If the Blues want to keep this year’s State of Origin series alive, then the big bet of Nathan Cleary and Brad Fittler will have to bear fruit.
The day of the game has come to the wild, wild west and at 22:00 AEST the series could have ended, with the Origin shield firmly in the hands of the grenades.
But if Brad Fittler’s Blues have anything to say about it, the series will head to a decisive one in Brisbane.
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If that happens, NSW migback Nathan Cleary must respond to the score thrown by Queensland rival Cameron Munster in Game I.
Fittler has made a lot of changes in hopes of replicating the change his team produced in the same Perth game three years ago.
Here are the hot questions that go into Game II.
Will the bet of Freddy’s Panthers bear fruit?
Brad Fittler made seven changes to his squad and five to his 17 after being overshadowed by the Maroons in the first game.
The ax fell on Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Tariq Sims, Kotoni Staggs and Ryan Matterson, while Jack Wighton is out with Covid.
Fittler has called up Jake Trbojevic to start propping Matt Burton into the centers, while Angus Crichton and Siosifa Talakai are moving to the bench and Api Koroisau has been promoted to starting hooker.
Trbojevic does not play in his preferred blocking position, but in 2019 he moved on to the second game when the Blues responded with a convincing 38-6 victory.
But the biggest bet is to drop Damien Cook on the Koroisau bench while NSW seeks to replicate the blow of a two that Queensland delivered with Ben Hunt and Harry Grant at the opening of the series.
“I know he will go there and do a good job and it’s my turn to support him whenever he can,” Cook said of Koroisau.
“He has a big deception around the ruck. He plays with a lot of time and I feel like he will manipulate the markers a lot and have combinations to start the game with Yo-ee (Isaah Yeo) and also the halves.”
Can Nathan Cleary respond to the scoreboard thrown by Cameron Munster?
It’s not often that Nathan Cleary is overtaken, but he was forced to watch, from the best seat in the house, a Cameron Munster master class in Game I.
The Blues ’migback simply couldn’t match it with the Maroons’ talisman that racked up more than triple the run meters (148) and Cleary’s tackle breaks (7) (49m and two tackl breaks).
Cleary was the target throughout the night of the Maroons who put relentless – and sometimes illegal – pressure on him in Sydney.
Munster has turned down the gauntlet and Cleary has to answer if he wants to take the Kangaroos ’No. 7 jumper against Daly Cherry-Evans in a World Cup year.
“Every time the team loses I will take it personally and I definitely didn’t play well,” Cleary said after the first game.
“It’s a lesson. I can’t change it now, but I can change what I do until the next Origin.
“At Origin you have to take your moments. I thought Cam and Daly were doing really well, so I have to do what they did. “
Will Matt Burton arrive as a 10-year-old Origin player?
The five-eighth of the Bulldogs has been chosen in the center, but he will feel at home and can be expected to see his left boot used.
Burton was named Center Dally M of the Year last season just days before winning a first-team pick with the Panthers in a No. 4 jersey.
He will play the other side against the Maroons with his former Penrith teammate Stephen Crichton in the center left after playing just 28 minutes off the bench in Game I.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to wear this shirt. I’m so excited that I get a chance to do it,” Burton said.
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“Obviously, there are a lot of Panthers players in there and we have previous combinations from last year.
Burton’s kick-off has been a feature of a Canterbury team that has come to life with consecutive wins for the first time in almost three years.
The 22-year-old’s boot could be a point of difference for the Perth Blues.
“I’ll be happy to get some pressure off (Cleary). If that’s what I have to do, I’m happy to do whatever it takes for this team,” he said.
Will Siosifa Talakai rise to the Origin level or become a one-time wonder?
The Sharks ’backrower was a force of nature in the first 10 rounds of the competition.
In round 7, Talakai had the game of his life against Manly, which ignited the conversation about him entering the Blues squad.
That night he had 241 yards of running, 11 fouls, three downloads, three line breaks, one line jump assist, two try assists and two tries.
Talakai shrank slightly after Magic Round, but Fittler has backed him up to rise to the Origin level and have an impact from the bench.
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Talakai can cover the front row, back row and center and offers options to Brad Fittler if injuries occur.
The center of the ball has scored six tries in 13 games for the Sharks this season and his passing game has undoubtedly made him the most improved player in the NRL.
Talakai is making the most of his second stint in the NRL after two years out of competition after being eliminated by Souths 2017.
Who will win the battle of the tough men? Liam Martin or Felise Kaufusi?
The Queensland press pointed to Blues striker Liam Martin as “a thick one” after the appearance of some unsportsmanlike conduct in match I appeared.
Martin said he liked the attention before veteran Fox Sports rugby journalist James Hooper smoothed out Maroons executor Felise Kaufusi.
“You just have to line up the party review committee of the Queensland attack Felise Kaufusi and the court rap sheet against Martin’s to find out who the real bad guy is playing at State of Origin II on Sunday night,” he wrote Hooper.
“Kaufusi has been charged with nine different offenses and suspended for five weeks compared to Martin, who has been charged with three offenses and suspended for a total of one match.
“Garnet striker Kaufusi’s rap sheet makes an ugly read: seven dangerous contact charges that include two chicken wings, a headbutt, a tackle and a charge of attacking an opponent’s head.
“The Blues’ backrower has only served one week on the sidelines, suspended for a dangerous throw, with his other two charges for opposing contact to attack a rival’s head and dangerous contact with a kicker.”
Can Jai Arrow pay for the Maroons and fill Cotter’s huge void?
The Cowboys’ workhorse, Reuben Cotter, showed absolute revelation in his Maroons debut in Game 1.
Cotter was instrumental in the 80th minute and made 51 tackles, but came out of the second game with a hamstring injury.
Jai Arrow has been spotted retiring for his first game since he paid a two-game fine and a $ 35,000 fine for sneaking a woman into the Maroons team hotel last year.
“I don’t want to let what happened last year define me as a person and define me as a player,” Arrow said.
“All I could do was control what I was doing going forward, that was just do the right things and make sure I prepared myself as best I could.
“It was hard to watch the third game away from home, but I definitely kept going and Billy reiterated earlier this year that he hadn’t made my career.
“Playing in Queensland is something I have a lot in my heart and now I feel like putting on my maroon shirt again.”
Will Josh Papalii play more than 20 minutes?
Maroons star Josh Papalii started the first game but was left on the bench after 15 minutes and did not return until the death stages.
The outstanding performances of Reuben Cotter and Patrick Carrigan meant that Slater kept them both in the game at the expense of Papalii.
The Raiders demolition ball said he was happy to spend the entire Game II on the bench if he guaranteed a Queensland victory.
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“Bill just said,‘ I’m going as strong as I can for as long as I can, ’Papalii told the AAP.
“I did it for 15 years and the last five or so; if this is my role, this is mine and I am happy to sit on the bench the whole match if necessary.
“Those guys came in, they took it to another level. It doesn’t bother me, the most important thing is that we win ”.
Cotter (hamstring) has been replaced by Jai Arrow, who can play on the edge and in the middle, but Papalii will likely be required for a longer stay in Perth.
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Originally posted as hot questions about home status: Fittler’s huge bet, Cleary answered the key