'Hasn't served us well': NSW ditch pre-game tradition or State of Origin 3

Yahoo

19 hours ago

NSW Blues captain Isaah Yeo says plans to scrap a popular State of Origin tradition are about restoring a sense of normality for the team ahead of Wednesday night's series-deciding game against Queensland. For the last six years, the Blues have warmed up at the adjacent NSWRL Centre of Excellence, before embarking on a four-minute walk through an underground tunnel that connects to their home ground at Accor Stadium.
It's one of the most theatrical entrances in Australian sport and takes the Blues players past a who's who of NSW Origin greats, whose faces adorn the tunnel walls before they reach the ground. But NSW coach Laurie Daley flagged a change to the routine after analysing their slow start in Game 2 and wants to simplify the process so the Blues can focus purely on their preparation.
"We just want to get over there and be a part of it instead of walking over there (after the warmup)," Daley told NRL.com. "I like getting on a bus and going to a game rather than walking to a game. That's what it is. I'd rather jump on a bus, leave the hotel and go from there and hopefully it's a smoother preparation."
And while Yeo admits there are parts of the tradition he loves, the NSW skipper admitted the emotion it can stir up in the players 'hasn't served them overly well' in previous years. The Blues will instead complete their warmup inside the sheds at Accor, before running onto the field through the normal tunnel, which is more in line with how the players approach regular NRL games.
'It can be a really good thing but then previous years it probably hasn't served us overly well in terms of that emotion," Yeo said about plans to scrap the tradition. "I think it's just about being a bit more normal. Any sort of big game you play at Accor normally you're in the actual Accor sheds, so I think that's more of the thinking behind it.
"It was probably getting tossed up a bit last year as well." The NSW captain cited Joseph Suaalii's infamous send-off at the start of Game 1 in Sydney last year as evidence that a more low-key entrance would be beneficial in keeping the emotions of the players in check.
'We chose to go with the tunnel and then the incident (Joseph Suaali'i getting sent off) pretty early on and you can probably go (to) hindsight but I just think it's just a bit of normality," he added. "You warm up in the sheds, you do what you normally do in big games. I think that's the way we're going to go.'
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The Blues captain declared teammates Brian To'o (knee) and Payne Haas (back) certain starters for Wednesday night's series decider after both came through injury clouds to partake in an opposed session against the the Bulldogs' Jersey Flegg team on Monday. 'They've done everything that we've asked them to do and what the plan was for them leading into the game,' Yeo said on Tuesday morning. 'Bizza (To'o) did most of the session last time, got through unscathed and Payne did the parts that he needed to do.'
NSW halfback Nathan Cleary is also good to go, despite an ongoing groin issue that means he won't kick for goal again on Wednesday night. Daley and NSW team manager Frank Ponissi have both indicated that Zac Lomax will be given goal-kicking duties once more, despite only making two from five attempts in Game 2, with Latrell Mitchell and Stephen Crichton handy back-ups if he has another off night.