State of Origin Series Live; Has the talent tide finally turned in the Blues favour? Can Damien Cook, Nathan Cleary, James Maloney and James Tedesco lead New South Wales to victory in this series and beyond? Or was the disruption of Slater's late withdrawal from Game 1 the main reason behind their inability to defeat the Blues? Are we about to see a glimpse of Queensland's future in Kalyn Ponga?
New Blues coach Brad Fittler has brought a fresh approach to the role. He selected a squad of players in form, gave them free reign to show off their skills and brings a light-heartedness to the dressing room that must make newcomers feel more comfortable with the task they face. He has been around State of Origin long enough to know the next 80 minutes are vital to New South Wales' hopes of winning the 2018 series.
If New South Wales lose in Sydney, they face a hostile crowd in Brisbane for what will be the ultimate send-off for the retiring Slater. History says the Blues will face an enormous task winning the decider. Of the 19 Game 3 series deciders in Origin history, Queensland have won 13, New South Wales have won four and there have been two draws.
If the 2018 State of Origin series goes to a decider in Brisbane, we will have seen a true indication of just how much that Queensland passion is worth. New South Wales will face another series loss and a trip back to the drawing board.
New South Wales Blues have the chance to win the State of Origin series for just the second time in 13 attempts on Sunday, when they meet Queensland Maroons in the second match of the 2018 edition.
The Blues will be on home soil for this encounter at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney, as they seek to follow up their victory from the clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on June 6, when New South Wales came from behind to win 22-12.
While the Maroons started this series without a number of crucial players to call upon, there's a reason why they have been so prolific in Origin matches down the years and should not be written off. Coach Kevin Walters will want to see a big response from some of his most experienced performers.
It is potentially a historic day for New South Wales fans and not an occasion to miss. Here is all the information you need on where to catch what is always a fascinating sporting occasion.
Given the Maroons were going into this series without legendary Origin figures such as Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith, there was more expectation on the Blues than there has been for a long time.
When they fell behind early on, New South Wales supporters must have been fearing the worst once again in an Origin contest. But the team rallied superbly, with James Tedesco inspiring them to an important win.
As we can courtesy of the NRL Twitter account, the full-back was in sensational form from the start:
It wasn't just the try that made it such a good display from the New South Wales star, though, as he led the team with an exceptional all-round performance, running for an impressive 224 metres.
As the team Twitter account relayed, he also broke an unprecedented amount of tackles in an Origin game:
New Blues coach Brad Fittler has brought a fresh approach to the role. He selected a squad of players in form, gave them free reign to show off their skills and brings a light-heartedness to the dressing room that must make newcomers feel more comfortable with the task they face. He has been around State of Origin long enough to know the next 80 minutes are vital to New South Wales' hopes of winning the 2018 series.
If New South Wales lose in Sydney, they face a hostile crowd in Brisbane for what will be the ultimate send-off for the retiring Slater. History says the Blues will face an enormous task winning the decider. Of the 19 Game 3 series deciders in Origin history, Queensland have won 13, New South Wales have won four and there have been two draws.
If the 2018 State of Origin series goes to a decider in Brisbane, we will have seen a true indication of just how much that Queensland passion is worth. New South Wales will face another series loss and a trip back to the drawing board.
New South Wales Blues have the chance to win the State of Origin series for just the second time in 13 attempts on Sunday, when they meet Queensland Maroons in the second match of the 2018 edition.
The Blues will be on home soil for this encounter at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney, as they seek to follow up their victory from the clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on June 6, when New South Wales came from behind to win 22-12.
While the Maroons started this series without a number of crucial players to call upon, there's a reason why they have been so prolific in Origin matches down the years and should not be written off. Coach Kevin Walters will want to see a big response from some of his most experienced performers.
It is potentially a historic day for New South Wales fans and not an occasion to miss. Here is all the information you need on where to catch what is always a fascinating sporting occasion.
Given the Maroons were going into this series without legendary Origin figures such as Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith, there was more expectation on the Blues than there has been for a long time.
When they fell behind early on, New South Wales supporters must have been fearing the worst once again in an Origin contest. But the team rallied superbly, with James Tedesco inspiring them to an important win.
As we can courtesy of the NRL Twitter account, the full-back was in sensational form from the start:
It wasn't just the try that made it such a good display from the New South Wales star, though, as he led the team with an exceptional all-round performance, running for an impressive 224 metres.
As the team Twitter account relayed, he also broke an unprecedented amount of tackles in an Origin game:
