Key posts
Daley: Queensland will be desperate and dangerous
Stats: Who will miss their superboot most?
Big changes in the halves for both sides, with Queensland axing skipper and halfback Daly Cherry-Evans for Tom Dearden and NSW losing Mitchell Moses to a calf injury that brings Jarome Luai back into the fold.
Where does that impact each side most? The kicking games are a good place to start. Big task ahead of the Maroons halves given their efforts so far this season at club level.
Quiz: Test your game one knowledge
Stats: How NSW unlocked Yeo the running man
Gus: Statistically, Haas is the greatest prop of all time
Weather update: it’s pouring in Perth
Remember what we said about clear skies? Turns out our resident weatherman Christian Nicolussi was wrong.
It’s absolutely bucketing down in Perth, but the good news is that it’s meant to ease off as we near kick-off.
Fans arrive in the wet ahead of kick-off.Credit: Getty Images
Qld team list: The Maroons are 1-17
NSW team list: no changes for Daley’s Blues
Nathan Cleary doesn’t just listen to the voices in his head. He talks back
If Nathan Cleary knew how to silence the voices in his head, then he would. But he can’t, so he listens to them instead.
And then, Cleary talks back. Argues. Cajoles. Until the game’s best player, more often than not, gets his way.
The internal conversations rarely stop for Nathan Cleary.Credit: Getty Images
“Honestly? I’d say I’ve constantly got a bit of a dialogue going back and forth in my head. Not just on the field, off it as well,” the NSW No.7 says.
“It’s part of who I am and I make it work for me rather than against me, but I’ve become more aware of my emotions and my thoughts.
“I’ve found those conversations are how I manage those thoughts, [they] make it easier on myself to switch up from a negative mindset when doubts creep in. It’s something that I’ve worked at, and it’s still quite hard. But yeah, in games when I’m out there in the middle, it’s still quite common to be having a little chat with myself.”
Read the full story here.
Inside Stephen Crichton’s beautiful defensive mind
Stephen Crichton slowly, patiently explained the nuances of his craft to The Herald last week, and you instantly get some sense of just how he pulls off grand final winning intercepts, leads a defensive revolution at Canterbury and marks two elite Origin opponents at once.
All while giving away very little, which must be how opposition playmakers feel, even when they seemingly hold all the cards with one-man advantage.
Read the full story here.
