Maroons legend Johnathan Thurston has let it rip at his teammates for playing ‘dumb footy’ during the final 10 minutes of Sunday night’s historic State of Origin series loss.
Queensland went down 18-14 in Origin II on Sunday night to sacrifice the series for the second time in 13 years.
Thurston, who retired from representative duties last year, said he was ‘dumbfounded by the way the Queenslanders played with 12 New South Wales players on the field’.
Maroons legend Johnathan Thurston has let it rip at his teammates for playing ‘dumb footy’ during the final 10 minutes of Sunday night’s historic State of Origin series loss
‘A centre going off for 10 minutes, I don’t think they targeted that edge much.’
The footy legend went on to slam halfback Ben Hunt’s decision to kick on the third tackle rather than keep attacking a 12 man defensive line.
‘The first set that they had, Ben Hunt kicks it dead. That’s a brain explosion on the third tackle,’ he said.
The footy legend went on to slam halfback Ben Hunt’s decision to kick on the third tackle rather than keep attacking a 12 man defensive line
‘The first set that they had, Ben Hunt kicks it dead. That’s a brain explosion on the third tackle,’ he said
Thurston described the Maroons final 10 minutes on the field as ‘dumb footy’.
‘I don’t think that we targeted that edge enough tonight. Like I said, it’s a massive learning curve for the boys,’ he said.
Thurston was not the only one to target Hunt after the historic loss.
Maroons fans flocked to social media to slam his decision to kick on the third tackle as they were attacking NSW’s left edge.
‘That Ben Hunt decision to kick on the third tackle on NSW line needs a Royal Commission,’ one man said.
Maroons fans flocked to social media to slam Hunt’s (pictured) decision to kick on the third tackle as they were attacking NSW’s left edge
The Blues celebrate victory during game two of the State of Origin series between the New South Wales Blues and the Queensland Maroons at ANZ Stadium on June 24
‘Is Hunt suffering concussion? What other reason can he give for that kick?’ another said.
One critic said Hunt’s decision was so poor, he ‘should be investigated for match fixing’.
‘If Queensland had Thurston at halfback instead of Ben Hunt they would have won this game by 10 points,’ a third critic said.
Another man called for the end of Hunt’s Origin career.
‘He should never see representative football again. Awful performance. Just not up to Origin,’ he said.
Boyd Cordner of the Blues celebrates with the crowd after victory in game two of the State of Origin series between the New South Wales Blues and the Queensland Maroons