NSW coach Laurie Daley makes ominous admission after State of Origin defeat to Queensland
NSW coach Laurie Daley has taken the blame for the Blues' first-half flop in Origin II, indicating he'll stick fat with his players for the series decider in Sydney.
Queensland levelled the series 1-1 in Perth on Wednesday night after holding off a fast-finishing Blues outfit to post a thrilling 26-24 win.
Although NSW scored the first try of the match, they were blown off the park for the rest of the first half, with Queensland entering the break with a dominant 26-6 lead.
The Blues gave away eight penalties in the first half alone, completed at 56 percent and had their defence pulled apart with 22 missed tackles.
NSW scored four unanswered tries in the second half as they threatened to pull off the greatest comeback in Origin history.
But, ultimately, Zac Lomax's three missed conversions and the team's horrific first half was left to haunt them with a decider now looming on July 9 at Accor Stadium.
'I've got to take responsibility, because we started well (with the first try), but the first half wasn't great,' Daley said.
'So I've got to look at what I've done, because something isn't right.'
Daley was protective of his players when asked if he was confident in his current squad or would need to make changes for game three.
'Well, I was confident at half-time,' Daley said.
'I know what this group is capable of, and that's the thing you get disappointed with, because they never gave themselves that opportunity.
'You can't play a half of football like that against quality opposition and expect to be close.
'So for us, it's a good lesson. We'll go back to the drawing board.
'It's one-all. That's what Origin is all about, and it creates theatre and it creates headlines.
'I'm sure everyone wants a decider, and they've got it now.'
The other issue for NSW is Nathan Cleary's fitness.
The halfback did not take shots at goals, and only took up general-play kicking in the second half as the Blues attempted to fight their way back into the match.
With Mitch Moses out for six weeks with a calf tear, the Blues desperately need Cleary back fit for Origin III and firing on all cylinders.
Daley confirmed after Wednesday's loss that his No.7 had experienced groin tightness, but insisted he was never in any doubt for the match.
'He just felt a bit tight in his groin, so we wanted to limit the amount of force he put in there,' Daley said.
'He is a tough kid, Nathan. We know what a quality player he is, but he is tough. His groin was tight but he got through OK.'
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