Queensland have evened the score in State Of Origin game II with a penalty try after referees ruled Will Chambers would have scored if not interfered with by Jake Wighton.
Kalyn Ponga converted the try, to even the score at 6 points each.
New South Wales initially took the lead Tom Trbojevic scored and Nathan Cleary converted the try.
Queensland have evened the score in State Of Origin game II with a penalty try after referees ruled Will Chambers would have scored if not interfered with by Jake Wighton
New South Wales initially took the lead Tom Trbojevic scored and Nathan Cleary converted the try
Trbojevic plucked the ball out of Ponga’s hands to score the first try of the match.
The try came after at least three players refused to sing the national anthem a in a display of protest.
Players also refused to sing in the first game of the series, as well as the women’s match on Friday.
New South Wales initially took the lead Tom Trbojevic scored and Nathan Cleary converted the try
The try came after at least three players refused to sing the national anthem a in a display of protest
The New South Wales Blues will lose the series if they suffer another defeat following Queensland’s 18-14 victory at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane earlier this month.
If the Blues can snatch victory, the series will be decided in Sydney in July.
Fans have already begun to fill the stadium in anticipation of tonight’s game.
The second match of the State Of Origin 2019 series has kicked off
If Queensland do take out the victory tonight that means they will have won the series
The stage is set for prop Jarrod Wallace to finally make the most of his State of Origin chance, according to Queensland assistant coach Justin Hodges.
A media ban was placed on Wallace before Sunday’s Origin II in Perth as the Gold Coast Titans forward prepared to let his football do the talking in his Maroons return.
Wallace was dropped for Queensland’s series opening victory after a quiet start for NRL club Gold Coast and criticism of his Origin efforts in 2018.
Hodges said Wallace now had his chance to silence his critics when he comes off the bench in his sixth Origin.
‘He had his opportunity last year and let it go,’ Hodges said.
‘That’s what happens in Origin football, you miss those moments because the game goes so quickly.
‘But he understands now. He will be fine.’
Wallace came under fire for his displays as starting prop last year, managing just 52m in game one and 43m in Origin II before he produced 82m after being relegated to the bench for the dead rubber.
The stage is set for prop Jarrod Wallace to finally make the most of his State of Origin chance, according to Queensland assistant coach Justin Hodges
Hodges also backed Dylan Napa to fire despite the starting prop nursing a broken wrist.
‘He is carrying an injury but he is fine. All week he has done all the tests that he has needed to do,’ he said.
‘And once you are out there and the adrenaline is flowing, you don’t feel the niggles until after the game.
‘We support him, he was honest with us during the week.
‘But you have got to have a player like that in your side; he is very intimidating.’
Hodges also agreed Moses Mbye had been in a ‘bad way’ after a severe allergic reaction but says nothing will stop the utility playing in State of Origin II in Perth.
Wallace was dropped for Queensland’s series opening victory after a quiet start for NRL club Gold Coast and criticism of his Origin efforts in 2018
Maroons team doctor Matt Hislop found Mbye slumped on the floor at the team’s Perth hotel on Friday after the Wests Tigers captain called him for help.
It is believed Mbye went into anaphylactic shock and his airways were closing before Hislop revived the 25-year-old with an anti-allergy injection EpiPen.
Remarkably Mbye will run out for Queensland barely 48 hours after the terrifying scare.
While ex-Queensland captain Cameron Smith believes Kalyn Ponga will strike fear into the Blues.
Ponga, 21, has already been hailed as a 10-year player by the likes of ex-Maroons
Maroons team doctor Matt Hislop found Mbye slumped on the floor at the team’s Perth hotel on Friday morning after the Wests Tigers captain called him for help. It is believed Mbye went into anaphylactic shock and his airways were closing before Hislop revived the 25-year-old with an anti-allergy injection EpiPen
‘I only played him last week against Newcastle and I can tell you every time he got the ball I was getting a little bit nervous,’ he said.
‘But it’s good that Queensland have got a guy in the side with those abilities.
‘If I am feeling that (anxiety) and my Storm teammates are feeling that than I am hoping the Blues are feeling that on Sunday.’
Despite the confidence of the Maroons, NSW star Tom Trbojevic is adamant he can replicate his success as a Kangaroos centre to State of Origin in Sunday’s must-win clash against Queensland.
Despite the confidence of the Maroons, NSW star Tom Trbojevic is adamant he can replicate his success as a Kangaroos centre to State of Origin in Sunday’s must-win clash against Queensland
Trbojevic will make his first start in the three-quarter line for the Blues after he was selected to replace for game-one pick Josh Morris.
The Manly fullback was seemingly a lock for the Blues in the lead-up to the series but missed eight games early in the NRL season with a hamstring injury.
Just two games into his return, Blues coach Brad Fittler had no hesitation in rushing Trbojevic back into the team for game two at Perth’s Optus Stadium.
Trbojevic was confident he would justify Fittler’s faith.
‘I’ve got really good staff at Manly that got me back fully fit and confident, but it’s nothing like playing out-and-out footy,’ he told AAP.
Trbojevic’s selection in the centres came as somewhat of a shock after a strong effort by Morris, who came out of representative retirement and scored a try in Origin I.
And while some may view the decision as a gamble, Trbojevic will draw on his experience playing in the centres for the Kangaroos last year.
While Queensland did most of their damage down the right in game one, Trbojevic is wary of their potency down his side of the field
He has scored three tries in as many Tests starting in the position.
‘You do, you get a lot of confidence from playing in that position in that arena. You get familiar playing in those positions the more games you play,’ he said.
‘You’ve done the job before, so I’m looking forward to doing it again.’
The 22-year-old has the ominous job of defending against Queensland’s lethal left edge of Cameron Munster, Michael Morgan and Corey Oates.
Maroons star Ponga also often favours heading down that channel.
And while Queensland did most of their damage down the right in game one, Trbojevic is wary of their potency down his side of the field.
‘They look quite tough. They’re obviously quality players,’ he said.