- Cam Smith urged Maroons to start first
- Urges QLD to make early impact
- Series airs in Brisbane on July 17
Queensland legend Cameron Smith believes the Maroons have an important message to send to the Blues in their opening match of the State of Origin series at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night.
This came after Billy Slater’s men were bullied by the ferocious Cockroaches in the second leg at the MCG last month, resulting in the match being over before half-time.
Smith, who played 42 Origin games for Queensland and won 11 series, has called on the Maroons to kick off the deciding match.
“Whether we receive or kick off… they have to run like they’ve been shot out of a cannon,” he told SENQ Breakfast.
“They have to pass the ball back like they’re going to run someone over and really make a difference for their football team. They have to say, ‘Look, this is how our team is doing tonight.’
‘If we win the toss, I would stand at kick-off and say: guys, let’s send a signal right now, not just to the opposition, but to the referee and the crowd: this is the way the team is going to play tonight. And that’s a good sign.’
Smith believes the Maroons will have to be relentless and aggressive to counter the strong Blues attacking group.
“Finish them, deal with them, push the boundaries like they did in the second game,” he said.
Queensland legend Cameron Smith has called on the Maroons to kick off in game three if given the option, so they can crush the Blues in defence to start the match
Smith (pictured) says the Maroons need to make a physical impact early in the game
‘If you look back at the last few years, however long you look back at rugby league, there is no team that has won a big game like this tomorrow night without pushing the boundaries of the rules.’
Origin legend Corey Parker also recently called on the Maroons to ‘beat someone up’ and do whatever it takes to win the series-deciding game.
Parker, who played 19 games for his state before turning to commentary, believes physicality is the key to winning.
“Can anyone in Queensland fucking take on these guys?” he asked.
‘[Jeremiah] Nanai and [Lindsay] Collins and co….fire up. Have the mentality where you say ‘guys if we have to throw a 10 in the bin for hitting someone, do it’.
Billy Slater’s men were bullied by the ferocious NSW Blues in the second match in Melbourne – and Smith wants them to bend the rules to avoid a repeat in the series’ deciding game
“Let’s make it difficult for the Blues.”
Parker expects the third match to be a “powder keg moment” where “something is going to blow up.”
“Something big is brewing… ‘Queensland have got to get a mongrel. They’ve got to win the game, whether that’s a run, a tackle, a decoy run,’ he said News Corp.
