The shocking Origin stat that points to a Queensland ambush ... again

7 hours ago 4

Boyd Cordner, the last NSW skipper to win an Origin decider on Sydney soil, can’t hide his annoyance when you tell him how poorly the Blues have performed at home with the series on the line.

Aside from Cordner’s victorious Blues in 2019, Danny Buderus’ team in 2004 is the only other Blues side in the NRL era to have sealed the deal in game three in front of their own fans.

NSW lost deciders in 2013 and 2008, while the Andrew Johns-led Blues drew 18-18 in 2002, only for Queensland to retain the series because they had triumphed a year earlier.

Isaah Yeo has the chance to become just the third NSW skipper to win a decider at a sold-out Accor Stadium on Wednesday night.

“That’s a crazy stat, how only two NSW teams have won the decider here in Sydney – I was actually pissed off hearing it and knowing we had only capitalised on this opportunity just twice,” Cordner said.

“Before that 2019 game, we actually spoke about how losing at home hurts, but losing a decider, you just don’t lose a decider at home. There’s no bigger stage than an Origin decider being played at home.

“We were chasing back-to-back series [in 2019]. We dropped the first game, then won in Perth. We started game three well. We weren’t playing our best footy, but we were still in the game.

“My message to the boys at half-time [with the score 8-8] was, ‘We have 40 minutes to turn this around, otherwise it is going to be the longest year before we get back here’. We put everything into that next half of footy. There was no coming back next week.”

The Blues scored in the final minute to win the game courtesy of a long-range try finished off by James Tedesco.

“I played the ball and remember the try as clear as day,” Cordner said. “‘Fergo’ [Blake Ferguson] ran down the sideline, the cover defence came across, but he held his feet, and had Teddy on his inside. I was thinking to myself, ‘This can’t be, this can’t be’, then Teddy scored.

“To win a game like that, it would have been special if it was park footy. To do it in an Origin decider, you couldn’t have scripted it any better.”

Cordner led the Blues through the tunnel from their training base across the road from Accor Stadium before the game, and will never forget the sea of sky blue nor the deafening roar from 80,000 fans.

“I actually made my Origin debut in the 2013 decider here, and someone told me in the warm-up how I should try to get up the front when I run out because once I see the crowd, it will be something I won’t forget,” Cordner said.

“I can’t describe the feeling. From that time on, I made a point of soaking it in every time. You can’t manufacture a feeling like it. It’s always enjoyable running out in front of the Queensland crowd, but nothing beats your own crowd.”

Queensland celebrate winning the decider at ANZ Stadium in 2013.

Buderus led the Blues to victory in 2004 after a late charge-down try by Brad Fittler, who had retired from representative football at the end of 2001 but received an Origin SOS from then coach Phil Gould.

“‘Freddy’ came back to lend a hand in that series,” Buderus said. “He scored under the posts in that last game, and it was almost like a changing of the guard when the younger players celebrated with him. It’s a privilege to have that pressure of playing in front of your home crowd.

“I also know there’s nothing worse than losing at home. Queensland had to do it last year. As much as you have to pay your respects and hang around [for the shield presentation], it burns and burns until you get another opportunity … Wednesday night, whatever disappointment they’ve had in the past, they have to make sure that’s the flame that flickers.”

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