Fittler aiming to make Blues history with fourth series in five years
The term dynasty is often bandied about in sport but with the chance to win their fourth State of Origin series in five years on Wednesday night, Brad Fittler’s NSW side is beginning to shape as one.
Queensland had their own period of dominance in modern times, boasting eight series wins in a row between 2006 and 2013.
But since Fittler’s ascent to the NSW coaching job in 2018, it has mostly been the team in blue that has lifted the shield.
“Some team is going to come out and want it a bit more than the other,” Fittler said on Tuesday. “It needs to be us.
“It will be (us). I’ve seen the way (the Blues) have trained – I just can’t see any other result.”
The sole series defeat of Fittler’s reign was in 2020 and the Blues are facing similar circumstances on Wednesday night at a sold-out Suncorp Stadium.
That time it was a deciding game in Brisbane and, after captain James Tedesco was knocked out, Queensland went on to pull off one of the great Origin upsets.
“A lot of them (the Blues players) were there (in 2020),” Fittler said. “It’s not as though we avoid it (as a topic of conversation).
“Players know whether they have done well and whether they’ve done poorly and could’ve done better.”
Knocking over a Maroons side that has won eight of the last nine deciders would also be one of Tedesco’s biggest achievements as captain.
The fullback, who has won back-to-back premierships with the Roosters, has been an ever-present under Fittler and can become just the third NSW captain after Laurie Daley (1994) and Danny Buderus (2005) to win a decider in Brisbane.
“It’s right up there,” Tedesco said.
“I think especially to captain a Blues team to a winning decider at Suncorp, that’s only happened twice.
“Looking at those teams, there were special players in every one of those teams.
“It’s a part of history I guess, but I don’t think that’s something I’ll look back on until I’ve finished footy. For now, it’s about getting the job done.”
Bookmakers and pundits may be favouring the Blues given the absence of mercurial Queensland five-eighth Cameron Munster (COVID-19), but the list of absentees for the Blues is long.
Considering three cornerstones of Fittler’s Blues era – Tom Trbojevic, Latrell Mitchell and Payne Haas – are all unavailable, the coach could have good reason to complain.
But Fittler said there was no point worrying about who wasn’t on deck on Wednesday night.
“That gets tossed up and you’ve just got to deal with it,” he said.
Comments on RugbyPass
162 comments so far and counting. i didn't realize that rugby fans are on the way to join the football brothers. what is the point to share personal opinion only to get all this shi*? it seems IRB bosses are doing the great job by killing the spirit of the game both on and outside the pitch. too sad, indeed. btw, was there anything on eben’s point of view from the boys in green, who he mentioned?
163 Go to commentsJob done guys. Great win in a game where things can quickly go wrong.
1 Go to commentsAlex Sanderson fantastic coach and person .So pleased he has signed another contract great days ahead for Sale under his leadership.
1 Go to commentsAndy Goode cant kick to 12
163 Go to commentsDoxed himself. Great work Johnny. You are well suited to the Saders
1 Go to comments_Best game players _
1 Go to commentsWho's Jarrad Hohepa?
1 Go to commentsSo let me get this straight. Say you have the dominant scrum. You are 99% sure you can go for a scrum pushover try on the line to win the game. The opposition knows it too. They give away a silly tap kick instead. You are now not allowed to scrum. This is ridiculous! *%@ing the game up as usual! The fact that the attacking teams are not allowed to scrum from a held up over the line is just as ridiculous. Really world rugby? Careful people might start a rebel league called True Rugby or Real Rugby.
76 Go to comments12 subs during a game? How has that been allowed to happen NB? I hate when the game goes in this monopolistic direction closing up shop, it just becomes non sport. Btw have you seen anything of how Liam Coltman was tracking for Lyon? He has just signed to return to Otago though we have a couple of young hookers developing here. He was a popular gentle natured character down here and I’m glad to see him back but maybe he will be a mentor primarily?
11 Go to commentsGreat breakdown and the global politics always confuses me a little. The southern hemisphere seems to be left out a bit but I wouldn’t even know where to start with fixing it. Club challenge could be a step in the right direction
11 Go to commentsSince he coached Free state, from that time onwards, I maintained he was the coach for the Boks. A nice, no nonsense guy with an excellent brain, who gets results.
11 Go to commentswell - they only played against 14 men and had the TMO team on their side - and still should have lost… so actually that makes sense.
35 Go to commentsSouthern hemisphere Rugby is exactly that, boring. Northern Hemisphere Rugby is soooo much more entertaining and better with better players.
2 Go to commentsIf he was to be cited for a dangerous behavior, then it’s natural that he should be. Then NTamack too, yes? And I’ll add a good whataboutism - Yeandle eye-gouging on Richie Arnold: not cited. Eye-gouging. Not high tackle. Eye-gouging. It was on French TV, with French TV directors.
5 Go to commentsReally poorly written rambling piece ..
11 Go to commentsIt was so boring
2 Go to commentspersonally I’d go with : 1. France 2. NZ 3. England 4. Ireland 5. Scotland
35 Go to commentsAndy everything becomes easier with experience therefor counting etc straight after a match becomes easier when you have 100+ caps vs 17 which is the experience you speak from.
163 Go to commentsGetting rid of the Dupont Law is a good thing and ought to have been done months ago! Officially getting rid of the croc roll is a good thing. The law about no scrums from a short arm is well intended in terms of speeding the game up but it’s an overreaction to a clever yet calculated gamble that could have blow up in South Africa’s face if they conceded a penalty from the scrum that was set after Willemse took claimed the mark in the World Cup QF.
76 Go to commentsRassie The GOAT
11 Go to comments