New South Wales icon Phil Gould has pinpointed the moment the Blues let State of Origin I slip from their grasp.
A converted try was the difference as Queensland won the opener 16-10 at Sydney’s Accor Stadium, putting the Maroons in the box seat to take the series.
It was a thrilling contest right to the final siren, when Blues lock Isaah Yeo fell less than two feet short of the tryline which would have sent the game to extra-time.
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But there was a moment earlier in the night that Gould says landed Queensland the chocolates.
It was in the 49th minute when Maroons halfback Daly Cherry-Evans broke from a scrum and breezed through a gaping hole in the defence to score a try, which was converted.
The Blues thought prop Junior Paulo was held in the scrum by an opponent, but the try was cleared by the referee and the Bunker.
Gould, though, says the try was entirely the fault of the NSW players.
“The one that we didn’t account for was the try off the scrumbase, with Daly Cherry-Evans strolling through a huge gap,” Gould told Wide World of Sports’ Six Tackles with Gus podcast.
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“It was an absolute brain fade by NSW players. It was a real lack of concentration at a real crucial part, and too soft for an Origin try.
“That was the difference between the two teams. I said (there would be) two tries each, it would come down to goal kicking and a field goal… I wasn’t accounting for a try like that off the scrumbase.”
The Cherry-Evans try put the Maroons in front, and a four-pointer to Val Holmes a few minutes later ultimately put the game out of reach for NSW.
Gould says an error like that should not be made in Origin.
“You don’t budget for that at all. I didn’t budget for it,” he said.
“It’s just a complete lack of concentration. Sometimes it comes after you turn over possession, or you concede a scrum.
“That’s not a planned move (by Queensland). Daly Cherry-Evans got the shock of his life, he went through untouched.
“Players didn’t break from a scrum, there was miscommunication on an edge.
“But Daly had the experience and the awareness to understand it. He also had the right-foot step and the athleticism to put himself there.
“It was a non-Origin moment. It was a lack of concentration at a vital time.”
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