Queensland coach Billy Slater has dismissed suggestions that his side’s preparations have been ‘too smooth’ as they try to defy a poor Game Two record and wrap up this year’s Origin series.
Heavy favourites going into Wednesday night's clash, the Maroons must overcome the fact that they have struggled in recent years to win the second game of the series, last winning in 2017. The Blues, on the other hand, have won nine of the past 12 Origin II matches.
“No, I don't,” Slater said when asked if he read anything into the statistics.
“History is history and it'll be what it'll be.
“But that's not going to make us play any better or any worse, what's happened before in Game Two.
“So, it's important that we just push all that energy into playing well for the game in front of us tomorrow.”
Blues coach Brad Fittler knows that his side will also have to defy some history of their own if they are to claim a win at Suncorp Stadium to keep the series alive.
“Depends on if you have won the first,” Fittler remarked when asked about the ‘bounce back’ qualities of the Blues and their recent Game Two record.
“It shows you the closeness of the competition.
“If you go through history, it just happens so often, needing to win just becomes the desperation that can make a difference.
“The majority of the team have played up here enough to expect anything. Nothing can be an excuse, we just have to get out there and fight hard and keep going until the whistle blows.”
Fittler's final thoughts ahead of Game II
Queensland enter Game Two with a smooth preparation far unlike some of the challenges they endured last year with COVID and injuries forcing a number of disruptions. Captain Daly Cherry-Evans wasn't buying the "seamless" tag as a worry for the side, however, and dismissed suggestions it would play a part in the result.
“That’s just one perception of it, we are certainly not viewing it as a seamless camp, it’s Origin,” Cherry-Evans said when prompted for a comment on if their preparations had been “too seamless” for their liking.
“If you are looking at it as a seamless transitioning from one game to the next, you are kidding yourself because you are going to sell yourself very short to what’s going to happen out there on Wednesday night.
“We have been training at a level of intensity that we feel is going to give us a good chance of winning on Wednesday night.
“We have had to make a few changes through injury, so it’s not as if we are just rolling out the same side again. We have got the new boys up to speed and we’ve just tried to apply ourselves at training.”
Maroons v Blues: Game 2
“It's been a good week, but the most important part of our week comes at 8.05pm tomorrow night. That's where everything is channelled towards and as good as preparations can be, that's the most important part of the week,” Slater added.
“We're in this position 36 hours before Game Two and everything's happened well so far, but it means nothing if we don't turn up tomorrow night and play our best football.
I know there's a bit of a myth around that Queensland are underdogs; I could not care less.
Maroons coach Billy Slater
"I honestly could not care less who is favourites and who's not favourites, who's got players in and out and all that sort of stuff.
“You've just got to do the best with the team that you've got.
“We're very happy with the team that we have and you've got to adapt to their strengths and that's what we've been looking to do this week.”
Match: Maroons v Blues
Game 2 -
home Team
Maroons
away Team
Blues
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
