From the newsrooms of the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age.

This is forty twenty.

I'm Michael Chamis.

It's Thursday, June nineteenth.

Well, in a gutsy underdog performance, fighting for their survival, Queensland have held on, defeating New South Wales in Perth twenty six to twenty four in Origin two, sending the series to a decider in Sydney.

And one thing has never been more true.

It's that you can never write Queensland off.

So who will win the series?

Can the Maroons go one more and down the Blues at home or will the Blues finally put all the pieces together and seal the deal?

Today, Christian Nicolusi in the Sydney Morning Herald joins me in Perth break it all down, Christian Nicoloussi fresh from wouldn't say fresh, but you have arrived.

Oh look fresh, don't know about that, but what a night.

Game two in Perth wrapped up the series, heading to Sydney for Game three.

That has made a spectacle to behold it but written not dismissed and did respected Queensland have risen from the dead again.

We should have known the series is going to be decided.

It's Sydney, it's another epic Origin and the munster here is underway.

What was like after the game you went in New South Wales sheds.

I had the pleasure of being in the Queensland sheds, but you would have had a few upset people in the New South Wales sheds.

Give me a rundown of what that was like after the game.

Believe it or not, the mood wasn't too down.

They looked pretty sort of confident.

I think they knew that was the game that got away very first half.

Not arrogant, just this air of sort of not supreme confidence.

I can't describe it.

They just knew they could have won that game.

They should have won that game.

They should have won that game.

And I think they know if they played their potential, it should be a no brainer in Sydney.

But they haven't played their potential for one hundred and sixty minutes.

Really, if you consider the fact that they weren't that good in Origin, one woeful in the first half and they put it together for twenty to thirty minutes.

For one hundred and thirty minutes of the series, they haven't been very good.

Yeah, it's the first I think them scoring the first try last night was the worst thing that could have happened to them.

They're walking around, It almost looked like it was going to be a procession.

They were going to win by how many I think we're even high fiving in the press box going how many points are were going to win by?

But they almost clocked off that first half.

They just went through the motions.

They didn't look disinterested, but they looked like they were in a rush.

They wanted to score off every sort of play.

Queensland came back to bite them in the bum.

But that second half again they stormed home.

They played a little bit to their potential.

If they play like that, if they start like they do in the second half in Sydney, we should win comfortably.

But we thought we're going to win comfortably in Perth last night.

Yeah, it wasn't.

Look the way they played in that first half.

They played within themselves.

You felt like they had a lot to give and they just wouldn't get to that level.

Brian to all unbelievable performance another two hundred plus meter game.

You felt like Crichton was a bit quiet.

They're definitely signs as a new South Wales fan that if they can get it right, they should win the series.

But Queensland backs against the wall.

You just never know what they're going to do.

And the lead up in the game two with what happened with Billy Slater, you always worry that it was going to galvanize them.

When you degrade someone personally in a derogatory manner, you probably don't deserve one of those privileged positions that you're all in.

That we're all in.

You don't know what people are going through, and although I might be able to handle it, the next person might end Maybe our last coach didn't, I believe.

I spoke to Cameron Munster and Arts in the prest conference arts of the game.

He was quite emotional about trying to do it for Billy and the treatment that he had gone through in the lead up.

Okay, I heard you interviewed after the game on the field just back quite emotionally without doing it for Billy and sort of what he's been through the last forty eight hours and the pressure have the last few games.

What it means here you played with him, We've been coached by him.

How much did that alvinize the team.

Yeah, when you've got jabs or blokes in the media, I'm going to go out your coach and like, at the end of the days, he's our coach and he's done everything you can and tick the boxes for us, and we didn't perform for him in Game one and.

He got a lot of slug for it and a lot of stuff in the media.

And didn't deserve it.

And I'm vot with Bill.

He's a champion player and champion coach and when I've had a great relationship with him and still do.

And we're better, like we're putting almost really close mates.

And when you have someone jabbinating my dat it really hurts.

It hurts him personally and I'd never tell him that, but now I'm probably telling him now, and I love him and I just want to do the best thing for Queensland and the best thing for him, because he's not doing this for him, He's doing it for Queensland and he loves Queensland.

That's you.

Could see that this was they as players were sitting back thinking, you're not going to do this to our coach.

And I think we'll get to a little bit later around the Paul Green situation.

But you could definitely tell how much Billy meant to that team with the way they played.

They've always loved Billy.

He's a god up there.

I know, with us being new South Welshman, we've always sort of loathed Billy.

We personally don't loathe Billy, but fans have always sort of not been warm to him.

I think it goes back to the Melbourne days.

We always thought Melbourne Billy.

I won't use the word, but it was never sort of popular.

But he's the words forbidden.

How many words are going to be forbidden?

But I'm not going to use it.

Word that bad.

No it's not.

But if it offends someone, well it offends ol.

Josh Renolds has copped his whole career.

He became his nickname.

You don't say Nellie said it.

Look I'm not saying he hasn't doesn't have a right to get offender.

You know, each person that's subjective what you feel like that word means to you.

But I don't think Aaron Woods meant it in a way that you're a grab of a person.

Aaron Woods played with Billy Slater.

He was on the receiving end of Billy Slater many Billy Slater and Melbourne Storm victories.

He has a feeling towards the way Billy Slater played.

That's subjective to what he went through as a player.

Now, if you're in Queensland you don't think that, but there's no doubt Billy Slater tested the boundaries as a player and whether he deserved that treatment or not, well, clearly Billy didn't think that Aaron Woods had the right to say what he did.

I'm glad they rallied for him because I would have hated to think what would have happened to Billy Slater had Queensland come out.

I got absolutely pounded last.

I honestly thought he would have walked away at the end of the Syeries.

What did that mean for his future?

It would have been interesting, yeah, because he was safe.

Queensland Rugbylelly weren't going to punt him.

He's a good coach, right, but you could just see for the first time that the pressure maybe not the first time he saw signs of it last year, but the pressure of origin and what it does to a coach.

And I'm speaking of Freddie about it like it takes you to a place where you're not thinking straight.

And I feel like Billy wasn't thinking straight the other day at that press conference, because he had a week to stew over what he was going to say, and for him to decide that the best thing to say was what he did and bring Paul Green into it, I don't think he's right why he would have made that decision.

And he realized later upon reflection that he overstepped the mark.

Then he shouldn't have, and he apologized the next morning, and I applaud him for doing so, But he overstepped with those comments.

And I think everyone, even people around him, felt Billy.

There, we were sitting there in the stands, we're not the stands at the public forum, the joint press conference in downtown Perth.

When he started saying that, I thought, well, good on him.

If it's offended you, you got well with then your right.

Whether it defends us, it's got nothing to do with us.

But if the term the G word upset Billy, well he was well with then his rights to say it's upset me that these derogatory comments.

He's feeling the pressure.

We don't need the pylon.

Even when he made reference to Paul Green, I just thought he was trying to make his case.

I didn't think he was trying to be nasty.

I was trying to flash out Paul Green or his family.

The fact that he came out and apologized, well he had to do it, but again when he said her at the time, I didn't think it was too big a deal.

If anything, I thought it was just gonna be another distraction of Queensland.

Him even having to front the press the next day.

I thought, this is an absolute disaster.

This is going to be an absolute romp for New South Wales.

Got proven wrong.

Your boy Cameron Munster captain, Man of the match.

Yes, brilliant performance to be fair, everything that Billy did and all the big calls that he made, if you go through naming Monster as captain, kicking the captain out of the team in daily cherirr Evans, bringing in Diden, bringing in Kirk cape Well, the shift to the bench with Liero and Carrigan on the bench, everything he did turned to gold last night.

And that is why then Iiken said, under no situation he's under a pressure because as a coach he's brilliant and he got it right last night.

I wasn't sure about Cameron Munster being captain.

I thought maybe he's still a bit of a loose human.

I thought Harry Green, maybe Harry Grant's captain in Clubland.

I thought he would have been the natural choice.

I like Paddy Carring, but he went with Munster and Munster rose to the challenge last.

All of those guys were going to play eighty minutes either.

No, no, that's probably a factor in it as well.

But also he got the response out of Munster that he wanted because he was terrible in game one.

Yeah, and he got mad of the match.

I thought Tom Diyden was a little bit hard done by and kem Munster.

If he had his time over.

He had a couple of kicks, one of them the second alfter it.

Was like he was kicking for the AFL post.

That's how bad it was.

But he must be that glue.

He's such an infectious guy and he was doing it for Billy.

Like you said earlier, it was pretty emotion charged.

He just he brought the group together.

Good on him.

Hopefully they can enjoy their win in Perth by the time we get back in three weeks time, hopefully with singing a different tune.

Your boy.

Nathan didn't look right, did he.

He was sort of picking up you sort of.

I think you posted a video the day before about Nathan.

He was kicking for Gold.

He wasn't following through with the kick.

He was just sort of mimicking the kick.

How serious is it?

He didn't kick a lot in the first half.

He sort of had to in the second.

Didn't he surrender the goal kicking duties?

We are we concerned he might.

I'll be available for game three.

So they're all going to be rested for the Warriors game this weekend.

The Penrith boys, yep.

Then they host Canterbury Thursday week Yep.

He'll be fine.

So all the Penrith fans listening, they should have no concerns about Nathan Cleary.

But yesterday the goal kicking his first goalkick at the captain's runner up the stadium.

So I said, yesterday Tuesday, he did for a little pop and he's adductor and it was pretty serious.

He ended up sort of just going through the motions.

I think he used the word visualizing his kicks.

But I spoke with the doctor Nathan Gibbs this morning.

He said it was pretty touch and go.

Really, the injury itself was manageable, but the fact that it happened twenty four hours before the game that was the biggest concern.

Then of course they had to weigh up do they play Nathan and risk him going down in the first minute or do they take the safe option really him out and bringing Matt Burton.

Thankfully, Nathan, he was across it the whole time.

He said, listen, if I feel I'm good to go, I'm going to be playing.

But to help him get through the game, they wanted to remove most of the general kicking and of course the goalkicking, but you could sense Naything was just getting frustrated himself and come the second half he thought, bugger this stuff, I'm going to give.

I'm going to give full pal.

It's awkward and even got man of the match and a losing team.

Weird well, he got new South Wales players player and it was unbelievable the fact that he could barely train for ten days with his hamstring.

He did a fresh injury, he said, hamstring issues all year, but to come out with limited preparation and I just love seeing the side of him with this white head gear burrowing his head.

He looks about two foot tall.

When he's actually out in the ground.

He gets hinder.

He gets his head into position, so if he cops the head eye tackle, it should be playing on.

He's constantly bearing his head into the defenders like he's snuck under one to score a try, and he doesn't nearly.

I reckon.

He doesn't sixtyers out of the time when he runs.

He just buries his head and like a good mate.

Unbelievable bravery and confidence.

But if I'm a defending team and I get done for a hit to the head, I'd be filthy.

I spoke to him last night in the sheds.

He had ice on a foot, he had ice on his knees, ice and the hamstring, and.

A can of coke and his hands.

I don't think he had a can of coke and his hands at that stage, but hewd he shirt off.

I was admiring his Samoan tattoos.

Anyway, he had his head down the whole time I'm talking to him, and I started thinking, is he something wrong with his neck?

So I said, Brian, what's going on with your neck?

And he said, huh.

I said, well, you can't lift your neck have you done your neck now as well?

You're running out his body paths to actually injure and he looked up to him and he said, na, bro, I just can't hear.

He's putting his ear to his ead.

Okay, he didn't understand your your accent.

That was probably mumbling yes, yes, very good.

That's insulting.

Let's get to some of the New South Wales.

The big moments that Nathan Cleary tried, disallowed, overturned.

I personally think it was the right call, to be honest with you.

Some people are arguing that perhaps he went through the line anyway and he didn't have to.

You know, I think they made the right call, big call, a twelve point turnaround.

I think it was Stefano that backed in Caran.

Yeah.

What was more amazing about that non try was we spoke about Nathan Cleary's groin.

How on earth he stepped off the right then swerved back to the left with that adductive problem.

Yeah, that was a heart and mouth moment for a lot of the Blues medicos I can tell you.

Yeah, well it mustn't have been that bad though for.

Yeah, well, he couldn't play with a needle yeah.

But you couldn't tell, like obviously he didn't do the kicking right.

It's more than fear of what could have happened.

They got a couple of players who were charged.

Jerome Leui facial apparently not an eye gouge.

It was a charge.

A facial spoke to him and Reuben in the sheds.

Yep, he said it was never an eye goug He said he was getting a bit cranky.

He thought it was a few stray elbows, so just frustration.

He's put his hands his big mits across Rubincott's face.

I then went and saw Rubencott.

I said, mate, what's doing Was an eye gouge?

He said, wasn't an eye gouge?

He got cranky.

He thought there was elbows going everywhere.

Yeah, and a bit of a shoulder from Drome.

Rubencotta had a massive, massive bruise above his left eye.

I thought that can't be from Jerome Cannon.

He said no, he said it to your mate Lea Martin.

God blessed well, mate.

Learira copped a hit to the head with Lomax.

Maybe a little bit of gamesmanship to get a penalty there, but Lomax escapes, escapes suspension.

He'd just fine as well.

Wasn't fine as well?

This is what Jerome Lewis was saying.

So he felt he copped an elevated the face in that moment with a Ruvencotta tackle.

Got frustrated.

Zach Lomax does the same thing to Trent Liio.

We talk about these fifty to fifty calls, this eightnel penalty count Queensland get the penalty, New South Wales get penalized.

In Jerome lewell situation, Rubber the green baby, Rubber the green.

It's not gonna be an issue because Mitchell Moses won't be fit to play.

Yep.

But imagine if Mitchell was only a short term injury.

What do you think New South Wales would have been thinking after that performance?

Would Mitchell come straight back in?

Did Jerome do enough?

Set up a couple of tries with the boot would have been an interesting situation Laurie Daily would have found himself in.

I thought Jerome Lawyer was almost symbolic of New South Wales.

He was really slow to start with.

It was a bit clunky.

I think he missed a few tackles.

But the longer the game went on, the more and more he looked more comfortable.

And when that left edge combines with him and Latrell and Angus and Bryan to or, there's no more beautiful site.

We'll get off the script a little bit here.

What happens if Mitchell moses, well, he is unavailable.

Let's face of the game three.

Let's say Nathan Cleary, his a ductor is going to be fine.

But hypothetically, if.

He aggravates, Let's say he aggravates.

The adductor, who is next cub off the rank?

If Matt Burton's eighteenth man, but are we seriously going to go with two left footers?

You can't go Burton and Luis.

I would go.

This might sound stupid, but I'd go.

As a guitar, its sting ding ding ding ding with me.

I'm with your baby, I'm with you, and he's over here.

I'd love to go meet the kid.

Very well playing this weekend in perfect but he's.

That perfect half back, very robotic, just gets the job done.

But him and Jerome Leui.

I'm only saying this hypothetically, but if there was an issue with Nathan it was a bit more serious than we thought, which it's not.

And Mitchell moses we know I won't be back.

God, that'd be a nice combination to.

It was Niko.

After the game, a really nice moment I saw on the field Spencer Lenu a lot of talk about the situation with Azramam in Las Vegas where he was suspended for eight weeks for calling him a monkey.

After the game, Spencer Lenu approached Ezra.

Mem I thought, oh, here we go, but it was actually a really lovely moment.

He looked as though he apologized to Ezra.

They embraced, they hugged at the middle of Upta Stadium, and Ezra Mam accepted that apology.

We know that there's been a lot of tension over the last eighteen months, sixteen months from that issue.

I tried to speak to Ezra after the game.

He didn't want to talk about it.

He said, happy for it to stay out on the field between those two.

But there's no doubt it's lovely to see that those two sorting out that issue because it was an ugly moment for the game, and whether or not Spencer meant to be meant it in a racially derogatory manner or not, Ezra took it that way, so for him to accept that apology for them to embrace in the middle of field if it was a really lovely moment last night that when I noticed, it's.

Nice to hear that because it's almost a bit of closure.

I mean, it's been a long eighteen months for both those players.

Rightly or wrongly, they've been in the headlines.

It's even continued.

I mean Spencer's running with Jonathan Thurston in April.

Hatched it up with Jason issue has.

Just continued to drag and drag and drag.

Both of them have come out probably not looking great for whatever reasons.

A different issue, different issue together, but with the incident involving the family which she was driving under the influence.

So but to hear Spinny put out the olive branch to Ezra, Yeah, that's lovely especially that's the end of it.

Hopefully we can now move on and both of them go about their business.

Yeah, well, after a loss.

I just thought he would have been the heat of the moment.

He might not have wanted to, but hats off to him for doing so, and and the way Ezra man accepted it as well.

I felt that was a really nice moment.

You can see the vision on the Sydney Morning Herald website.

If you're interested in seeing that Game three decider Sydney, we spoke a little bit about it.

Are you worried about this Queensland team coming to Sydney and getting the job done and stealing a series they did probably don't deserve to win.

I wasn't worried heading into last night, and they all made us look like mugs.

But I just keep going back to what we spoke about at the top of this podcast.

If they can get it right, if they can string an eighty minutes performance together, Queensland don't get near them.

We speak about Nathan Clear and pain Ars going to this game under injury clouds, Game one, Stephen Crichton and Paine Arts.

I think when in under injury clouds, it's just we haven't had a smooth preparation yet.

Mitchell Mojs goes down at Lura on the Thursday before the game, but Jerome comes in.

Jorrome was a great replacement.

I just think if we can have a trouble free preparation, we should win.

And I'd love to see them win naturally because of New South Wales fans, but just for Laurie Laurie's waited a long long time to get this overdue series win.

Can you imagine if they don't and the criticism of Larry daily like he he deserves it, Like they have the superior team.

There is no doubt about it on paper that they should be winning this series.

But it's a crime if they an't win.

We are on paper we should be winning nine times out of ten.

Does the heat fall on Laurie if they don't win it's.

His first season in charge.

I don't know.

I don't know.

You don't want to call for anyone's head now, I know it's I guess it depends on which one series.

If they do lose it, it's the manner in which they perform in Game three, like if they if they are blown off the park at home, well that might the alarm bells might be ringing.

But I think Laurie's done a good job so far.

If galvanizing this team, they're playing decent enough football.

You got Bellamy in there with Panissi.

I think regardless of the result, you go in the next season and you hope it turns it around.

If they lose, it's a bit.

Harsh to put the blow torch on Laury because at the end of the day, there's been little debate about his selections.

I mean, he's picked the best team available.

Yeah, and there's been little nailed it.

He's nailed it.

Yeah, there's been no objections there.

Maybe to real.

May there was a lot of talk game one that he should have been in the team.

But apart from that, it's hard to argue with the team that he's picked and the job he's doing behind the scenes.

But let's see how it all plays out.

You and I'll be back to dissect it all leading into game three.

Thank you for joining us for another episode of forty twenty.

When do you flay out?

Three thirty This summer people are probably listening to this thinking that's already happened.

But late one, we'll go hang out a little bit together.

Sure not day club, something.

Something Perth bears Baby.

Let's go see you next time.

This episode of forty twenty was produced by Josh Towers.

Tom McKendrick is our head of audio.

To listen to our episodes as soon as they drop.

Followed forty twenty wherever you listen to your podcasts, and don't forget to check out all the other great pods in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

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I'm Michael Chalmers.

Thanks for listening.

M