‘Simply getting began’: Billy Slater’s warning to NSW

Queensland coach Billy Slater has sounded a warning to NSW forward of Sport II of the State of Origin sequence, declaring the Maroons are solely scratching the floor of what they’re able to doing.

The Blues, smarting from a 26-18 loss in Sport I in Adelaide, have been pressured to make a raft if adjustments to their sport two facet for the conflict at Suncorp Stadium on June 21.

Slater, after naming his group on Monday, was requested if the Maroons had one other gear.

“I might wish to suppose so. I might wish to suppose we’re solely simply getting began,” Slater mentioned.

“I believe we are able to construct our sport extra. I believe we’ve constructed a terrific basis of what this group is all about.

“The gamers have determined what they need to be about for this era of Queenslanders.

“The place they take it’s as much as them and the teaching workers, however I really feel like we’re solely getting began.”

Slater mentioned after the Adelaide win he nonetheless wasn’t proud of facets of the group’s play.

Man-of-the-match Reuben Cotter performed many of the sport within the second-row resulting from an early damage to Tom Gilbert, a place Cotter had by no means performed in throughout his NRL profession.

After a stellar match he instructed AAP he was “filthy” that he missed a sort out that led to a NSW attempt to Liam Martin.

That “by no means happy” mentality is driving the Maroons.

They’ve gained their previous two video games beneath nice adversity and with gamers out of place.

If their luck turns and so they get by means of a sport with out a number of accidents there may be scope to play the type of soccer throughout the park that they practice all week for.

In sport three final yr the Maroons misplaced winger Selwyn Cobbo and prop Lindsay Collins to concussion early and performed many of the sport with 15 males. They gained the decider 22-12.

In Adelaide they gained beneath adversity.

Second-rower Gilbert dislocated his shoulder within the nineteenth minute and fellow ahead David Fifita hung out off the sphere with an HIA earlier than returning to play within the centres.

Winger Murray Taulagi additionally had an HIA whereas fellow winger Cobbo left the sphere with a hip pointer damage.

At one stage that they had hooker Ben Hunt enjoying within the centres.

The arrogance the coach has within the subsequent era of Maroons is palpable. It’s evidenced by the very fact Slater elected to decide on 20-year-old Jeremiah Nanai for sport two as a substitute of veteran and confirmed performer Felise Kaufusi.

For sport one this yr he dropped 22-game stalwart Dane Gagai and picked 21-year-old Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow who scored two tries in a scintillating show.

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