State of Origin: The Queensland Maroons have made a statement in the State of Origin series opener, defeating the NSW Blues 38-10 at Accor Stadium.
Queensland’s Billy Slater is looking more and more like a master-coach with every passing day , after the Maroons took Game I in a perfect start to their Origin three-peat bid .
Slater picked just two forwards on his bench along with dummy-half Harry Grant and 21-year-old debutant Cobbo, while the Blues picked four forwards.– seeing the Queensland fullback ruled out for the remainder of the game due to a head knock and debutant Suaalii sent off – Cobbo’s selection was immediately vindicated.
“We prepared for the unexpected and the unexpected happened,” Slater said in his post-match press conference. “I’m not a selector, I’m never going to be a selector but I’m also entitled to my own opinion. Forwards win Origin games. They do all the hard work. “Billy Slater just showed he’s a million times smarter than I am by selecting Selwyn Cobbo … the perfect situation tonight, Reece gets done, Selwyn’s on, he can play anywhere – centre, wing, fullback – and the Hammer goes back to fullback. Billy – too good.”
“Hammer was great slipping into the fullback position,” Slater said in his post-match press conference. “The team has adapted to adversity the last three years.”Compare that to NSW coach Michael Maguire, who went all-in on forwards in his own bench selection – something that left them short of more mobile defenders when they went a man down.
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