'Shelling peas': Will NSW scrum revival leave Maroons red-faced again?
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The Blues' willingness to make their scrums an offensive centrepiece should have Queensland on red alert or another poorly read set piece will cost them dearly in Wednesday's decider.
NSW bagged two tries from scrum plays in 15 minutes in Origin II, killing off any hope of a second-half Maroons revival last week.
The end result of both plays which left Queensland's backline facing "four attackers and three defenders, it's like shelling peas," Eighth Immortal Andrew Johns noted in Channel Nine commentary.
The Blues moves continued the 2020 trend borne from the largely unheralded rule change around scrums, allowing attacking sides to position them 10 or 20 metres in from either sideline, or smack bang in centre field.
The 35 tries scored from scrums throughout the NRL season were at a rate that almost doubles the previous two seasons.
All bar two of those (94%) came from scrums packed in the middle of the paddock, just as NSW did at ANZ Stadium.
Eels coach Brad Arthur has previously described the move as "those 50-50 scrums" where attacking players are split either side of the restart.
For the first time during Brad Fittler's tenure with the Blues, they found reward by splitting Queensland's defence either side of the scrum, to the tune of tries to Josh Addo-Carr and Daniel Tupou.
Match: Maroons v Blues
Game 3 -
home Team
Maroons
away Team
Blues
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
"I don't want to give too much away, it is our game plan," five-eighth Cody Walker grinned this week.
"We've got a couple of different principles on the footy field. And one of those is counting the numbers. It's always fun when you see something come off that you've practised and it's fun to create those chances."
Halfback Nathan Cleary told NRL.com he defers calls on the scrum play to Walker and fullback James Tedesco.
"I'm always feeding the scrum so I let the boys with the x-factor out of the scrum put on their moves," Cleary said.
On both occasions last week it was Walker's South Sydney teammate Damien Cook expediting play from lock, the Blues hooker sweeping the set piece into action with quick service from the base of the scrum.
Queensland's poorly counted numbers in both instances always meant they would be caught short with a four-on-three play created.
Losing five-eighth Cameron Munster to concussion after just three minutes did their defensive cohesion no favours.
But by having Cook play as distributor, Cleary was able to stay on a short side as a decoy, the Maroons defence naturally keeping an eye on the Blues No.7 and hedging their numbers accordingly.
Addo-Carr steps back inside to score from a scrum
In Addo-Carr's 37th-minute try, Queensland skipper Daly Cherry-Evans is even several metres offside as he rushes up on the short side to no avail.
It was Walker working from first receiver with time and space in both the Addo-Carr try and Tupou's in the 52nd minute.
NSW centres Clint Gutherson and Jack Wighton have had some unflattering moments themselves without the ball this series.
Tupou scores his first Origin try
But on both plays they perform their roles to a tee, running outside-in lines that drag first Kurt Capewell, then Dane Gagai in before leaving them in no-man's land with the Blues wingers off to the races.
"Cody's communication was really good and it came together well," Wighton told NRL.com.
"You never know what Cody's doing, that play-off-the-cuff mentality is his strength.
Maroons v Blues - Origin III
"Playing against him he's always on the ball. That was the first game I've ever played with him and it's something I've always wanted to do, it was good fun.
"We were all on the same page and Freddy gives us freedom to play what we see. I'd say a fair bit of that comes from having a good spine that's pretty familiar with each other at this level.
"If they want to play and give it a crack, no one's thinking twice. We just go for it."
