STATE OF ORIGIN: Queensland player ratings as Reece Walsh manhandled and Daly Cherry-Evans fails to rally troops
1 Reece Walsh - 5
Was monstered by Latrell Mitchell in the second half as NSW targeted the Brisbane fullback once again. This time he played out the full game but was underwhelming, kicking out two restarts on the full to sum up Queensland’s night.
2 Xavier Coates - 3.5
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Got over the line but was held up, and at the other end of the field was powerless to stop NSW crossing over multiple times on his side.
3 Valentine Holmes - 4
Dropped the ball when flattened by Angus Crichton while trying to juggle a pass from Walsh.
4 Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow - 5
Scored a try but was nowhere near the impressive best he showed in game one, missing a tackle on Dylan Edwards for the NSW fullback’s try as he battled a shoulder injury.
5 Murray Taulagi - 5.5
Was caught out of position and jumped over by Zac Lomax for NSW’s third try but assisted Tabuai-Fidow with a banana kick in behind after a line break, and scored a consolation try of his own.
6 Tom Dearden - 4.5
Showed some life in the second half but was outclassed by NSW’s halves, especially Mitchell Moses who twice rushed out of the line to force the Maroons five-eighth into knocking on.
7 Daly Cherry-Evans - 5
Had an unusually quiet night after his man-of-the-match performance in game one. Popped up with a try assist for Jeremiah Nanai in the second half after an anonymous opening 40 minutes.
8 Reuben Cotter - 4.5
Conceded a penalty early on and was out-muscled by the Blues forwards but put in a decent shift in defence with 37 tackles.
9 Ben Hunt - 4
Did not make a single run out of dummy-half and was barely noticeable in attack after shining in game one.
10 Lindsay Collins - 4
Ran hard on the first hit-up of the night but like his prop partner was overwhelmed by his opposite numbers, registering just eight runs and conceding two penalties to cede momentum.
11 Jaydn Su’A - 4.5
Made a line-break but also gave one away when an offload in the NSW 20-metre zone ended up in the hands of Stephen Crichton who broke down field, eventually leading to Lomax’s second try. Came up with another two errors.
12 Jeremiah Nanai - 5.5
Scored a try and made the most tackles for his side with 39 but was unable to compete with NSW’s forward pack.
13 Patrick Carrigan - 5
Was sin-binned for running into a melee in the second half and conceded a penalty for a high tackle on Lomax. Worked hard but had little to show for it, running for 121 metres and making 33 tackles.
14 Harry Grant - 4
Looked worse for wear after copping a nasty gash on his forehead from a head clash with a teammate in a tackle but again had a quiet display after he was one of the less impressive Queenslanders in game one.
15 Moeaki Fotuaika - 5.5
Ran strongly for 70 metres from limited minutes and made three tackle busts but gave away a penalty for ruck interference.
16 Felise Kaufusi - 5
Looked promising off the bench but only managed three runs and eight tackles.
17 Kurt Capewell - 4.5
Was barely noticeable in a brief stint as a substitute and made two missed tackles out of 12 attempts.
