Queensland coach Billy Slater has been criticised for being “outclassed” by his New South Wales counterpart Michael Maguire as Slater’s run of coaching two consecutive Origin series wins came crashing down at Suncorp Stadium.
Slater boldly chose to bench Kalyn Ponga in Game III, hoping a two-wing approach up front would unlock a Maroons team that struggled to score points in a Game II rout.
However, while Slater’s equally brave selection of Selwyn Cobbo in the opener proved to be a masterstroke, Ponga failed to ignite Queensland’s attack and, more importantly, was left bankrupt late in the first half as the New South Wales defence was faltering. The Newcastle star was afforded limited opportunities as the match progressed, with many believing the Maroons should have gone for powerful Titans star David Fifita instead.
NRL 360 presenter and former Blues star Braith Anasta asked: “Was Billy Slater under pressure in the last two games, especially the last one?”
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Veteran Daily Telegraph league journalist Phil Rothfield responded: “Personally, I’ve been talking about all the series about David Fifita.
“There was a 40-minute preparation period. He (Slater) went ahead of Felise Kaufusi, who only played 16 minutes (with) two five-metre runs.
“When you have a game like that, there has to be a bit of fatigue at the end of that first half, to throw in the most destructive – or (New South Wales star Angus) Crichton is probably more destructive now – throwing a man of his size into that game of footy from that bench would have been invaluable to Queensland.
“I think he made a mistake there, and that’s what I said last time.
“And I don’t agree with the fact that he (Fifita) doesn’t have a work rate suitable for Origin or that he doesn’t try hard enough to get things done. They needed someone who had more to offer than Felise Kaufusi in situations like that.”
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Justifying Fifita’s snub in this series, Slater had said before the decider: “Every Queensland player is taken into account and Dave’s name has been in the conversation in every game.
“As I said at the beginning of the series, he started the season at a disadvantage due to a pectoral injury, he didn’t have a great preseason and he’s still working to get back to the standard he set last year.
“I’m sure he would be the first to admit that. These conversations are not casual conversations that we have behind closed doors, these are the 17 that we think are the best for Game 3.”
But Fox League’s James Hooper said Fifita’s attacking prowess should have earned him selection: “The Maroons found it difficult to pick up points, not just last night but in Melbourne as well. David Fifita, certainly from an attacking point of view, is an X-factor and he’s solid and can help create points.”
Gorden Tallis, a 17-time Queensland representative, responded: “There’s no doubt Dave will be disappointed and at times we could have used him. But I think the way the game went, without Tino (Fa’asuamaleaui) and without (Tom) Gilbert, we were short of centre players and Dave is an edge player. So obviously they went for more of a defensive edge than an attacking edge and it may have backfired.
“But in the first game, it was a masterstroke when he left Cobbo on the bench. So I don’t know if he was a better coach. The dropped ball and the missed tackles are not the coach’s fault.”
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“If we look at all this in detail,” Braith Anasta replied, “NSW dominated the second game and the third game until half-time. I think NSW was the better team. In the first game, we were one player down. So who knows what would have happened in that game?”
“If you look at it, I think he was outclassed by the coach. And I think he was surprised because everything had been going well for Billy all along. He’s a great coach, he’s always had a lot of charisma, composure and control. He lost control a little bit in this series and now the pressure will be on him for the next one.”
He continued: “Did the Ponga experiment work? Because the main reason for not choosing Fifita and opting for Ponga was to put him in when both teams were tired, and that’s what they did.”
Rothfield said: “I would have taken him off earlier. I think it was a mistake not to have taken him off for the last ten minutes of the first half. I was just sitting there watching, hoping they wouldn’t bring him on. We’re tired. This has been merciless.”
James Hooper added: “Look at the end result, Buzz, you’d have to say the Ponga experiment failed because the score is now tilted in favour of New South Wales.
“He only played half an hour, he didn’t get many opportunities. There was a moment when Harry Grant ended up playing short-side when Ponga, (Reece) Walsh, Ben Hunt, (Daly) Cherry-Evans were all stacked on the openside.
“I would say that the Ponga experiment did not work in this case.”
