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NSW taught a lesson - Australian Rugby league News
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globalrugbyleague - Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:40:00 GMT
Debutant Darius Boyd is the new poster boy for the Queensland maroons after scoring two first half tries that helped the home state demolish New South Wales 30-0 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

In front of 52,000 blood hungry Queensland fans, the Blues were dealt a football lesson as the Maroons produced 80 minutes of attacking flair and flawless defence.

What could go wrong in Origin I, didn’t in Origin II, as Boyd and centre partner Greg Inglis tore at the NSW defence at will.

“It was good, Gaz got one on me and I got one on him and we take it down to game three now,” Man of the Match Inglis said.

“It’s quite difficult winning (at ANZ Stadium), we’ve only won one game down there the past few years. Hopefully we can keep our performance up and take it on to the next one.”

Blues coach Craig Bellamy only had words of praise to his side’s chief tormentor.

“It was probably the best game of the year from him, but he didn’t need to do it tonight,” Bellamy said.

“He’s never far from one of those performances every time he takes the field. That showed the talent he’s got.”

Coming into the game without the services of incumbent five-eighth, and Queensland Fullback of the Century, Darren Lockyer, the Maroons looked to the new look halves combination of Scott Prince and Johnathan Thurston to level the series.

Pre-match fears of a break down in communication between two players who regularly call all the shots at club level were immediately allayed straight from the start, as Queensland ripped into the Blues determined to get an early breakthrough.

Within six minutes, the Maroons got their wish. Spreading the ball from right to left 60 metres from the Blues line, Inglis found some space and pushed both his opposite number Mark Gasnier and Steve Turner out of his way before offloading to team mate Darius Boyd for an early 6-0 lead.

On 21 minutes the Queenslanders were at it again, with NSW caught short in defence on the same side as Greg Inglis and Darius Boyd combined to create a memorable 70-metre try.

With the game played at a frenetic pace and the Maroons enjoying 60 percent ball possession in the first stanza, NSW were finding it hard to get into the game.

Two penalties gifted close to the Blues try line allowed the Queenslanders to enjoy a healthy 16-0 half-time lead.

Words of wisdom from one of the NRL’s finest coaches did little to hearten NSW’s performance in the second half as Queensland continued to dominate.

On the hour mark, interchange forward Ben Hannant grabbed himself a four-pointer, receiving a short ball from dummy half Cameron Smith and barging his way over from five metres out.

Full of confidence and self-belief the Queenslanders were only too happy to pile on the grief. They did just that shortly afterwards as a lovely waited grubber kick from halfback Scott Prince found a flying Israel Folau for a 30-0 nil score line.

Three minutes from time the Maroons almost made the history books for inflicting the heaviest defeat in NSW’s history when centre Brent Tate looked likely to score a 95-metre try, but the exhausted centre was caught 30 metres from the try line to end the breakaway.

At fulltime Queensland coach Mal Meninga was delighted with the win, calling it the “near the perfect footy game.”

“Attitude, mentally we were right to go tonight,” he said.

“We had a fantastic week with the team, I was disappointed with our effort after Origin I, but we responded well to the criticism and came up with a fantastic performance tonight.”

Before Origin commenced Meninga warned of the talent his side possessed if his outside backs were let loose. Now wary of the fact, coach Craig Bellamy will need to quell that factor before the Origin III encounter at ANZ Stadium, Sydney on the 2nd of July.

Queensland 30 (Darius Boyd, 7m, 21m, Ben Hannant, 63m, Israel Folau, 68m – Conversions Johnathan Thurston 8m, 22m, 63m, 69m) def NSW 0
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