The 2017 State of Origin series hits Game 2 on Wednesday night and we take a look at the match that will be played on New South Wales soil. See our NRL State of Origin Game 2 Preview and Betting Tips below.
New South Wales vs Queensland (Wednesday 8pm AEST)
We enter game two with a bit of unknown territory – NSW blew Queensland off the park in game 1 and it has forced the ‘loyal’ Queenslanders into seven changes. However, one of those changes was always going to happen with Johnathan Thurston making a successful return from injury and he will take Anthony Milford’s place at five-eighth. The other changes include fresh forwards coming into the line up and interchange as well as Billy Slater coming into the side at fullback with Darius Boyd moving to the centres and Valentine Holmes onto the wing instead of Corey Oates. Meanwhile, NSW has made no changes, an experience they won’t take for granted.
It is obvious the Queenslanders have picked a far more dangerous side but they do lose a lot of experience. However, Thurston coming back into the side is a huge boost as well as Slater. The fullback proved his worth for the Melbourne Storm against the Cronulla Sharks when the game was on the line and he set up a try. Queensland will no doubt create more opportunities and score more than one try in this one but whether they can handle the adjustments and new players making their debut is another thing.
The Blues have the same side 1-17 and the only change we would have made is moving Jack Bird into the starting line up at right centre. The Sharks centre offers more in attack than Jack Bird and he would likely put a lot of pressure on Darius Boyd, who will be playing out of position on Wednesday night. It is an area that NSW will look to exploit anyway, with Dugan having more experience in the position than his opposite. Meanwhile Queensland will attempt to do the same through Will Chambers. He is up against Jarryd Hayne who has only played a handful of games in the centres.
However, as we predicted in game 1, this match will be determined in the middle of the field. Andrew Fifita went above expectations and dominated the game. He had a grand final like performance and broke open the Queensland defence at will with two of his runs leading to tries. Meanwhile the rest of the forward pack was strong, including backrowers Wade Graham and Boyd Cordner. Graham offers an extra dimension in attack as a ball playing forward off the bench while Cordner doesn’t stop running and tackling all night.
We believe this match will be closer than the first one. Both sides will be playing with the mentality that the series is on the line. Queensland are 1-0 down while if NSW lose they will have to win their second game of this series at Suncorp and to be victorious and that is easier said than done. They will be looking to clinch the series on home soil and we believe they will be successful on the back of their confidence, superior forward pack and dangerous weapons outwide.
TIP: NSW at the margin (1-12) - $2.60 with Sportsbet
James Maloney was the first try scorer in the opening match and it was off the back of a great run from Andrew Fifita. The five-eighth was supporting his Cronulla Sharks teammate and reaped the rewards. We are predicting a similar outcome but this time it will be James Tedesco who is following up one of his forwards. The fullback was able to cross the line in the opening match of the series on the back of individual brilliance and he is clearly an origin player that will step up to the moment.
TIP: James Tedesco first try scorer - $11.00 with Sportsbet
