They say Origin is won through the middle, but could the centres hold the keys to victory in Game II of the 2024 series?
Perhaps it’s been lost in the last two series, when middle forwards Pat Carrigan and Reuben Cotter have stolen the show and won the Wally Lewis Medal, but there was a time destructive, dominant centres were Origin’s most decisive and important figures.
Think of Latrell Mitchell and Tom Trbojevic in 2021, Greg Inglis and Justin Hodges during Queensland’s eight-in-a-row, Mal Meninga and Gene Miles in the 80s and Brad Fittler in the 90s.
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Those are just a few on a list that goes on for so long it would take days to complete, but you get the gist. While the forwards battle for domination and the halves and hooker organise their side and scheme it’s the centres who break the game open.
That’s what Mitchell and Trbojevic did in 2021 and what Inglis did every time he took the field in the Origin arena too.
The centres battle in Game I was over before it started, with Joseph Sua’ali’i sent off in the eighth minute, but Game II’s matchups are finely poised – and could decide the contest.
In Maroon, Valentine Holmes and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow.
Holmes’ would be the first to admit his year has been lean by his standards, and yet his eight tries are the second most of any NRL centre.
On the opposite edge, Tabuai-Fidow was the most dangerous attacking player in Origin I, scoring a hat-trick and running for 183 metres.
In Blue, Stephen Crichton and Latrell Mitchell. One centre renowned for defensive resolve and the other who can win games with a single play.
Bulldogs captain Crichton received a mountain of praise on a recent episode of The Matty Johns Podcast, with Maroons great Cooper Cronk describing him as “the best defensive centre in the world right now.”
Matty Johns went one better, stating he’s “never seen a better defensive centre.”
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In a season of highs for the 23-year-old there has been no greater example of his defensive ability than in Game I of the series.
After Sua’ali’i was sent off, New South Wales rotated several players into right centre, including Nicho Hynes, Liam Martin and Angus Crichton.
During this period Queensland enjoyed great joy down that edge, with Selwyn Cobbo, Murray Taulagi and Tabuai-Fidow linking up for several long-range tries.
It wasn’t until Crichton shifted from left to right centre that the Maroons left edge attack became blunt.
On the other edge, arguably the most destructive footballer on the planet on his day: Latrell Mitchell. After missing selection for Game I, Mitchell’s form in the past month has been undeniably brilliant.
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Centre is an interesting position in modern rugby league. As Johns described in a recent column for The Daily Telegraph, it’s one of the few positions in modern rugby league where genuine one-on-one battles take place.
“Both share the same 10-metre corridor and for 80 minutes battle for personal ascendancy,” he wrote.
It’s this dynamic between the centres that could decide Game II’s outcome, with Johns and Cronk highlighting the battle between Crichton and Tabuai-Fidow as potentially the game’s most decisive.
Cronk described it as “arguably the best defensive centre against the best attacking centre we have.”
Johns chimed in that it’s a “world class match up.”
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And while Tabuai-Fidow can feel unstoppable when he gets into full flight, the former Melbourne halfback believes “if there’s one guy to stop him (Tabuai-Fidow), it’ll be Stephen Crichton.
On the other edge, an equally impactful battle will play out between Holmes and Mitchell.
Cronk, who won two Premierships with Mitchell at the Roosters, described his former teammate on the podcast as “an out and out star.”
“He can literally win you the game with one touch,” Cronk added, referencing Mitchell’s sublime flick pass in the 2019 Grand Final that ultimately led to James Tedesco’s 73rd minute match-winner.
Cronk believes key to a potential New South Wales win will be the side’s ability to bring Latrell into the contest, although the 22-time Maroon shared this isn’t as easy as it seems.
“If Latrell wants to be involved he can be the best player on the field,” Cronk said.
“When he doesn’t want to be involved, he’s really hard to drag in.
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“You’ll say put this play on. He’ll say no. But then he’ll say give me the ball and you give him the ball. So it really depends on the mood that Latrell is in. We’ve seen that in the way he plays.
“When he goes after the contest like he has the last couple of weeks, he is very good.
“I don’t think motivation is going to be the issue for Latrell here.”
On top of his damaging ability with the ball, the pair agreed an added benefit of Latrell, particularly in attacking shape, is his off ball presence.
Cronk believe’s Latrell will give NSW five-eighth Jarome Luai “the threat to run.
“Because once Val’s eyes go to Latrell, which is a huge presence, we saw what Jarome can do at the weekend (Round 15 against the Knights) and cut right through,’ he said.
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For all the South Sydney fullbacks upside, Cronk believes there are several deficiencies in his game Billy Slater’s side could exploit.
“The fact is when he gets fatigued, will he be able to hold his gloves up for long periods,” he said.
“The other part is his discipline. He has been ill-disciplined at different stages in heightened moments.”
Cronk revealed what he’d do with Latrell if he were part of the Queensland side: “Make Latrell work.”
These sentiments were shared by his Game II adversary, Valentine Holmes.
“It is a while since he has played in the Origin arena, so we will try and get to him in ways that slow him up a bit,” Holmes said in the build up to Melbourne.
“I have just got to be in his face and make my tackles.
“He is pretty aggressive so he will probably come out and look to jam Walshy (Reece Walsh) and get into our back five early.
“We have to be wary of that and make him work a bit more than he does at Souths.”