Lockyer's back, Gasnier not so sure
June 3rd 2008 08:43
QLD icon Darren Lockyer will once again be called upon to steer the Maroons to victory
Qld have made four changes to the side that lost the series opener to the Blues two weeks ago.
In comes Broncos debutant Darius Boyd for suspended teammate Justin Hodges, while Carl Webb, Jacob Lillyman and PJ Marsh felt the axe.
Titans's forward Ashley Harrison comes into the side, while Karmichael Hunt reverts back to the bench.
The most significant move however is the return of the great champion himself. Darren Lockyer will attempt to rescue a series that has QLD on the edge of collapse.
Luckily for the Maroons, Their mission of salvation will take place infront of a packed Suncorp Stadium, where over 50,000 Queenslanders will be baying for blood.
It really doesn't get any better than this.
Although the loss of Justin Hodges will hurt, QLD have added more attacking flair to a side that looked in complete freefall in game one.
Their superstar backline were hardly fed the ball and this allowed the Blues forwards to bully them out of the contest.
With Lockyer back in the side though, expect things to turn dramatically.
Lockyer's presence on the field will be felt by all who wear blue. His passing game is of the highest quality, while his ability to make the right decisions under pressure is also a string to his bow.
Simply put, Lockyer will be the most dangerous player with the ball come next Wednesday night. You only have to look at last week's performance against the Eels to see why.
If the Blues give him enough space, the QLD general will burn you and he is capable of doing so in any given situation.
What makes him so great is his ability to make others around him play better. When Lockyer has the ball in his hands, everyone in the QLD backline will know that a try is on the cards such is his quality.
The likes of Billy Slater, Greg Inglis and Israel Folau will be all the more difficult to contain due to Lockyer's presence. He provides those around him with space and time with the footy and that alone should send spines tingling down south.
For one of the greatest players of all time, Lockyer never seems fazed by an occasion and will be hellbent of giving the Maroons one last shot of glory in Sydney.
However, for his presence to be truly felt, the Maroon forwards must dominate up the middle.
They were bashed and bruised against the tougher, more mobile pack of NSW and they were effectively out of the contest.
That is why the inclusion of Warriors captain Steve Price is so important to QLD. In full fitness, there is no more damaging forward in terms of making yardage, while his charge down capabilities are phenominal to say the least.
He will without a doubt put enormous pressure on Blues half Peter Wallace to perform his kicking duties with skill and aplomb.
He will provide the forward power that is needed for Lockyer to shine in what will be a crucial battle upfront.
Forwards such as Nate Myles, Ben Hannant and Ashley Harrison really have to chip in big time to support Price and co. in their quest to dominate the Blues forwards.
For NSW, their case for glory is much more simple to analyse.
While Jarryd Hayne and Mark Gasnier are not assured of their places in the Blues lineup, the rest of the squad looks relatively smooth.
If Gasnier is out, Manly centre Jamie Lyon will most likely come in, while Canberra centre Joel Monaghan looks likely to take Hayne's position if the Eels winger is suspended.
Other than that, everything looks set to roll forward for Craig Bellamy's men.
Their forward pack, which has been bolstered by the return of Steve Simpson, will once again try to wreck havock on the Maroons chances of forcing a decider.
The likes of Bird, Gallen and Laffranchi were all outstanding in their respective roles last time round and will look to replicate that form come game two.
Bird in particular has the ominous task of marking Darren Lockyer in what should be a thrilling individual match-up.
The Cronulla five-eighth took the honours last time around and will be eager to disrupt Lockyer's night as much as humanly possible.
Like the great man himself, Bird has made his presence felt in the Origin arena and looks the man most likely to ruin Lockyer's return.
In all seriousness, Bird's clash with Lockyer could decide the series.
If the Sharks five-eighth gets his way early, and the Blues forwards start to dominate, QLD will be in a heap of strife.
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