Game one of the 2014 State Of origin series was a classic contest. Now it is time to rate each players performance.
Be warned, I rate players harshly no matter which side they play for. I rate all players on a scale of 1-10 and I’m not afraid to use the entire scare to show how well or poorly a player played.
NSW State Of Origin Team – Game One
1. Jarryd Hayne – 9
Was the man of the match. Was great in attack and defense. Looked head and shoulders above everyone else on the field. Completely dominant.
2. Brett Morris – 7
Gutsy effort to play on with a shoulder injury.
3. Michael Jennings – 4
Very quiet, the game didn’t really come his way which can happen to an outside back.
4. Josh Morris – 8
Defensively he was outstanding. He shut down Greg Inglis all night.
5. Daniel Tupou – 7
Looked a bit shaky under the high ball at times but played really well otherwise. A great debut. He will be must better for the run too.
6. Josh Reynolds – 7
Worked his arse off in defense. Showed why he was classed as an Origin player for so long. A super competitor.
7. Trent Hodkinson – 7
Considering it was his first Origin game he played really well. A little quiet at times but he got the job done.
8. Aaron Woods – 6
Got through a lot of work but didn’t punch holes in the defense as you would want a starting State Of Origin front rower to do.
9. Robbie Farah – 6
A little quiet in this game. It was
10. James Tamou – 7
Gave great go forward and really troubled the Queensland defense.
11. Beau Scott – 7
Played very well defensively. He was very good in the first half especially.
12. Ryan Hoffman – 6
Played OK but I really do think this level of football is beyond him now.
13. Paul Gallen – 8
Played like a man possessed. Worked his arse off all game. A great captains knock.
Interchange:
14. Trent Merrin – 7
Got through a lot of work when Queensland had NSW on the ropes. Really good effort.
15. Anthony Watmough – 6
A bit quiet at times but was injured during the game so he did well to play on.
16. Luke Lewis – 5
Limped onto the field. He had a few good runs but looked like he was off the pace.
17. Tony Williams – 7
Terrorized Thurston as he targeted him in the defensive line. Gave great go forward. A very good effort.
QLD State Of Origin Team – Game One
1. Billy Slater – 5
Looked to be a bit off the pace. He didn’t look as dangerous as he used to be and didn’t get as involved in the attack as you’d want him to be.
2. Brent Tate – 8
Got through a lot of hard work. Still so dependable as long as he doesn’t get injured. Lucky not to be hurt in a dangerous tackle.
3. Greg Inglis – 4
Just show down by the New South Wales defense. Saw plenty of ball but couldn’t do anything with it for most of the game.
4. Justin Hodges – 8
Can still pull out a great performance from time to time. Was a handful, especially in the first half.
5. Darius Boyd – 7
Super reliable, score both of Queenslands tries. Almost scored the game winner too!
6. Johnathan Thurston – 6
Was poor defensively and New South Wales targeted him all night. Took a while to adjust to the loss of Cronk.
7. Cooper Cronk – 2
A busted arm will see him out for a while. His loss showed how valuable he is to this team. Without his Queensland lacked direction.
8. Matt Scott – 4
Didn’t really damage the New South Wales line when he ran with the ball. Now what you want to see from an Origin front rower.
9. Cameron Smith – 6
Was kept pretty quiet by the Blues defense. Didn’t step up as I would have expected him to when Cronk went off injured.
10. Nate Myles – 8
A really good game in both attack and defense. Queenslands best player last night.
18. Chris McQueen – 5
A great gesture to play in the number 18. He played alright but was mainly asked to play a more defensive role.
12. Matt Gillett – 5
Was pretty quiet. Worked hard in defense but didn’t do much in attack.
13. Corey Parker – 6
Got through a lot of work. Didn’t worry the defense too much though.
Interchange
14. Daly Cherry-Evans – 7
Took a while to get into the game but once he did he was causing all sorts of problems. With Cronk now out, Cherry-Evans may not give the Queensland or Australian number 7 jersey back.
15. Ben Te’o – 5
Was dangerous at times in attack.
16. Josh Papalii – 3
Tried to smash Paul Gallen from behind once again but that was about his only contribution to the game.
17. Aidan Guerra – 6
Played well in both attack and defense in the minutes he saw.
You have got to be kidding. Were you watching the same game? Hodges did nothing. Papalii had one of his better games this year. Woods was better than Tamou. Inglis a 4 and Hodges a 8? Really?
Freaky,
I think you were on the whacky weed when you were rating the players.
You gave GI a 4, when he set up a try, had 2 line breaks, a line break assist and ran for 135 metres – from centre.
And Brent Tate an 8?!? Apart from being dropped on his back, after a bloody dangerous tackle, what else did he do?
Slater only a 4? Did you forget about the two linebreaks he made from nothing? Also the Try saving tackle on Hayne, getting the ball back. How did Tate get an 8, other then touching the ball leading to QLD’s first try and getting absolutely hammered by Reynolds.