Firstly, that was the best performance I've seen from a Blues team in some 15 years. We expected a close struggle, with the Blues having the advantage of playing against a Queensland side missing Johnathan Thurston and Greg Inglis, but what we saw was a good old-fashioned thumping. Both teams played a faultless first half, with only one penalty given. The Maroons weren't too bad in the second half either, but the Blues were just relentless.
There were some outstanding performances, but one that really caught the eye was the effort of Blues fullback James Tedesco. He is a very special football player and we've known that for a long time now. For a while at the Tigers it was like watching an under 8s game where they'd throw the ball to their star player and sit back and expect him to deliver tries. Tigers' fans will be shaking their heads and wondering where that level of performance has gone since he announced that he was leaving the club at the end of the season to join the Roosters.
Tedesco has gone into State of Origin camp for ten days, he has found himself surrounded by a great bunch of players, all getting along really well, all very relaxed and all focussed on the task ahead. He was with players and coaches who were all positive about what they were trying to achieve and how key he would be to that success. He was in a very comfortable environment and we saw him perform at his very best.
We know he is going to the Roosters and Tigers fans are still bitterly disappointed with that decision, but I think the reason he is leaving is the same reason he has been underperforming at the club. The Tigers were a mess and he felt he had to leave, and that feeling is obviously still having an effect on his performances for the club.
Another who performed well for the Blues was Jarryd Hayne. All week I was looking forward to seeing Hayne's return to the Origin arena. He is just a freakish athlete -- what he did in making the San Francisco 49ers roster was really incredible. There was talk from the Queensland camp that his time away from the game could see him struggle on the big stage, but deep down everyone knew what he was still capable of doing out there.
Hayne has decided to stay at the Titans for at least another year, taking up the $1.2 million clause in his contract and the club has said they want to see his Origin form in a Titans jersey. I'd argue that he has been giving the club value for money already this season. I thought he was their best when they upset the Sharks a couple of weeks back, and he has single-handedly won them a couple of games.
One thing to remember when asking why these players go better in Origin than they do for their clubs, is that they are surrounded by some of the best players in the game when they represent their state. When Hayne plays for the Titans, the opposition can afford to pay him some extra attention, doubling up the defenders keeping an eye on him. If Queensland do that during Origin, then the ball just finds another star back with extra room to move. Justin O'Neill had the task of marking Hayne in Origin I and he was found wanting on several occasions, but he wasn't the first and won't be the last to suffer that fate.
The winning Blues players will take a fair bit of confidence back to their clubs this weekend, but you can't underestimate the amount of exhaustion and soreness that they'll also take with them. It will be worse for the Queensland players who head back to their clubs battered physically and mentally, with questions running through their heads about what they could have done better in Origin I and what they can do in Origin II if they are selected again.
I think the Storm could be in for a shock on Friday night against the Knights. If Cameron Smith and Cooper Crock do back up, they'll do so in the thoroughly professional way you'd expect from them both, but fatigue and mental flatness will play a big part in how they go.
The ultimate test of the weary and defeated up against pumped up winners will come on Saturday afternoon when the Roosters face the Broncos. Roosters half Mitchell Pearce is in doubt after his head knock, but so is Broncos star Anthony Milford for the same reason. The Roosters will be led by Boyd Cordner, who was simply inspirational for the Blues and have Blake Ferguson on the wing. Dylan Napa is in doubt, which could leave Aidan Guerra as their only player backing up from Queensland. The Broncos will have the bruised and mentally battered Darius Boyd, Corey Oates, Sam Thaiday, Matt Gillett and Josh McGuire.
Winning form is great form -- it does wonders for a player's mind. You can't manufacture that kind of positive energy and success really is something that can lift a whole team. We'll see on the weekend whether the outcome of Origin I filters through to club results and individual performances.