Check out the match preview and prediction for State of Origin game 2 between New South Wales and Queensland.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
New South Wales Blues Vs Queensland Maroons
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Date: Wednesday June 26, 8:05pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Blues (squad): 1. Dylan Edwards (Penrith Panthers), 2. Brian To’o (Penrith Panthers), 3. Latrell Mitchell (South Sydney Rabbitohs), 4. Stephen Crichton (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs), 5. Zac Lomax (St George Illawarra-Dragons), 6. Jarome Luai (Penrith Panthers), 7. Mitchell Moses (Parramatta Eels), 8. Jake Trbojevic (c) (Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles), 9. Reece Robson (North Queensland Cowboys), 10. Payne Haas (Brisbane Broncos), 11. Liam Martin (Penrith Panthers), 12. Angus Crichton (Sydney Roosters), 13. Cameron Murray (South Sydney Rabbitohs), 14. Connor Watson (Sydney Roosters), 15. Isaah Yeo (Penrith Panthers), 16. Haumole Olakau’atu (Manly Warringah Sea Eagles), 17. Spencer Leniu (Sydney Roosters), 18. Mitchell Barnett (Warriors), 19. Cameron McInnes (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)
Players cut from final squad: 20. Luke Keary (Sydney Roosters)
Maroons (squad): 1. Reece Walsh (Brisbane Broncos), 2. Xavier Coates (Melbourne Storm), 3. Valentine Holmes (North Queensland Cowboys), 4. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (Dolphins), 5. Murray Taulagi (North Queensland Cowboys), 6. Tom Dearden (North Queensland Cowboys), 7. Daly Cherry-Evans (c) (Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles), 8. Reuben Cotter (North Queensland Cowboys), 9. Ben Hunt (St George Illawarra Dragons), 10. Lindsay Collins (Sydney Roosters), 11. Jaydn Su’A (St George-Illawarra Dragons), 12. Jeremiah Nanai (North Queensland Cowboys), 13. Patrick Carrigan (Brisbane Broncos), 14. Harry Grant (Melbourne Storm), 15. Moeaki Fotuaika (Gold Coast Titans), 16. Felise Kaufusi (Dolphins), 17. Kurt Capewell (New Zealand Warriors), 18. Dane Gagai (Newcastle Knights), 20. Trent Loiero (Melbourne Storm).
Players cut from final squad: 19. Heilum Luki (North Queensland Cowboys)
Referee: Ashley Klein
Bunker: Grant Atkins
MATCHDAY PREVIEW
There are a couple of changes to both sides as the Blues look to avoid a series defeat. Mitchell Moses has come in to start at halfback, replacing Nicho Hynes. Dylan Edwards will also make his Origin debut after missing game one with injury. Latrell Mitchell and Cameron Murray also return, while Connor Watson will make his debut in the no. 14 jersey. Hudson Young, Cameron McInnes, and Joseph Sua’ali’i are the three to miss out.
For Queensland, Kurt Capewell and Felise Kaufusi have been added to the bench, with Selwyn Cobbo and J’maine Hopgood left out of the side.
The Blues will be looking to bounce back after their chances for a game one victory disappeared just seven minutes in with the Sua’ali’i send off. NSW fought hard – and remained in the contest until midway through the second half – but the numbers disadvantage proved too much.
The changes for the Blues make sense as the team needs a spark, and Mitchell should provide plenty of that in the centres. The Rabbitohs’ fullback provides plenty of firepower in attack and should be a constant threat for Michael Maguire’s men.
For Queensland, they were far from their best in game one but still emerged with a 38-10 victory. A full game for Reece Walsh should give the star fullback plenty of time to shine, and he will be looked at to create attacking spark with his speed.
An Origin clash has not been held at the MCG since 2019, with NSW coming away with a 22-12 victory in that game. The Blues will likely be much improved from game one, and the team on paper does look better, but Queensland should still be favourites in this one.
HEAD-TO-HEAD STATS
Overall: Played 130, Queensland 71 wins, New South Wales 57 wins, 2 draws.
Last Decade (since 2014): Played 31, Queensland 17 (avg 17.2 ppg), New South Wales 14 (avg 18.4 ppg)
Game 2 record (since 2014): New South Wales 7 (avg 23.4 ppg), Queensland 3 (avg 14 ppg)
Record at Melbourne Cricket Ground (since 2014): Played 2, New South Wales 2 (avg 26 ppg), Queensland 0 (avg 15 ppg)
Biggest New South Wales win (since 2014): 44 pts, 50-6 at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, June 9 2021 (game 1)
Biggest Queensland win (since 2014): 46 pts, 52-6 at Suncorp Stadium July 8 2015 (game 3)
Last 10: Queensland 6 (avg 21.8 ppg), New South Wales 4 (avg 18.2 ppg)
Last 5: Queensland 4 (avg 25.6 ppg), New South Wales 1 (avg 14 ppg)
MATCHDAY PREDICTIONS
| Matt Pritchard | Andrew Pelechaty | Dylan Jhugroo | Lachlan Jeffery | Matt Attard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | NSW by 4 | QLD by 6 | NSW by 6 | QLD by 12 | QLD by 16 |
| First Try | Valentine Holmes | Xavier Coates | Latrell Mitchell | Murray Taulagi | Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow |
| Man of the Match | Liam Martin | Daly Cherry-Evans | Dylan Edwards | Reece Walsh | Reece Walsh |
| Jem Nash | Brendan Wood | Mathew Williams | Shannon Meyer | Nathan Smith | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | QLD by 4 | NSW by 16 | NSW by 4 | NSW by 8 | NSW by 10 |
| First Try | Brian To’o | Zac Lomax | Latrell Mitchell | Stephen Crichton | Latrell Mitchell |
| Man of the Match | Ben Hunt | Mitchell Moses | Mitchell Moses | Jarome Luai | Dylan Edwards |
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