Queensland coach Mal Meninga has told his players they must lift if they are to avoid an embarrassing 3-0 State of Origin series defeat at the hands of NSW at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night.
Heavy favourites to continue their eight-year domination of Origin before the series began, the Maroons surrendered their crown with losses in the opening two matches. Back on home soil for game three, Meninga said his players had a point to prove after a disappointing series. “At some stage we were going to be under the pump,” he told News Corp.
“I’ve tried to build a strong culture and that culture is still unbent, but there is a bit of a dent in it. I still believe in it, the players still believe in it, and I think we have the right processes and systems in place. In the past we were able to handle setbacks, but NSW were playing a lot better than they were five or six years ago.”
Boosting the Maroons for Wednesday’s match is the return of halfback Cooper Cronk, who broke his arm in the first game of the series. His inclusion means Daly Cherry-Evans, who wore the No.7 in the second match, drops back to the bench. Cronk’s halves partner, five-eighth Johnathan Thurston, is expected to play despite hurting his knee at training at the weekend.
The Cowboys superstar came off second best after a collision during an opposed session against the Queensland Residents but is believed to have only suffered a cork. “He’s a pretty tough fella, John,” Maroons assistant coach Kevin Walters said. “So we’d assume he’ll be okay.”
