The second thing is that Cooper ended up standing between Folau’s knees with one hand around each leg holding them up. As Folau’s upper body fell through the horizontal, and his fall was broken by landing on Quinn, he reached over his head backwards and put the ball down with one hand.

I understand that the likes of Inglis, Slater and Folau have done some practice with one of the AFL teams. I went looking for a shot of Inglis floating through the air, catching the ball above the dead-ball line and throwing it over his shoulder for Gasnier to score. It must be the try-assist of all time.

I’ve added it to the end of the post. It was, of course, the centenary test against new Zealand earlier this year.

That’s enough from me. Got to get back to climate change. I’ll do some images of the blues next year - if they win.

Ryan was also channeling you, or you him, about Thurston, Inglis, Slater, Folau being the difference. I thought the game was gone when Cooper scored and Prince went off. NSW seemed to be winning the yardage game, but then the Thurston/Slater try was the game breaker.

Forgive me for enjoying this while I can, because I think inevitably NSW will end up winning more than it loses.

I agree that NSW did their fair share of whinging about the ref. My take is that a lot of it was the NSW selectors trying to deflect attention from themselves.

Laurie Daley remarked today on the Footy Show how close scores were in a weak attempt to say that it wasn’t that bad. But the telling stat is that QLD scored ten tries over the series to NSW’s four.

NSW simply did not have a Thurston or Inglis or Folau. That was the difference; a player than can create something from seemingly nothing.

Expect Feleti Mateo to get his allegiance sorted next year if his form continues. NSW need player like him. And some selectors that have some courage to pick the right players and not try and satisfy Bellamy. Some of the selections were very much obviously influence by him and more worth players overlooked.

Let me be clear. I thought the ref got a few things wrong. They always do. The only thing I’m complaining about is that Cooper tackled Folau when he was in the air and put him in a dangerous position as he was scoring the try. The fact that he wasn’t hurt makes no difference in establishing an offense, according to Greg McCallum(?) the review panel boss on the ABC today (on another matter).

I’ll give some links later in the night if I get time, but Meninga asked Finch, the referees boss, after Origin 1, whether the referee shouldn’t police the ruck area in the same way as he would an NRL match. Finch agreed, said he wasn’t satisfied with the way things were done in Origin 1 and would talk to Archer about it. All the whingeing after that, which was considerable, came from NSW.

Tyro R personally I agree with most of what you said. But I’ve been digging holes and humping mulch and I’m going for a feed now.

Also, Lindner accusing NSW of complaining about the refereeing, after the astonishing campaign by the Queenslanders against Tony Archer post-Origin I, is laughable. This whingeing from him is rather pathetic, really.

And with nuffies like Quinn (another Bellamy favorite) on the wing the kicking game of Pearce and Anasta wasn’t going to win anything .. especially facing down Folau who was well protected by his inside men every time the high ball went up whereas Quinn was left on his own.

So I’m not complaining about the officials, NSW won’t win until they pick a long term combination and stick with it. Another two props might help too (really I though Civ and Price won it for Qld, when they were off the field, you looked stuffed) … both Fitzgibbon and Mason play in the back row for Easts. Mason is a damaging ball runner two off the ruck, not up the middle. But I thought his game last week was pretty good considering, he bent the line back most times he ran at it. You just can’t expect him to do the work of a prop. Gallen is a joke, bring back Hindmarsh I say, and select O’Mealy and either Bailey or Ryles.

Honestly, Tyro, I think NSW are outdoing us in the whinge stakes.

There is always a power differential favouring NSW at the official level. So we are entitled to publicly unmask their dirty tricks. That’s all.

Yes, re Gus Gould and some are calling for his return. He’s the one we fear.

The point of Colman’s article was to point out that the selectors can’t select quality players if they don’t exist. That’s his opinion. I wouldn’t really know because I don’t watch all the teams every week. I’m glad it’s NSW’s problem for once and not ours, which is the usual situation.

Great stuff.

NSW’s problems come from the selectors and the coach, not from lack of depth. For example, there are at least four NSW halfbacks who can all do the job - Wallace, Carney, Mullen, and Pearce … and they are all young. But while Laurie Daley and Mccarthy still pick teams the way they do, and Bellamy is coaching them for negative football the NSW halves will be constrained for basically a negative role (clearing kicks) and NSW won’t win a series for a while to come. I will point out the winningest NSW coach of all? Gus Gould.

Anyway it was a good absorbing 80 minute game, Qld won. Get over yourselves. Talk about poor winners!

There are a few interesting articles, but none more so than Bob Lindner lifting the lid on NSW dirty tricks. It seems they guy on the gate wouldn’t let the Qld bus into the grounds.

In other moves they filed a starting line-up an hour before the game without revealing, as they are obliged to do, that Gidley was the starting full-back.

Then NSW always control the rules. Lindner points out that they went for a 10 interchange rule as in the NRL although 12 is the international rule because they thought NSW forwards had more running in them than Qld. Clearly they miscalculated. I’d point out that NSW scored one try in 160 mins of football and that one was scored when we had 12 men on the field. Prince had just come off and hadn’t been replaced yet.

That was in the 15th minute. Playing with 16 men for 65 mins and keeping their line intact with a 10 interchange rule was not what NSW would have expected.

Some of these things are a bit unsavoury, but deserve an airing.

I’m a Qlder btw.