on,” said Dwyer, referring to praise Johns earned for his gilted performance.

“I just got sicker and sicker as the game went on just thinking of what might’ve been. I felt like sending message [to Johns] saying it is not too late to change, but I couldn’t get through.”

Dwyer said he always felt Johns would have been an instant success to rugby. “With his attitude, personal drive and search for excellence and general motivation, he would have improved the training sessions immediately,” said Dwyer, adding that he predicted to Johns that he would end up coaching the Waratah backline as a player.

"He said: ‘how do you reckon I’ll go?’ I said: 'in three months you will be coaching the backline.

“He understands what the confrontation between attack and defence. There are great players and really great players. He is really great. And it doesn’t make a difference [which code].”

Burke, who now plays for the Newcastle Falcons alongside side English World Cup winner Jonny Wilkinson, said Johns was the talk of both codes in England.

“They watch him. Jonny, he talks about Joey all the time,” said Burke. "His ability to not pass, not forward pass and hold a man and pass a long pass which is a difficult pass when you are not planting. It rubs off.

“When you are the world’s best, people try to emulate you no matter what code you are in.”

Burke was at Telstra Stadium watching Origin II. He said seeing Johns lead the Blues - setting up all of NSW’s five tries - silenced every critic that may have remained.

“If there was any doubt about his ability to play the game they got put in their place,” he said.

"Whether he was a loss to rugby? That’s only a question Andrew can ask in terms of: ‘were you really going to come across or was rugby league still in the forefront of your mind?’

"Perhaps [he] was the one that got away. You’ll never know. But if he had of come across he would have been able to make it.

“Absolutely. He would have made it easily.”

Burke said with Johns, even while in league, offered union players a lot to learn from with his rich skills and vision.

The Daily Telegraph

Union is my favourite game to watch but I still reckon that league is physically a tougher game all round from an endurance and strength perspective. A rugby forward is probably the strongest but doesn’t cover as much ground as a league player, who wouldn’t be far behind in strength.

[quote]azteclifter18 wrote:
league isn’t as popular here i don’t think, most guys who play stick to the union code. league is pretty tough tho, sometimes at practice (sdsu aztec rugby) we’ll play a little league code. it’s good to rely less on the contact and such, and more on moving the ball and running at angles. still, bashing heads at the breakdowns and the scrum is way too fun to give up. rock on.[/quote]