Speaking out about the intimidating referee numbers that NSW must overcome in Origin 3, Michael Maguire
history is against his side as they look to address a poor record at Suncorp Stadium in Wednesday night’s State of Origin decider. Aside from the fact only two NSW sides (the classes of 1994 and 2005) have won an Origin decider in enemy territory, the Blues have also been on the wrong end of a very lopsided penalty count after coming out on top just nine times out of 60 Origin matches played in Brisbane.
The hostile atmosphere created by the Suncorp Stadium crowd is always mentioned as a huge factor behind the Maroons’ dominance at home. And all eyes south of the border will be on how referee Ashley Klein handles Game 3 and what influence the pro-Queensland crowd has on the contest.
Klein is one of the best and most experienced referees in the game and took charge of the first two matches of the series. He’ll have his work cut out again inside the Suncorp Stadium cauldron on Wednesday night, where a packed house of mostly Maroons fans will be baying for blood and encouraging the whistleblower to penalise the visitors at every possible opportunity.
Maguire says he’s aware of the lopsided 51-9 penalty count against NSW in Origin games played in Queensland but says he’s left no stone unturned to ensure it’s not a factor in Game 3. “I’ve done all the things in the background that I need to do about that. I know what our team needs to do in and around how the game is going to be played,” the NSW coach said on Tuesday.
“I guess the numbers don’t lie, but we just have to deal with what we have to. How we control that is up to us. They’re interesting numbers, but we have to control what we can.” The Blues go into the clash as slight outsiders but will be buoyed by the 38-18 flogging of the Maroons in Game 2. Maguire’s men know that getting off to a fast start like they did in Melbourne is key and Blues skipper Jake Trbojevic says they’re “excited” to get the opportunity to write their own chapter in Origin folklore by winning the state’s first series decider in Brisbane in 19 years.
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