Fittler offers no guarantees for Origin II

BRISBANE: New South Wales coach Brad Fittler said the performances of his players upon their return to club football will decide whether he makes changes for the second match of the 2019 State of Origin series.
NSW led 8-0 at half-time before suffering a 18-14 loss to the Maroons before more than 52,000 fans at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night.
Fittler, who now has now lost his last two matches as NSW coach after having guided the Blues to 2018 series success, said his players now had to show him that he doesn’t need to make any changes.
One player sure to come under scrutiny for his performance is rookie five-eighth Cody Walker.
He was taken from the field during the second half as Fittler attempted to tighten a left-edge defence that was being exposed by Kalyn Ponga and the Maroons attack.
Fittler said his decision to throw Walker back into the action came about due to the need to chase tries in the final stages.
Aside from throwing the pass that resulted in an intercept try for Maroons winger Dane Gagai, Fittler was impressed with how Jack Wighton acquitted himself on Origin debut.
Meanwhile, NSW hooker Damien Cook has spoken of the disappointment of letting a half-time lead go to waste.
“It’s very disappointing, I thought we played some good footy tonight but it wasn’t a complete performance,” Cook said.
“In the second half we didn’t create enough momentum and they capitalised on that tonight. It’s State of Origin, the best game.
“I think Queensland kept competing. There was opportunities there, and they took them.” – AAP