Latest news with #LaurieDaley
News.com.au
9 hours ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘Gone, not a starting player': NSW Blues urged to make changes for Origin decider
NSW coach Laurie Daley is being urged to make changes to his forward pack after Queensland forced a series decider with victory in Game 2. The Maroons defeated NSW 26-24, withstanding a ferocious second half onslaught in Perth as the Blues threatened to pull off the greatest comeback in Origin history after trailing 26-6 at halftime. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. The series will head to a decider in Sydney, as NSW chase back to back series wins and Billy Slater aims to secure a third Origin shield in four years. After being thoroughly outclassed in Game 1, Queensland gave an improved performance in Game 2 as Slater's decision to recall veteran forward Kurt Capewell (107m from 11 runs) proved a masterstroke. Payne Haas (142 metres from 16 runs) was immense again for NSW, but the injury to Warriors forward Mitch Barnett that ruled him out of Game 2 may well have created a selection headache for coach Daley at the prop position. Max King was elevated to the starting line-up but only played 25 minutes in Game 2 (47m from six runs), while Storm forward Stefano Utoikamanu was picked on the bench (41m from 5 runs). But they looked a touch off the place, with Daley urged to shake-up his forward pack for the series decider on July 9. Fox League commentator Andrew Voss told his SEN radio show: 'Across two games, there's not too many of them (NSW players) that can say, 'I played up to my ability'. 'Stefano Utoikamanu is gone. I'm rubbing him out for Game 3. 'Max King is not a starting Origin front rower. So there's a starting front rower spot up for grabs for NSW. 'I don't think you can go with the same starting 13 again. You can't go with Max King if you're only giving him that many minutes.' Connor Watson's service out of dummy half late in the game left a bit to be desired, with the No. 14 throwing an errant pass down the short side when NSW's playmakers were screaming for the ball on the left. Speaking about potential NSW changes, Greg Alexander said: 'A front rower, maybe? And maybe a different No. 14? I'm not convinced about that but it's worth thinking about. 'That's about it. I still think it's an outstanding side, surely we can't lose this series with this side? 'If they go on to lose the series, that will be a bitter pill to swallor after beating Queensland in Queensland in Game 1.' So who should come in to partner Payne Haas at prop for the series decider? Keaon Koloamatangi was brought into NSW's squad for Game 2 but was replaced by Jacob Preston after suffering a fractured eye socket in camp. If he recovers in time, the Rabbitohs forward is a contender to be added to the starting side after playing various roles for Wayne Bennett at Souths. Tigers prop Terrell May has been solid as ever at club level, but it would appear he is not on Daley's selection radar for this series with the NSW coach looking elsewhere. Angus Crichton (93m), Liam Martin (41m) and Isaah Yeo (105m) are gun players that aren't going anywhere, but they were slightly below their best in Game 2. Raiders forward Hudson Young played a large chunk of the game and gave plenty of go-forward when he came on (109m), but he is an edge forward, not a prop. Rooster firebrand Spencer Leniu is preferred as an impact player off the bench, and is unlikely to be elevated to the starting side. The forward pack isn't the only area of concern for Daley, who will be hoping Nathan Cleary can recover to be 100 per cent for Game 3 in Sydney. Cleary looked hampered by a groin niggle in Perth as Zac Lomax was given the conversion kicking and Latrell Mitchell the long kicking duties at the end of sets. Voss said on SEN: 'Nathan's not having a great year. He's having a good year, but he's not at his grand final, two years ago best.' Cleary should be fit for the decider, but Mitchell Moses is not expected to be available as he continues his recovery from a calf injury sustained in camp ahead of Game 2. The Panthers and Eels are said to be frustrated by the injuries to Moses and Cleary in Origin camp. According to Code Sports, Penrith officials were 'dumbfounded by Cleary's apparent injury' that saw the NSW halfback wearing who wore a compression bandage wrapped around his upper right leg.
Daily Telegraph
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Telegraph
State of Origin: NSW Blues coach Laurie Daley ‘privately furious' over Queensland Maroons penalty count, Ashley Klein
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News. Blues coach Laurie Daley is said to be 'privately furious' over the lopsided penalty count in Game 2, with one pundit believing referee Ashley Klein was 'refereeing one side' in the first half. The Blues were on the wrong end of an 8-0 first half penalty count, which turned into 9-0 after 45 minutes. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. During that time, the Maroons forged a 26-6 lead, which they almost coughed up in the second half but were able to hold on to force a decider. The Daily Telegraph's Phil Rothfield tweeted '3 votes Klein' during Wednesday night's game, sarcastically implying Klein was the best on ground due to his impact with the whistle. Laurie Daley was tight-lipped after the Game 2 defeat. Picture David Clark Rothfield was on Thursday night's episode of NRL360 where he shared that Daley wasn't happy with the referee's performance. Daley didn't wish to comment on the penalty count during his post-match presser. 'Laurie will look at the video and find out what he wants to talk to the NRL about and then take it to adjudication,' Rothfield said. 'He was furious after the game. Privately furious, but he knows he can't come out and say anything. Not just for the fine, but because it'll look like poor sportsmanship.' Rothfield went onto say that in his mind, the officiating wasn't the reason the Blues were defeated, but the veteran journalist was at a loss as to why New South Wales didn't cop one single penalty in the first 45 minutes. 'I think NSW were ill-disciplined and I don't have too many problems with the nine penalties they conceded,' he said. 'The problem I do have is that anyone can look at a replay of that first half and find 4-5 areas of the game where Queensland could quite easily have been penalised as well. 'In my eyes, he was refereeing one side for the majority of the first half. Referee Ashley Klein was in the spotlight after the lopsided penalty count. (Photo by) 'I know we were ill-disciplined and I'm not blaming it for the loss … but you cannot be perfect in Origin for 45 minutes. Impossible. 'It's outrageous that Queensland can play 45 minutes in State of Origin and that intensity, mistakes are made, high speed, high intensity and not one penalty. That cannot happen.' 'There were a couple I thought were dubious but what I'm trying to say is that all the 50-50 calls went Queensland's way,' NRL360 host Braith Anasta added. 'You're not going to see that again. You're not going to see a 8-0 penalty count again.' Originally published as Blues coach Laurie Daley 'privately furious' over Origin 2 penalty count
News.com.au
a day ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Blues coach Laurie Daley ‘privately furious' over Origin 2 penalty count
Blues coach Laurie Daley is said to be 'privately furious' over the lopsided penalty count in Game 2, with one pundit believing referee Ashley Klein was 'refereeing one side' in the first half. The Blues were on the wrong end of an 8-0 first half penalty count, which turned into 9-0 after 45 minutes. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. During that time, the Maroons forged a 26-6 lead, which they almost coughed up in the second half but were able to hold on to force a decider. The Daily Telegraph's Phil Rothfield tweeted '3 votes Klein' during Wednesday night's game, sarcastically implying Klein was the best on ground due to his impact with the whistle. Rothfield was on Thursday night's episode of NRL360 where he shared that Daley wasn't happy with the referee's performance. Daley didn't wish to comment on the penalty count during his post-match presser. 'Laurie will look at the video and find out what he wants to talk to the NRL about and then take it to adjudication,' Rothfield said. 'He was furious after the game. Privately furious, but he knows he can't come out and say anything. Not just for the fine, but because it'll look like poor sportsmanship.' Rothfield went onto say that in his mind, the officiating wasn't the reason the Blues were defeated, but the veteran journalist was at a loss as to why New South Wales didn't cop one single penalty in the first 45 minutes. 'I think NSW were ill-disciplined and I don't have too many problems with the nine penalties they conceded,' he said. 'The problem I do have is that anyone can look at a replay of that first half and find 4-5 areas of the game where Queensland could quite easily have been penalised as well. 'In my eyes, he was refereeing one side for the majority of the first half. 'I know we were ill-disciplined and I'm not blaming it for the loss … but you cannot be perfect in Origin for 45 minutes. Impossible. 'It's outrageous that Queensland can play 45 minutes in State of Origin and that intensity, mistakes are made, high speed, high intensity and not one penalty. That cannot happen.' 'There were a couple I thought were dubious but what I'm trying to say is that all the 50-50 calls went Queensland's way,' NRL360 host Braith Anasta added. 'You're not going to see that again. You're not going to see a 8-0 penalty count again.'
News.com.au
a day ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘Something's not right': Laurie Daley's blunt admission as NSW rage over brutal penalty count
Blues coach Laurie Daley and captain Isaah Yeo have expressed frustration at a lopsided penalty count in NSW's 26-24 loss to Queensland in Perth. NSW were on the wrong end of a 10-2 penalty count that was eight to nil in the first half. It sparked a furious reaction from pundits who criticised referee Ashley Klein's officiating of the match. Daley was blunt when asked what he thought of the penalty count. 'I can't tell you what I honestly think, so I'm not going to,' Daley said. Yeo, meanwhile, admitted the Blues were at fault for a number of penalties but believed they were on the wrong end of a host of 50/50 calls. 'There's certainly a few that we were shooting ourselves in the foot with and they were just penalties,' Yeo said. 'Other ones are 50-50. Some nights you get them, some nights you don't. So what you can't do is you can't go drop the ball early in the next set early in the tackle count when you've got the ball. 'So obviously I'd like that to be a bit more even, but we were our own worst enemy at times as well.' The Blues also disagreed with the decision to place Blues half Jarome Luai on report for a suspected eye-gouge. 'I thought it was a facial, I didn't see it up in the footage,' Yeo said. 'They put him on the report, but he didn't say why. I thought it was a face shot, so I thought there was a fair few of those in the game.' 'We saw a fair few of them in game one too,' Daley added. Yeo, however, admitted the Blues were their own worst enemy in a performance littered with ill-discipline. 'We just couldn't get out of our own way at the time, and they had all momentum,' he said. 'We probably had momentum through the middle of the field in that second half, but you can't do that to a pack like that. 'We just compounded too much. We would finally get the ball back, and we'd drop the ball early. You just can't miss the jump like this.' Daley said ultimately the Blues did not deserve to win. 'It certainly was a rollercoaster, we just let ourselves down in the first half,' Daley said. 'I just think we just missed the jump with just like completion. 'Like, it really was just errors and penalties, and just compounded, and we just made it really hard for ourselves. 'We showed what we are capable of doing in the second half, but you can't play a half like that against a quality opposition and expect to be close. 'It was a good lesson. Go back to the drawing board, prepare well and go back to Sydney. It's one-all, so we will see how we go in game three. 'I think when we look at the video we will see opportunities, but I think we created, I think five tries to four, but I just get back to discipline, completions. 'We were nowhere near the mark in the first 40, so that was disappointing, but I was proud of them, obviously in the second half. 'They dug deep and showed everyone what they're capable of doing, but you've got to go two halves. You know, it's an old cliche, but it's true.' Daley also paid tribute to the Maroons and said the criticism of Queensland went too far during the week 'We knew what we were going to come against and they delivered,' Daley said. 'And the amount of criticism that they received, which was way over the top, we just knew that they were going to be better. So, we got to be better, and we will be better.' Daley, however, refused to be drawn on Billy Slater's turbulent 24 hours prior to the match. 'I'm not dodging the question, but I've just been focused on the group,' Daley said. 'I really have. I haven't really discussed anything. I just know that my energy's been channelled into the players 'I don't really know. And to be fair, when I'm in camp, I don't read papers. I don't go near them, because I just don't want to know what's going on in the world. And I don't know what's going on in rugby league as well. I wouldn't be able to tell you what's happening.' Daley also revealed Nathan Cleary was battling a groin injury which prevented him from goalkicking duties. 'He just felt a bit tight in his groin, so we wanted to limit the amount of force that he put through there,' Daley said of Cleary. 'So he's a tough kid, Nathan. We know what a quality player he is, but he's tough and his groin was tight, but he got through okay.' 'And as I said, I have got to take responsibility because we started well, but the first half wasn't great. So, I got to look at what I've done, because something's not right.'
News.com.au
a day ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Panthers confident Nathan Cleary will overcome groin concern to play next week
The Panthers are confident that superstar halfback Nathan Cleary will be fine to face the Bulldogs next Thursday despite the NSW No.7 battling through a mystery groin issue in the Blues' shock loss to the Maroons in Perth. Cleary gave up the goalkicking duties on Wednesday night and it proved telling as Zac Lomax missed several sideline conversions and a two-point field goal as NSW went down 26-24 to set up a decider. The champion halfback had a compression bandage on his right leg and kicked just three times in the first half as Jarome Luai and Latrell Mitchell picked up the slack. Luai sent his first kick sailing out on the full, with Cleary then taking over in the second half where he had 11 kicks for 295m, while he also ran five times. Cleary took the line on a couple of times in the first half and had a try disallowed for obstruction, but the Blues need him to be 100 per cent for the decider given they're already without the injured Mitch Moses. NSW coach Laurie Daley insisted his chief playmaker wasn't in any doubt, with the Panthers expecting Cleary to take on the Bulldogs next Thursday. The Panthers desperately need him to play the ladder-leading Bulldogs given they are one point outside the top eight and will be without their Origin stars for the game against the Warriors. 'He just felt a bit tight in his groin, so we wanted to limit the amount of force that he put through there,' Daley said, with Cleary not named for Penrith's trip to New Zealand this weekend. 'He's a tough kid. We know what a quality player he is, but he's tough. 'His groin was tight, but he got through OK.' Meanwhile, new Queensland captain Cameron Munster said he was hurt by the criticism that coach Billy Slater copped leading into the crunch game in Perth. Slater's selections were questioned – but all proved to be masterstrokes – while former Blues prop Aaron Woods called him a 'grub', which led to Slater referencing the late Paul Green at an emotional press conference the day before the game. The Maroons coach apologised to Green's family on Wednesday morning, with his players lifting to ease the pressure as they kept the series alive in the driving rain. 'I played with Bill. He is a champion player and a champion coach and I have had a great relationship with him and still do. We are really close mates,' man-of-the-match Munster said. 'When you have someone jabbing him like that, it really hurts. It hurts me personally and I never tell him that. I will tell him now, I love him. 'I just want to do the best thing for him and the best thing for Queensland. He's not doing this for him, he's doing this for Queensland, and he loves Queensland. 'That's the reason why he's so passionate, and when you have someone like that at the top, you want to play for him. At the end of the day … he's the reason I want to play.'
