2021 Origin Series

[DIEHARD]

2021 Origin Series

Game I: Wednesday 9 June | MCG, VIC
Game II: Sunday 27 June | Suncorp Stadium, QLD
Game III: Wednesday 14 July | Stadium Australia, NSW

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Brimson could get No.1 shot
http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au

TITANS fullback AJ Brimson is the favourite to replace Kalyn Ponga as Queensland’s No.1 man for the opening game of the State of Origin series, should the latter succumb to injury.

Ponga has missed Newcastle’s past two games with a groin problem, but is in the mix to return against Manly on Sunday.

B r i m s o n (pictured) has been working his way into form and appears to be the logical solution at fullback if Ponga is underdone.

It adds to a crisis the Queensland side has found itself in with star five-eighth Cameron Munster ruled out of Melbourne’s clash with Brisbane on Thursday night and hooker Harry Grant set to miss Game One.

Munster will not face the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium due to a foot injury, meaning he will miss three matches in the lead-up to Queensland coach Paul Green naming his Origin I squad on Monday.

Grant will not play either due to a hamstring injury and is resigned to missing the series-opener at the MCG on June 9, opening the door for Parramatta dynamo Reed Mahoney to make his Origin debut.

[ALX25]

Brimson is ahead of Ponga in my books.

[DIEHARD]

Brimson is ahead of Ponga in my books.

Which would mean Campbell to come in and cover him at the Titans?

[Titanic]

Which would mean Campbell to come in and cover him at the Titans?

I reckon both Sami and Thompson are ahead of Campbell in Coach's eyes for our 1 and I think Kevvie will stick with Ponga (unless he puts him in 6 for Munster). Campbell could be snuck in on a wing though.

[DIEHARD]

I reckon both Sami and Thompson are ahead of Campbell in Coach's eyes for our 1 and I think Kevvie will stick with Ponga (unless he puts him in 6 for Munster). Campbell could be snuck in on a wing though.

But will Thompson be fit?

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State of Origin 2021: Where is Game I played as Melbourne goes into lockdown?
http://www.couriermail.com/au

Look away NSW Blues fans, Northern Queensland has emerged as a possible replacement for the MCG to host game one of the State of Origin on June 9 series as Victoria gets set to enter a seven-day lockdown.

ARLC Chairman Peter V’landys told The Daily Telegraph Townsville’s new 25,000 seat Queensland Country Bank Stadium is being considered as an alternative to the famed MCG.

“There are a number of venues we are looking at… Canberra is one, Adelaide is another and possibly northern Queensland as well,” V’landys said.

“The problem with that is it is not a neutral venue but it would be a huge boom for them too. We’ve got a good relationship with the Queensland government as well. It’s all in the mix. But the first priority is to have it in the MCG. If we can’t, we have all these options available to us.”

The biggest sticking point with North Queensland as a potential location is the NRL’s preference to move to a neutral location to avoid giving the Maroons a home ground advantage.

Perth’s Optus Stadium, a neutral venue, is being mooted as another option.

The NRL is anxiously watching Victoria’s escalating Covid situation after the outbreak reached 26 cases with 11 new positive cases recorded overnight.

Victorian health officials added the MCG to the list of affected venues on Tuesday after a positive case attended an AFL match between Collingwood and Port Adelaide on the weekend.

The next few days will be crucial in determining if a venue change is unavoidable.

If infection numbers do not decline, and continue to increase on a daily basis, it’s unlikely the MCG will be a viable option.

The MCG will remain an option only if case numbers improve and the Victorian government allows the ground to operate at around 50- 60 per cent capacity for game one on June 9.

V’landys and the NRL are in current discussions with the Victoria government.

“Out of courtesy to Victorian we are not going to do anything until we finalise our discussions with them. We’ve got a contract with the Victorian government, which we respect,” V’landys said.

“Naturally we’re a good partner, when people are down the last thing you want to do is affect them so we’re trying our best to help the Victorian government and we are waiting on them.”

On Thursday morning, Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk declared her state is “ready” to take over from Victoria as host of game one.

“We’re putting our hand up - as I know other states are as well,” Palaszczuk said.

“Queensland is the ideal place to kick off this year’s State of Origin. I can confirm that we’re in discussions with the NRL.

“Suncorp Stadium or Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville are ready to host a game on June 9.”

The Melbourne Storm, who are already on the Sunshine Coast, have decided to remain in Queensland indefinitely.

A number of AFL teams have already relocated from Melbourne to ensure round 11 fixtures can take place over the weekend.

MASS EXODUS
AFL teams have fled Melbourne to ensure this weekend’s games can go ahead and the NRL’s Melbourne Storm will extend their Sunshine Coast camp indefinitely to avoid the outbreak.

If the outbreak continues and worsens, the NRL will have to enact a contingency plan for the first game of the lucrative Origin series.

That would entail shifting the game from Melbourne, with NRL CEO Andrew Abdo keen to keep the match at a neutral venue to avoid accusations of bias or home ground advantages.

Venues in Canberra, Perth and Adelaide have been mooted as potential hosts, but Suncorp Stadium officials are ready to host the game in Brisbane.

Suncorp management did not want to comment, other than to say the 52,500-seat stadium is one of the best rugby league venues in the world and there are no potential clashes with other events around the timing of the game.

But there is one major issue.

The second match of the series will be played at Suncorp on June 27, which would mean Queensland would host the first two games.

That would send the Blues and their supporters into a rage, especially after Queensland clinched last year’s series victory at home in an epic decider against the odds.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk backed up Suncorp’s bid.

“We will help Victoria and Victorians in any way we can. Queensland is ready,” Palaszczuk said on Thursday.

“With concerns about another outbreak in Victoria, we’ll ensure that Queensland is ready to host the State of Origin opener in 13 days.

“We’re putting our hand up - as I know other states are as well.

“Queensland is the ideal place to kick off this year’s State of Origin. I can confirm that we’re in discussions with the NRL.

“Suncorp Stadium or Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville are ready to host a game on June 9.

“It would be wonderful to see a State of Origin (game) in Townsville.

“We’ve proven we’re able to safely host events that deliver strong benefits to our economy.”

The NRL is expected to wait until Tuesday to make a definitive call on the venue in the hope Melbourne gets the Covid outbreak under control.

The NRL would play the game at the MCG with a reduced crowd, but a total lockdown would force the match to be moved.

Abdo said the NRL’s preference was to play Game One on neutral turf.

“Clearly, State of Origin is coming up pretty soon and we need to think about what happens with Victorian State Government protocols but also with exemptions required for travel so we are monitoring it but at this stage we aren’t taking any further action,” Abdo said.

“It’s early days. At this stage, we are monitoring the situation very carefully but if we have to increase the protocols (for players) we will and if we need to consider a contingency plan for where we play Origin I, we will.

“We are looking at several venues for that but we would have to see a significant increase in the number of community cases and the potential for lockdown in Victoria before we would consider that.

“It wouldn’t be uncommon for us to consider another neutral state.

“We have contingency plans and we said at the start of the year that we would be ready for whatever situation emerges.”

The NRL will consider flying the teams in and out of Melbourne on game day to avoid potential concerns with NSW and Queensland governments around quarantine and isolation.

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I may be a Queenslander and so I'm bias, but I'd love to see Origin in Townsville.

Also I'd love to see Newcastle get one too. Reward our game's best fans.

[JunctionBlock]

I reckon both Sami and Thompson are ahead of Campbell in Coach's eyes for our 1 and I think Kevvie will stick with Ponga (unless he puts him in 6 for Munster). Campbell could be snuck in on a wing though.

It's Paul Green now

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It's Paul Green now

Oh yea. That's right. Not sure if that is an improvement. I don't know much about Green's style and personality.

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Got my Maroons polo. Heading to HK island with the HKRL gang to watch it. I'm extremely excited to see the match in Townsville and I hope Queensland can pull it off. Good luck to the Titans, no injuries. NSW have a deadly backline. I'm more confident in QLD's forwards. New Maroons coach too. Interested to see how the Panthers halves go. I think we can win it.

Origin 1 match centre: https://www.nrl.com/draw/state-of-or...roons-v-blues/

[Titanic]

Lol DH ... will have a WeChat conference call going on across multitudinous time zones on watchnrl.com ... will be a few minutes delay between various zones and depending on internet connectivity etc so it will be a riotous group of isolated rugby league pundits.

It's the usual "hoping for the best expecting the worst" that has permeated my psyche since that memorable day in 1980 when I took a very disinterested young lady into the old Frank Burke stand with my old Wests Panthers teammates where we all made complete twats of ourselves frothing over "Artie" ... but have never regretted one second of it.

Queenslander!!

Ps. Watching Billy and Bennie duelling on NRL360 last night I thought how cringeworthy that must be to anyone who isn't from that era but I will say that the passion can never die. Modern day fans can't imagine what it was like to grow up watching all the best Qld players go to Sydney and come back in Blue to flog what was left behind year after year. I can still recall the feeling of hope that every Qld Country/Brisbane City clash brought each year as the State uncovered new faces and then the crushing reality when passion eventually capitulated to sheer talent that was largely ours.

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And even losing players to the Sydney comp meant they were out of reach for us.

It actually grinds my gears to see the Maroons 1980 stuff. Because our boys didn't give up for decades and decades before that. Origin means most when you understand what came before. We just got a more level playing field in 1980.

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Absolute and total carnage. The Blues backs were just too deadly. Sorry to see it happen in NQ as well. Our spine was under done. Mo played very well though. That was really tough to watch. But I stuck it out in a bar in HK. Plenty of Maroon but not one person wearing any Blues merch. But that doesn't change the scoreboard does it? Trbojevic was untouchable.

[ozynorts]

Turbo is next level, he is really special.
I may be alone here but I don’t rate Tino as a prop. He doesn’t seem to bend the line at all. Plays with plenty of passion and good leg speed but gets stopped in his tracks on hit ups.