Maroons Player Ratings: Origin II

1. Billy Slater: Kept relatively quiet in the first half but turned up when he was needed. Safe under the high ball, he was also on hand when Robbie Farah had a crack at the line from close range in the 67th minute. Not a game for the small quick men to shine. 6

2. Darius Boyd: Energetic start and along with Greg Inglis tested Blues' left edge from the start. Strong defensively and good on kick returns but little chance to impose himself on proceedings. 6

3. Greg Inglis: Looked threatening from the outset and dominated the match-up against Josh Dugan for the majority of the game. Even in the back-end of the second half looked the man most likely to break open the Blues defence and came up with 23 tackles in defence. 7

4. Justin Hodges: Went looking for the ball on both sides of the ruck and came up with the solitary line break of the first half when trailing Thurston through the middle of the field. His 144 metres were the most of any Maroons player with his line break one of only two for the game. 7

5: Brent Tate: Copped some heavy contact in early stages but backed up time and again to take tough dummy-half runs from deep inside Maroons' territory. Was forced from the field in the 56th minute with an injury to his right leg. 6

6. Johnathan Thurston: Had 30 touches compared to Cherry-Evans's 10 in the first half as well as becoming the greatest point-scorer in Origin history with his two first-half penalty goals. Fed Inglis early and then came up with the pass for the Hodges line break late in first half. Threw everything at the Blues defence early in the second stanza but was unable to crack them open. Guilty of letting Reynolds get under his skin in dying stages. 7

7: Daly Cherry-Evans: Eased into the game in attack but targeted by the Blues runners in defence. Copped plenty of attention from Farah whenever he touched the ball but grew in confidence as half wore on, his grubber on the back of the Hodges bust a nice shot just before half-time. Creative opportunities were few and far between for a player obviously less than 100 per cent but was brave in defence all night. 6

8: Matt Scott: Copped a whack across the nose after 12 minutes but stayed on for a first-up stint of 23 minutes. His six runs yielded 32m but played no part in the second half after suffering a suspected fractured cheekbone. 5

9: Cameron Smith (c): The niggling tactics of both teams played right into Smith's hands as he settled his troops and enabled them to take a 4-0 lead into the break. If the Maroons had won he'd have shared man of the match honours with Myles with 55 tackles and constant probing around the ruck in a disjointed game. 8

10: Nate Myles: In the midst of absolutely everything in the opening exchanges, coming up with 29 first-half tackles and putting his hand up for countless runs into the teeth of the Blues defence. Finished with 58 tackles and 115m and was a tower of strength, standing up to everything the Blues threw at him. 8

11: Aidan Guerra: Busy early on the left edge and formed a strong defensive combination with Myles but the slow nature of the ruck speed didn't suit his rangy running style. Six missed tackles don't make for great reading but has assured himself a long Origin career. 6

12: Matt Gillett: With the Maroons going left early Gillett took time to get into the game but poked his nose through the Blues defence more and more as game wore on. In the first 20 minutes of the second half he continually punched holes into the NSW defence but was guilty of poor ball security on occasion, finishing with 98m and 40 tackles. 7

13: Sam Thaiday: Denied the opening try by the hand of God (ie. Jarryd Hayne) and the video referees but his charges were a welcome addition to the tough opening 40 minutes. We should have expected nothing less than 113m and 34 tackles on his return to the Origin arena but it wasn't enough to get his side home. 7

14: Jacob Lillyman: Two strong charges when introduced midway through the first half and brought some welcome size off the bench. Racked up 63m and 13 tackles and was powerful with each of his seven hit-ups. 6

15: Ben Te'o: Powerful in both attack and defence, Te'o's hard runs in the middle of the ruck straightened the Maroons and gave his halves momentum to play football, particularly late in the first half. The man left clutching at thin air when he couldn't match it for pace with Blues half Trent Hodkinson but an otherwise good performance. 6

16: Chris McQueen: Introduced late in the first half, was forced to shift to the right wing when Brent Tate left the field midway through the second half, spilling a tough chance in the 60th minute when failed to reign in a Hodges pass. Came up with some strong charges that straightened the attack but playing out of position made his assignment a difficult one. 5

17: Dave Taylor: Kept on the bench for the opening 40 minutes, Taylor was introduced early in the second term with the apparent strict instructions to run and not pass. Unfortunately for the Maroons when he did finally throw one in the 65th minute it was to no one.  Made 67m and 16 tackles but was unable to impose himself as he does at club level. 5