Queensland coach Mal Meninga has ruled out an 11th hour meeting with referees Tony Archer and Ben Cummins before Wednesday night’s State of Origin clash.
A seething NSW coach Ricky Stuart had sort immediate answers about the performance of game one whistleblowers Cummins and Matt Cecchin, who was dumped from the NRL round this weekend following another sub-standard performance at the weekend.
And he also had a meeting with referees’ boss Bill Harrigan last Friday in which he aired his game one grievances after a dossier was compiled on their decisions in Melbourne.
Stuart continued the mind games on match eve, pulling out of his scheduled media appearance just hours after Meninga had promoted the game to a media scrum at Sydney Airport.
Asked by a reporter if Stuart was indulging in gamesmanship, Meninga suggested the question be directed to the NSW coach.
“I’m not into gamesmanship. I’m into honesty and promoting the game in the best light I possibly can, that’s me,” said Meninga.”
He said he wouldn’t be adding to the pressure already on the two match officials.
“I’m over the referees,” he said after his side arrived in Sydney on Tuesday, eying off a seventh straight series win.
“We’ve never used them (referees) as an excuse.
“They (referees) have got a hard enough job and they deserve all the praise they can get.
“We’re not going to have any meeting, we’ll just abide by the rules of the game and worry about ourselves, that’s what we’re going to do.”
Wednesday night’s expected wet conditions will place even more emphasis on ball control and field possession but Meninga said Queensland had been lucky enough to have trained in the wet at Coolum.
The Maroons, who dismissed rumours all was not well with champion five-eighth Johnathan Thurston, have worked hard on their defensive structure since Dave Taylor came into the pack late for injured back-rower Sam Thaiday.
They believe they’ve learned plenty after the Blues jumped them early in Melbourne.
“They’ll come at us direct which allows their outside backs to perform a lot better,” said Meninga.
“Their kicking game (in Melbourne) was excellent and they contested for kicks really well, so all round we have to match them in those areas.”
Meninga and Stuart haven’t agreed on much but both know what it will take to win on Wednesday night.
“Like Ricky wrote in the paper, it’ll be inch by inch, tackle by tackle and run by run, that’s how you win footy games,” he said.
NSW controlled last year’s Sydney Origin on the back of a 90 per cent completion rate.
“If that’s an indication of what’s going to happen then we’re in for one hell of a game,” said Meninga.”
But he believes his players can perform and execute better than they did in their 18-10 win in game one, although he concedes the Blues are stronger with the addition of rookie Penrith prop Tim Grant and the recall of aggressive forward Anthony Watmough for the return game.
“They were close in game one and we’re expecting a very torrid affair,” he said.
“We know we will have to hang in for 80 minute and we’re prepared to do that.”