Kotoni Staggs will be a little lighter in the pocket after the NSW centre was fined for his late shot on Kalyn Ponga to heap more misery on the Broncos star after his uncharacteristically dreadful performance in Origin II.
Staggs is one of the best strike centres in the world and he started Wednesday night with a bang when he scored the first try of the contest for the Blues.
But things went off the rails quickly, with Staggs making three first-half errors, including two near halfway as he tried to launch midfield attacking raids as his side capitulated to lose 44-24.
Staggs was then sent to the sin bin in the 63rd minute when he rushed out of the line and smashed Ponga high and late as the Maroons raced away to score another try through Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow.
He’ll have to pay 13 per cent of his match fee if he takes the early guilty plea for the grade 2 careless high tackle charge, while teammate Victor Radley will have to pay 7 per cent for his shot on Trent Loiero.
Staggs is one of several NSW players at risk of losing their spots after a horror night in Melbourne, with coach Laurie Daley now facing some of the biggest calls of his career in what could be his final game in charge.
“We’ll look at the game and see where we’re at. I think you just analyse everything,” he replied when asked if there would be changes.
The halves combination of Nathan Cleary and Mitchell Moses combined for 19 missed tackles, while the bench rotation didn’t go to plan.
Haumole Olakau’atu simply has to be recalled in the back row after the baffling call to axe him, while Blues officials will be hoping that Latrell Mitchell is fit after they were blown off the park in the second half.
“Queensland were very good, as we always know they would be. But we just missed the mark, so we’re going to have a real good look at ourselves and come up with the answers, which I’m sure we will,” Daley said.
“It’s a good opportunity for us to go up to Queensland and try to win the series. Origins are all different and I think there were some good things out in the first half that we did.
“We just weren’t consistent enough with what we did throughout 80 minutes. Queensland stuck to what they know and do well, and once momentum happens in this game, things turn pretty quickly.
“While we’re disappointed, you don’t lose trust and faith in guys. You know what they are capable of doing. They just have to do it.”
The Blues are rank outsiders to win the decider at Suncorp Stadium on July 8, but they showed two years ago that it was possible when they won game three in enemy territory.
“That’s the opportunity in front of us now,” skipper Isaah Yeo said.
“I think if you asked us at the start of the series if you got to have a decider at Suncorp (we would have taken that).
“It’s a hell of a place to play with 50,000 (fans) and it’s rocking. That’s what makes it special when teams go up there and win, and that’s what’s in front of us now.”
Originally published as ‘Analyse everything’: Blues duo charged as Laurie Daley faces biggest selection calls of career